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Top philosophy books that everyone must read at least once. A book is a man’s best friend. Finding a good book is like finding a guru who guides you through life. But why philosophy books? What is Philosophy? Let’s first understand what philosophy is.
Philosophy is the study of the beliefs that people hold, their ideas, and their perspectives on life. It dives deeper into the understanding of life, understanding the depths of everything.
Reading a good philosophy book can change the way you see and understand life. And when it comes to philosophy there are many divisions: Modern Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Western Philosophy, Stoic Philosophy, Islamic Philosophy, and more.

1. Some Famous Philosophy Books to Live Better and Become a Great Thinker
1.1. The Courage to Be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishim
This is a book that everyone must read at least once in their lives. This book is in a conversation format. It is the conversation between a youth, who has a very harsh and pessimistic outlook on life and a philosophy professor who has spent his life learning Adlerian psychology. The conversation between the two individuals over the course of five nights where they take about trauma, relationships, faith, trust, and everything, is eye-opening.
The book dives deep into the human psyche and how everything in life depends on how we perceive a situation and how it changes when we change our perspective. You may have to read this more than once to get the complete essence of this book, cause this book surely can change your life.
1.2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a very popular book when we talk about philosophy books, though it does come under many other umbrellas. We all wonder what our purpose in life is. this book focuses on the journey of a shepherd boy who finds his purpose in a dream.
And we all strive to find our purpose. The Alchemist tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, who travels all around the world in search of a treasure, amidst the pyramids of Egypt, that he once saw in his dream. He goes to a fortune teller who confirms his dream and is off searching for the treasurers only to find another form of treasure. He learns the language of the world, and how everything is connected. This is the journey of his spiritual advancement. He learns how awareness of everything around you is the key. And how knowledge is the true treasure of life.
1.3. Karma: A Yogi’s Guide to Crafting Your Destiny by Sadhguru
Everyone has heard this word at least once in life. Nowadays this word is thrown in so randomly that it has lost its meaning. This book serves as a medium to understand the word, Karma. A book by Sadguru, explores Karma and its understanding so deeply yet simply, that it just makes sense.
What is Karma? Is it something you do, or something that happens to you?
Our knowledge of karma is returned to its original potential for empowerment and liberation rather than as a source of entanglement in Karma, an exploration and handbook.
You will discover how to live wisely and cheerfully in a difficult world through Sadhguru’s teachings.
1.4. Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia

Ikigai describes how having a purpose, eating right, and delaying retirement can all help you live a longer and happier life.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life was written by Hector Puigcerver, a native of Europe who fell in love with Japanese culture after moving to Japan in 2004. This book teaches us the way of life, it has rules to be followed in our everyday life.
You learn about a variety of subjects relating to the art of living in the Ikigai book, including the blue zones, longevity, logotherapy, flow, yoga, tai chi, and resilience. It explains the principles of Ikigai. The book asserts that you have some degree of control over living a long and fulfilling life.
1.5. Bhagavad Gita by Vyasa

If we are talking about the best philosophy books then The Bhagavad Gita should be number 1 . Scholars say that if you are ever stuck in a Dharma Sankat (ethical dilemma) then just open the Bhagavad Gita and you shall find the answers to your problem. The Bhagavad Gita holds the answers to every problem ever in the world.
The Bhagavad Gita encompasses the knowledge that Krishna gave Arjun on the Kurukshetra Battlefield when he began having second thoughts and refrained from performing his duties as a Kshatriya. The Knowledge of Karma and dharma. It stresses how the only control one has is on his own karma(actions). So perform your karma with good intentions and sincerity and don’t worry about its result.
1.6. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The book Meditations takes its readers on a mental tour of The great Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Perhaps the only work of its kind ever created is Meditations. The most powerful man in the world is offering counsel to himself in his own words about how to live up to the duties and obligations of his position. Marcus, a student of the Stoic school, took time almost every evening to engage in a set of spiritual exercises.
