Best Philosophy Books [Top 10] [2024 Update]

What are the best philosophy books? In this overview, you will find a book list with the best recommendations to get acquainted with philosophy and/or to delve further into it. Read along…

An overview of the best philosophy books

If you’d like to delve a little more into different philosophical schools of thought, this list of the best philosophy books is a good place to start. We start our recommendations with the top 10 best books about Philosophy of all time. This list has been updated this year, including all the recent titles.

Best Philosophy Books	Author
Sophie’s World	Jostein Gaarder
What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction To Philosophy	Thomas Nagel
A History Of Western Philosophy	Bertrand Russell
Republic	Plato
The Art Of War	Sun Tzu
Being And Nothingness	Jean-Paul Sartre
Tao Te Ching	Lao Tzu
The Meditations Of Marcus Aurelius	Marcus Aurelius
Critique Of Pure Reason	Emmanuel Kant
Beyond Good And Evil	Friedrich Nietzsche

The updated top 10 list: the best books about philosophy

Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture

This book does two things for you: it teaches you about psychological evolution, and it is a guide on how to develop yourself. Many great thinkers are addressed to make the most out of your life if you are willing to do the work.

Philosophy 101: From Plato and Socrates to Ethics and Metaphysics, an Essential Primer on the History of Thought (Adams 101)

Would you like to know more about the practical side of philosophy and the world’s greatest thinkers? Then we suggest you read ‘Philosophy 101’. It skips the complex or boring information and goes straight for the basics.

Melanchthon: Orations on Philosophy and Education (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy)

Melanchthon is mainly known for his educational reforms and orations. This book takes a large part of his works which have now been translated into English. Read about his views on the different types of philosophy, but also about astrology and astronomy.

Philosophies on Self-Discipline: Lessons from History’s Greatest Thinkers on How to Start, Endure, Finish, & Achieve (Live a Disciplined Life Book 7) 

If you want to work on your skills of self-discipline, then we are a big fan of this book by Peter Hollins. His book is focused on some of history’s greatest thinkers and their wisdom, and you will find their characteristics in each of the 8 meditations.

The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

Does the word philosophy alone already scare you and make you turn away from the subject? Then you haven’t read the right book up until now. Philosophy is hugely interesting, and you can learn something from both the earliest big thinkers (like Confucius and Plato) as from modern philosophers.

Lectures on Ancient Philosophy

We should tell you that ‘Lectures on Ancient Philosophy’ is actually an extra with the book ‘The Secret Teachings of All Ages’. It lets you discover more details on this masterpiece by Manly P. Hall.

A Degree in a Book: Philosophy: Everything You Need to Know to Master the Subject – in One Book!

If you want the bare minimal on philosophy, we think the way they describe the history on philosophy in this book and the diagrams they have added will make all the difference.

Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy: With Selections from the Objections and Replies (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy)

This is a version of ‘The Philosophical Writings of Descartes’ that can be read and understood easily, because it was rewritten in modern English. Any student who studies Descartes or the Meditations will like this book.

The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness 

‘The Psychology of Money’ tells you that many cultures deal with wealth differently. By reading the 19 short stories you will learn that what we do with money is mostly decided at informal meetings, instead of when you are watching your financial spreadsheet.

A History of Western Philosophy

This book has been around for over 75 years and it is still actual and relevant today. Be inspired by the 76 chapters in this book that deal with the history of philosophy and its greatest philosophers.