5 Most Successful Philosophy Books

People tend to find philosophical books to be difficult to understand because philosophers typically write for other philosophers rather than ordinary people.

This can discourage the everyday person from reading this genre because the precise language often reduces readability. However, the solid arguments in these books are made in the manner that they are in order for the authors’ ideas to not be misinterpreted.

The truth is, reading philosophical books can grant you a level of self-awareness that’s essential to have to live a healthy life. While it can be scary to engage in introspection, it's important to do if you want to live authentically. 

You can use philosophy to help you gain a better understanding of your mind and take better control of your future. Reading other people's ideas can help you become open to philosophical questions and start to analyze your own existence outside of external influences.

Reading philosophical books can also help you recognize the evolution of human thought. With that said, let’s look at 5 of the most successful philosophy books.

1. Plato: Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo by Plato

Source: Goodreads

Many argue that all Western philosophy stems from Plato. If you’re new to reading philosophy, you can gain a basic appreciation by reading the works of Socrates’ most famous student, Plato. This book presents readers with five dialogues that are great examples of Plato’s philosophical wisdom.

Euthyphro offers the argument that morality can’t be derived from gods–regardless of whether or not gods exist. Apology summarizes Socrates’ defense statements from his trial where he was being accused of immorality and the corruption of the Athenian youth, where he was condemned to death. 

In Crito, Socrates takes a look at the concept of justice and proposes one of the first versions of social contract theory. Meno focuses on the idea of virtue as well as the idea that knowledge can be defined as established true belief. 

Finally, Phaedo recounts the last moments of Socrates’ life, where he explores the soul and the afterlife.

This collection of dialogues illustrates great ideas, writing, and philosophy. This translation can feel a bit literal at times, but it’s still understandable. Readers appreciate the footnotes that explain Socrates' expressions and historical references made in this book. 

After reading this book, you will have an understanding of early philosophical thoughts.

2. Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder

Source: Goodreads

This easy-to-understand book is one of the most quintessential philosophy books for beginners or anyone who wants to simply gain a broad overview of philosophy in a quick and fun way.

Gaarder wrote this book in the form of a novel, where Sophie, a 14-year-old girl, goes on a journey working as an apprentice for an aging philosopher. Throughout her experience, she learns the history of philosophy and Gaarder can make the lessons of historical philosophers relevant to a more recent era.

Sophie discovers the most critical philosophical concepts on her journey, beginning with the lessons from the first Ancient Greek philosophers, and ending with mid-twentieth-century philosophers.

By reading this book, you will gain insight into a variety of historical methods of thinking and how they have shaped our world as it is today, including Renaissance, Romanticism, Existentialism, Marxism, Communism, etc. 

3. Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle

Source: Goodreads

Aristotle’s main question in Nicomachean Ethics is: what is the best thing for people? His answer to this question is the ability to live a particularly good type of life that provides overall happiness.

In his argument, happiness is comprised of activities that allow people to cater to their strengths. In doing so, people can flourish in their communities by engaging in reflection that is relevant to their own lives.

Readers enjoy this book because it is authentic while still offering clarity. While some find the writing to be dense at times, this book includes footnotes that help explain things in more everyday language. This is a great read for those who are striving to live a life of virtue.

4. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Source: Goodreads

This is one of the most classic psychiatric texts in history that has intrigued generations of people. In this memoir, Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl recounts life in Nazi death camps. 

Based on his own experience in addition to the first-hand stories Frankl heard from his patients, the lessons in this book surrounds the idea that while people cannot avoid suffering, it is possible to decide how you will cope with it, find its true meaning by learning from it and move on with your life.

This book has been said to be one of the most influential works of our time, with over 12 million copies have sold around the world. This book offers one of the first arguments for finding the silver lining in life’s challenges and always looking for lessons that come out of hardships. 

This version offers a foreword by Harold S. Kushner, as well as endpapers, supplementary photographs to Frankl’s original work, and many of Frankl’s letters, speeches, and essays that have never been published before.

5. Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche

Source: Goodreads

This book by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was published in 1886, and it builds on his ideas that were published in previous works. Nietzsche accuses philosophers that came before his time to have lacked common sense and blindly believe in Christianity, which strongly influenced their ideas of morality. 

Nietzsche specifically focuses on philosophers’ tendencies to implement systems with the idea that good and evil are opposites. Instead, he argues that they are the same, they just have different expressions of impulses.

This is a very helpful book to read if you’re interested in modern philosophy and it will help you consider your ideas about what is “good” and what is “bad”. Even if you don’t agree with what Nietzsche says, you will gain new insights by reading this book and feel engaged by his lively writing style.

Final Thoughts:

Philosophy is what you make of it. You can read what other people believe on a certain topic and then choose whether or not you agree or want to try to incorporate their theories into your life. 

But reading a variety of philosophical books will help you develop critical thinking skills and help you understand why you make the choices that you do or even why you choose which goals you want to pursue.

Written by: Anusha Vajha

Edited by - Adrija Saha