These practices served to remind him of the virtues of humility, patience, empathy, generosity, and strength in the face of whatever challenges he was facing. It is readily readable and easily reachable. You can’t read this book without taking away a word or two that will come in handy the next time you find yourself in trouble.
Some other books by Marcus Aurelius you shouldn’t miss are Plato’s Epictetus and Thoughts.
1.7. Republic by Plato
In his book The Republic, Plato discusses how important it is to live a just life because doing so makes one happy. It is a text that outlines an ideal city and the means through which just and moral rule can produce happiness.
In The Republic, Plato makes an unexpected conclusion. He exiles poets from his city after defining justice and making it the highest good. He asserts that poets emulate unfair instincts in order to appeal to the lowest aspect of the soul. Poetry helps us to experience these ignoble feelings by allowing us to empathize with the characters we read about. To sum it up, poetry corrupts us.
Plato ends by relating the fable of Er, which portrays an individual’s spiritual journey after death. For a thousand years, the just are rewarded, and for a thousand years, the unjust are punished. Then, each soul must decide on its subsequent life.
1.8. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl describes in graphic detail his time as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. The focus of the book is on the power of love, hope, responsibility, inner freedom, and the beauty of both nature and art as tools for enduring and overcoming traumatic situations.
Frankl concludes that there is no universal explanation for what life’s purpose is. Each person must provide their response to the query. Based on our circumstances, connections, and experiences, every one of us discovers our own special significance. In a sense, life is a test for us, and our response to it will reveal the outcome.
1.9. Tao Te Ching By Laozi
The phrase “the way of integrity” is loosely translated from Tao Te Ching by Laos. It offers a treatise on how to live in the world with decency and integrity in its 81 verses, which is an important sort of wisdom in a society where many people think it is unattainable. Tao Te Ching is one of the best philosophy books out there.
The Tao-te Ching outlined a style of living designed to provide peace and harmony to a kingdom plagued by pervasive illnesses.
We learn three very important lessons from this book that is: The aim of the competition is to improve and playfully create; Examine yourself and your judgments of others to identify any flaws you may have. One of the hardest things to accomplish is to admit your own fault since it damages your ego; Keep nothing back and let things be as they are.
1.10. Reasons and Persons by Derek Parfit
The philosopher Derek Parfit wrote Reasons and Persons in 1984, a book in which he talks about morality, reason, and individual identity. Self-defeating ideologies, reason and time, personal identity, and responsibility to the next generation are the topics covered in its four sections.
He maintained that the mental experiences and behaviours that can be connected to a single person at any particular time are not the result of a special entity, or “self,” as is commonly believed. Parfit also argues that there is no required link between personal identity and personal survival because it is possible to have both without the other. Thus, “what matters” is not one’s own identity. For a number of broad classes of theory in ethics and practical reason, as well as the issue of what moral duties people have to the next generation, Parfit investigated the ramifications of that viewpoint.
1.11. Letters From a Stoic by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Philosopher Seneca, a well-known Roman Stoic, and philosopher, regarded as one of the three key Stoic philosophers alongside ancient stoic philosophers like Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus sent his friend Lucilius a collection of moral epistles in an effort to help him become more rational, and disciplined, and find the good life. Presumably, the 124 letters Seneca wrote to his buddy Lucilius with advice on how to become a better Stoic are collected in Letters from a Stoic.
A selection of these letters is included in Letters from a Stoic, along with important teachings about the philosophy, such as making the most of the resources we have and the time we have. The three key lessons from the book are on developing our inner selves, being content with “enough,” and friendship.
1.12. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
The 13 chapters in The Art of War each outline specific avenues of indirect and direct attack to employ in various conflict and war scenarios. Sun Tzu emphasizes the value of planning ahead. He lays forth five important components of war: moral impact, weather, terrain, command, and ideology.
The underlying idea of The Art of War is that diplomacy should be used to avert war. If it can’t be avoided, it should be psychologically and tactically battled to cause the least amount of harm and waste of resources. Going into war is conceding defeat, thus it should only be done as a last choice.
