31–40 of 59 posts
The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus is extremely readable and a classic of modern nihilistic thought. I'd also recommend Nietzsche's The Genealogy of Morals. It's not his most famous work, but it's pretty widely acclaimed as his best.
The books that made me decide to be a philosophy major: Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Ishmael Days of War, Nights of Love: Crimethinc for Beginners The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Bertrand Russell - The History of Western Philosophy: http://www.amazon.com/History-Western-Philosophy-Bertrand-Ru...
I'm going to say something probably unpopular, given the tone of many of the suggestions popping up, but philosophy is one case where I actually prefer to stay away from the so-called "primary sources". They are typically extraordinarily long and verbose for what they have to say, and if the idea some source is groping for is genuinely new, the fact that they are only in the beginning phases of grappling with it tend…
Agree completely about your position on primary sources too, though of course there is lots of insight to be gleamed from reading the original texts, I've always preferred reading their interpreters.
I'm going to say something probably unpopular, given the tone of many of the suggestions popping up, but philosophy is one case where I actually prefer to stay away from the so-called "primary sources". They are typically extraordinarily long and verbose for what they have to say, and if the idea some source is groping for is genuinely new, the fact that they are only in the beginning phases of grappling with it tend…
My versions are faithful to the content of the originals, but are plainer and more straightforward in manner. I could have made them even plainer, but that would have taken them further than I wanted to go from the stylistic feel of the originals. I love the original texts, and am glad to have spent years wrestling with them in their pristine form. I do wish, though, that through the years I could also have read them sometimes with all my energy going into the philosophy.
To the OP, two overviews of Western Philosophy (of the analytic variety) I'd suggest are Russell's "The Problems of Philosophy" (http://www.ditext.com/russell/russell.html) and Nagel's "What Does It All Mean?: A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy".
The thoughts/ideas on society and politics are the sort that will resonate with a lot of the HN crowd. They advocate things like free speech, freedom of thought, equal rights for women, a utilitarian view of morality.
Some choice quotes: "actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness"
"the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."
He was a pretty smart guy and a lot of what he advocated is now baked in to western societies as the norm.