72 Philosophy Books Everyone Should Read

This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

The Institute of Art and Ideas, 77 Books

The Institute of Art and Ideas asked experts across the philosophy discipline to put together a list of their recommended philosophy books that everyone should read.

This list was originally published in 2018 and was added to this site about 2 years ago.

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Cover of 'Upanishads' by Unknown
Upanishads

Unknown

Cover of 'Abhinavagupta' by Abhinavagupta
Abhinavagupta

Abhinavagupta

Cover of 'Milinda Panha' by Unknown
Milinda Panha

Unknown

Cover of 'The Fundamental Wisdom Of The Middle Way' by Nagarjuna, Jay L. Garfield
The Fundamental Wisdom Of The Middle Way

Nagarjuna, Jay L. Garfield

Cover of 'Dignaga's Investigation Of The Percept' by Douglas Duckworth
Dignaga's Investigation Of The Percept

Douglas Duckworth

Cover of 'A Guide To The Bodhisattva Way Of Life' by Santideva
A Guide To The Bodhisattva Way Of Life

Santideva

Cover of 'Analects' by Confucius
Analects

Confucius

Cover of 'Tao Te Ching' by Lao Tsu
Tao Te Ching

Lao Tsu

Cover of 'Platform Sutra' by Huineng
Platform Sutra

Huineng

Cover of 'Euthyphro' by Plato
Euthyphro

Plato

Cover of 'A Mathematician's Apology' by G. H. Hardy
A Mathematician's Apology

G. H. Hardy

Cover of 'Crito' by Plato
Crito

Plato

Cover of 'Phaedo' by Plato
Phaedo

Plato

Cover of 'The Republic' by Plato
The Republic

Plato

Cover of 'The Nicomachean Ethics' by Aristotle
The Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle

Cover of 'Discourses Of Epictetus' by Epictetus
Discourses Of Epictetus

Epictetus

Cover of 'De Rerum Natura' by Lucretius
De Rerum Natura

Lucretius

Cover of 'On The Ends Of Good And Evil' by Marcus Tullius Cicero
On The Ends Of Good And Evil

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Cover of 'Letters from a Stoic' by Seneca
Letters from a Stoic

Seneca

Cover of 'Musonius Rufus' by Musonius Rufus, Cynthia King
Musonius Rufus

Musonius Rufus, Cynthia King

Cover of 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius
Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

Cover of 'Japanese Philosophy' by John C. Maraldo, Thomas P. Kasulis, James W. Heisig
Japanese Philosophy

John C. Maraldo, Thomas P. Kasulis, James W. Heisig

Cover of 'Treasury Of The True Dharma Eye' by Kazuaki Tanahashi
Treasury Of The True Dharma Eye

Kazuaki Tanahashi

Cover of 'An Inquiry Into The Good' by Nishida Kitarō
An Inquiry Into The Good

Nishida Kitarō

Cover of 'Watsuji Tetsuro's Rinrigaku' by Watsuji Tetsuro
Watsuji Tetsuro's Rinrigaku

Watsuji Tetsuro

Cover of 'The Body' by Yasuo Yuasa
The Body

Yasuo Yuasa

Cover of 'The Improvement of Human Reason' by Ibn Tufayl
The Improvement of Human Reason

Ibn Tufayl

Cover of 'Averroes' by George F. Hourani
Averroes

George F. Hourani

Cover of 'The Philosophical Works Of Al Kindi' by Peter Adamson, Peter E. Pormann
The Philosophical Works Of Al Kindi

Peter Adamson, Peter E. Pormann

Cover of 'The City of God' by Augustine
The City of God

Augustine

Cover of 'On Being And Essence' by Thomas Aquinas
On Being And Essence

Thomas Aquinas

Cover of 'Summulae De Dialectica' by John Buridan, Gyula Klima
Summulae De Dialectica

John Buridan, Gyula Klima

Cover of 'Tattvachintamani' by Gaṅgeśa
Tattvachintamani

Gaṅgeśa

Cover of 'The Padārthatattvanirūpaṇam Of Raghunātha śiromaṇi' by Karl H. Potter
The Padārthatattvanirūpaṇam Of Raghunātha śiromaṇi

Karl H. Potter

Cover of 'Gadādhara's Śaktivāda' by Gadādharabhaṭṭācārya
Gadādhara's Śaktivāda

Gadādharabhaṭṭācārya

Cover of 'Meditations on First Philosophy' by Rene Descartes
Meditations on First Philosophy

Rene Descartes

Cover of 'Tractatus Theologico Politicus' by Baruch de Spinoza
Tractatus Theologico Politicus