1.13. Philosophy Of Arthur Schopenhauer By Arthur Schopenhauer
The Wisdom of Life is a brief philosophical essay by Arthur Schopenhauer in which he examines the nature of human happiness and tries to comprehend how one should arrange his life to achieve the maximum amount of success and pleasure. Schopenhauer is considered to be the most famous philosophical pessimist in history.
1.14. Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes
The philosophical foundations of this endeavour are laid out in the classic work. The Meditations on First Philosophy. It poses age-old and important philosophical issues regarding the reality, the self, the mind’s relationship to the body, matter, causation, perception, ideas, the presence of God, and more. The book is made of six meditations.
The Meditator considers how frequently he has been proven wrong about things he had previously believed to be definite. He resolves to throw out all of his preconceptions, recreating his knowledge from scratch, and accepting as true only those assertions that are absolutely certain. Everything he had previously believed to be true was a product of his senses.
He comes to the conclusion that he cannot trust his senses because they could at any time be tricked by God or an evil demon, or he could be dreaming.
The Meditator considers how frequently he has been proven wrong about things he had previously believed to be definite. He resolves to throw out all of his preconceptions, recreating his knowledge from scratch, and accepting as true only those assertions that are absolutely certain. Everything he had previously believed to be true was a product of his senses. He comes to the conclusion that he cannot trust his senses because they could at any time be tricked by God or an evil demon, or he could be dreaming.
1.15. Critique Of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant criticized the claims made by pure theoretical reason to reach metaphysical truths that were unattainable by applied theoretical reason. Their conclusion was that pure theoretical reason must be regulated since, when used outside of its purview, it generates muddled arguments.
Some other books by Immanuel Kant you shouldn’t miss are Critique of Judgment, and Critique of Practical Reason.
1.16. The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh
In particular, The Art of Living discusses combining the Vipassana meditation method and the Buddhist philosophy, which encourages gaining a clearer vision of life and seeing things as they are. These practices can help one live a calm existence via meditation and gratitude.
This book explains how meditation is the food for your body, mind, and soul; The practice of Sila brings peace and serenity from within; We are always evolving and changing from second to second.
1.17. On The Genealogy of Morality by Friedrich Nietzsche
Three pieces make up the book On The Genealogy of Morals. In each essay, Nietzsche questions and criticizes the value of our moral judgments using a genealogical approach to look at the origins and meanings of our various moral notions.
1.18. Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
This book recounts the story of the ancient Persian prophet Zarathustra, who announces to the world that God has passed away and has been succeeded by Superman, the human embodiment of divinity.
1.19. Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche
Beyond Good and Evil provides a thorough summary of Nietzsche’s developed philosophy. 296 aphorisms totalling anywhere from a few sentences to a few pages make up the book. The nine various chapters of these aphorisms are organized thematically, and the introduction and a poem serve as the chapters’ bookends.
While each aphorism can be read on its own, there is also a tendency for the aphorisms to follow one another in a linear fashion both inside and between chapters. Nonetheless, each aphorism offers a unique perspective, and even the summaries of the various chapters leave out a lot of information.
1.20. Being And Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre
Kant was an idealist who thought that we can only access our thoughts of the universe, including what our senses tell us, and that we have no direct method of observing the outside world.
In the preface to Being and Nothingness, Sartre explains why he disagrees with Kant’s notion of noumenon. Kant made a distinction between noumena, which are the objects that we have no knowledge of, and phenomena, which are how we perceive things or how they look to us. Sartre contends that a phenomenon’s appearance is a pure and absolute concept, in opposition to Kant.
The noumenon isn’t hidden; it’s just not there. The only reality is what one can see. Sartre argues that the world can be viewed as an endless series of finite appearances from this vantage point. Several dualisms are eliminated by such a viewpoint, most notably the duality that opposes an object’s inside and outside. We receive exactly what we see.
1.21. A New History of Western Philosophy by Anthony Kenny
From ancient Greece through the Middle Ages and the Age of Enlightenment to the present, Anthony Kenny traces the history of philosophy. Starting with Plato, Aristotle, and the other founders of Western thinking expose us to the great thinkers and their concepts. He narrates the life learnings and teachings offered to us by these great minds.
