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Position:Home>Philosophy> Help me with my reading list ?Question: Help me with my reading list !? I'd like to read up to at least the 18th century as far as philosophy goes!. But I know that the best way to really 'get it' is to follow the narrative that begins with Plato!.
So I have: Plato Bible Aquinas Descartes Hume Kant But I know that there were many more important philosophers, whose work would aid greatly in understanding the work of some, much like how the Bible helps in understanding Aquinas!. Could yahoo answers help me fill in the blanks!?Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Start not with Plato but with the Presocratics -- not much of their work survives, and that only in fragments, but there are a number of anthologies with commentary you could read!. After Plato, there's giant number two: Aristotle!. He indispensable for understanding Aquinas and a lot of other things!. Between Aristotle and Aquinas, there's quite a lot of important stuff!. First, the Hellenistic philosophers, especially the stoics, epicureans and cynics!. Read Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Lucretius!. In later Roman philosophy, you should know a little about neoplatonism (especially Plotinus) and the philosophy of St!. Augustine, another huge influence on Aquinas!. And don't forget Boethius!. For later medieval philosophy, read Anselm (before Aquinas), Bonaventure (contemporary of Aquinas) and Duns Scotus (after Aquinas)!. For early modern philosophy, it's essential to read the great English philosophers: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume!. And that slightly weird guy, George Berkeley!. You need the latter three (especially Hume) to understand Kant!. These philosophers are all often labeled 'empiricists' !.!.!. well, at least the last three are, though Hobbes has a similar temperament!. On the continent in the same era, there are Descartes' important rationalist followers Spinoza and Leibniz!. The contradictions between Leibniz and Hume form one of the essential problems Kant set out to solve!. After this you'll finally be ready to read Kant!Www@QuestionHome@Com OK after Kant add Bertram Russell, and add Ayn Rand, and add Jacob Bronowski and Woody Allen!. also before Plato add Heracleitus and Democritus!. also after Plato add Lucretius and Omar Khayyam Many philosophers are far more "academic darlings full of pretension" but few have more to say -- all the ones I recommend wrote with great brevity so the academics don't like them!. But if truth is your goal, let's get a few alternative viewpoints in there, OK!?Www@QuestionHome@Com i might try starting with a philosophical subject that interests you rather than a philosopher plus it would be weird not to include aristotle!. he's kind of important!. he's one of the all-time most cited authors in arts & humanities http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Arts_and_Hu!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com The answers that have been given are good!. also let me suggest Anthony Kenny's four volume history of philosophy, and Father Copleston's multi-volume history!.Www@QuestionHome@Com http://www!.vedanta!.comWww@QuestionHome@Com |