Baruch de Spinoza

Cover of 'An Essay Concerning Human Understanding' by John Locke
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

John Locke

Cover of 'Two Treatises of Government' by John Locke
Two Treatises of Government

John Locke

Cover of 'An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding' by David Hume
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

David Hume

Cover of 'The Spirit Of The Laws' by Montesquieu
The Spirit Of The Laws

Montesquieu

Cover of 'Émile' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Émile

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Cover of 'Critique of Pure Reason' by Immanuel Kant
Critique of Pure Reason

Immanuel Kant

Cover of 'Phenomenology of Mind' by G. W. F. Hegel
Phenomenology of Mind

G. W. F. Hegel

Cover of 'Idealism And The Endgame Of Theory' by F. W. J. Schelling
Idealism And The Endgame Of Theory

F. W. J. Schelling

Cover of 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' by Mary Wollstonecraft
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Mary Wollstonecraft

Cover of 'A Room of One's Own' by Virginia Woolf
A Room of One's Own

Virginia Woolf

Cover of 'The Second Sex' by Simone de Beauvoir
The Second Sex

Simone de Beauvoir

Cover of 'The Tale Of The Eloquent Peasant' by R. B. Parkinson
The Tale Of The Eloquent Peasant

R. B. Parkinson

Cover of 'La Charte Du Mandé Et Autres Traditions Du Mali' by Aboubakar Fofana, Jean-Louis Sagot
La Charte Du Mandé Et Autres Traditions Du Mali

Aboubakar Fofana, Jean-Louis Sagot

Cover of 'Treatise Of Zera Yacob' by Zera Yacob
Treatise Of Zera Yacob

Zera Yacob

Cover of 'Mi'raj Al Su'ud' by Ahmad Baba al-Timbukti, Hunqick J.
Mi'raj Al Su'ud

Ahmad Baba al-Timbukti, Hunqick J.

Cover of 'Sage Philosophy' by Henry Odera Oruka
Sage Philosophy

Henry Odera Oruka

Cover of 'Logical Investigations' by Edmund Husserl
Logical Investigations

Edmund Husserl

Cover of 'The Apriori Foundations Of The Civil Law' by Adolf Reinach
The Apriori Foundations Of The Civil Law

Adolf Reinach

Cover of 'The Literary Work Of Art' by Roman Ingarden
The Literary Work Of Art

Roman Ingarden

Cover of 'The Myth of Sisyphus' by Albert Camus
The Myth of Sisyphus

Albert Camus

Cover of 'Being and Nothingness' by Jean Paul Sartre
Being and Nothingness

Jean Paul Sartre

Cover of 'The Logic of Scientific Discovery' by Karl Popper
The Logic of Scientific Discovery

Karl Popper

Cover of 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' by Thomas Kuhn
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Thomas Kuhn

Cover of 'Against Method' by Paul Feyerabend
Against Method

Paul Feyerabend

Cover of 'The Principles of Psychology' by William James
The Principles of Psychology

William James

Cover of 'De Anima' by Aristotle
De Anima

Aristotle

Cover of 'The Routledge Handbook Of Panpsychism' by William Seager
The Routledge Handbook Of Panpsychism

William Seager

Cover of 'The Foundations Of Arithmetic' by Gottlob Frege
The Foundations Of Arithmetic

Gottlob Frege

Cover of 'Logic And Knowledge' by Bertrand Russell
Logic And Knowledge

Bertrand Russell

Cover of 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus' by Ludwig Wittgenstein
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Cover of 'The Origins of Totalitarianism' by Hannah Arendt
The Origins of Totalitarianism

Hannah Arendt

Cover of 'Black Skin, White Masks' by Frantz Fanon
Black Skin, White Masks

Frantz Fanon

Cover of 'The Wretched of the Earth' by Frantz Fanon
The Wretched of the Earth

Frantz Fanon

Cover of 'The Arcades Project' by Walter Benjamin
The Arcades Project

Walter Benjamin

Cover of 'On the Genealogy of Morality' by Friedrich Nietzsche
On the Genealogy of Morality

Friedrich Nietzsche

Cover of 'Discipline and Punish' by Michel Foucault
Discipline and Punish

Michel Foucault

Cover of 'Spurs' by Jacques Derrida
Spurs

Jacques Derrida

Cover of 'Justice As Fairness' by John Rawls
Justice As Fairness

John Rawls

Cover of 'If You're An Egalitarian, How Come You're So Rich?' by G. A. Cohen
If You're An Egalitarian, How Come You're So Rich?

G. A. Cohen

Cover of 'Justice For Hedgehogs' by Ronald Dworkin
Justice For Hedgehogs

Ronald Dworkin