1.22. The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
The Daily Stoic examines 366 meditations from classical contemporary thinkers to explore the three key stoic notions. By highlighting areas for improvement that we may work on through a new perspective, actions of change, and the force of will, the book addresses the natural thinking process of humans.
Justice, Temperance, Wisdom, and Courage are the Four Virtues upheld by the Stoics.
1.23. Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle
Aristotle is regarded as the father of political science and he is well-versed in western political philosophy.
The Nicomachean Ethics places a strong emphasis on the idea that self-improvement is a process that never truly stops, even if you reach self-actualization along the way. The Nicomachean Ethics places a strong emphasis on the idea that self-improvement is a process that never truly stops, even if you reach self-actualization along the way.
1.24. The Autobiography of A Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
This book is considered to be one of the Best Eastern Philosophy Books in the modern world.
The readers are introduced to the life and life experiences of Paramahamsa Yogananda. His interactions with spiritual leaders from both the Eastern and Western worlds are mentioned in The Autobiography of a Yogi. The book begins with his childhood family life and follows on to his discovering his teacher, becoming a monk, and establishing his teachings of Kriya Yoga meditation.
This book is known to have played an important part in the lives of great personalities like Swami Vivekananda and Steve jobs.
1.25. The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
According to the Greek tale, Sisyphus is destined to roll a boulder up a mountain, but every time he reaches the summit, the rock rolls back down to the bottom. Camus contends that the gods were clever in realizing that an eternity of pointless toil would be a dreadful punishment.
The Myth of Sisyphus is a mixture of Greek mythology and philosophy book that gives you a better understanding of the myth of Sisyphus and the learning from his story.
1.26. History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
The History of Western Philosophy is a brilliantly original investigation of the ideologies of prominent philosophers over the ages, from Plato and Aristotle through Spinoza, Kant, and the twentieth century. It is regarded as one of the most significant philosophy books of all time.
1.27. A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume
Being an Effort to Bring the Experimental Method of Reasoning into Moral Topics, written by Scottish philosopher David Hume, a Treatise of Human Nature, is often regarded as Hume’s most significant work and one of the most important in the history of philosophy.
1.28. Being and Time by Martin Heidegger
The fundamental tenet of Being and Time is really straightforward: Being is time. That is, to live chronologically in the interval between birth and death is what it is to be a human being. Being is time, and because time is limited, it ends with our death.
This book expresses Martin Heidegger’s belief that time finds its meaning in death.
1.29. At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell
The book gives a history of contemporary existentialists who flourished before and during World War II.
She provides a summary of the activities carried out by existentialists. This is different from defining existentialism since doing so would make it seem rigid and definite, whereas it only manifests as the acts that result from existential thought. She briefly explains that “existentialists concern themselves with an individual, tangible human being,” and “whatever I choose to make of myself at any instant” is what constitutes individual existence. Human freedom and the inherent obligations and worries that come with it are an existentialist’s central preoccupation.

2. Where Can I Find Philosophy Books Online?
There are a number of online platforms for philosophy books online. The right bookstore is one such site to buy philosophy books for cheaper prices. Then we have sites like BookChor, best of used books, etc. And of course, the most trusted ones are Amazon and Flipkart.
3. Does Audible Have Philosophy Books?
Yes, audible does have a vast collection of philosophy books. But again, there is a possibility that your choice of books might not be available on audible. So you can try youtube or other audio streaming platforms. So if you are not a reader and prefer getting your knowledge on the go. Audible is the best alternative to books.
4. Is It Good to Read Philosophy Books?
How do we know the difference between right and wrong? how do we know the orange is an orange and the apple is an apple? Because we were told that. These ideas we put into our heads. To lead a fulfilling life, a life of meaning with awareness and understanding. We need to understand the philosophy of life. And we get that through experience. Experiences of our own or others. Or by reading experiences in books.
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Last Updated on by Icy Tales Team