Mind blown! 10 philosophy books guaranteed to make you think differently

Philosophy does not have to be limited to Hegel and Frege. Like all disciplines, it gets complex for the layperson once you scratch below the crust. Above all else, philosophy is about thinking deeply. Anyone can give that a shot. You must start somewhere. In a discipline ranging from economics and politics to the nature of reality and the ethics of extreme sports, there is much to choose from.

Forget that you have not read everything from Plato to Žižec. Expand your mind with these 10 philosophy books for deep thinking newbies.

Essential philosophy books

Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex (1949)

Do not be put off by the weight of this volume. You need no prior knowledge. De Beauvoir’s text guides you through the intricacies of her argument without an academic tutor. It provides a thorough grounding in Marxist feminist thought. It is a fantastic historical survey of the difference between sex and gender. As the author says, one is not born, but rather becomes, woman.

Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (1961)

German political theorist Hannah Arendt disavowed the label philosopher. Her work focuses on power, authority and democracy. As a European Jew who fled to America during the Holocaust, she is concerned with violence and its relation to the left and the right. All her books are excellent. Eichmann in Jerusalem is a study on whether evil is radical or thoughtless, based on her reportage on Eichmann’s post-war trial.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (1886)

Nietzsche slams the idea of traditional morality. He accuses other moral philosophers of being dogmatic. He argues that good and evil are different expressions of the same basic instincts. Nietzsche’s iconoclastic attitude is energizing. This is a good read whether or not you find yourself convinced. Check out Thus Spake Zarathustra for more of the same.

Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract (1762)

This text helped stir up political fervor in late eighteenth century France. It argued against the divine right of the monarch to rule. It made the case for the people’s ability to rule themselves. It interrogates the idea of legitimate political authority. It suggests a democratic model that can work out legislation within the state. It remains relevant today.

Antonio Gramsci, The Prison Notebooks (1929-1935)

Gramsci was an Italian Marxist imprisoned by his country’s Fascist government in 1926. He wrote these notebooks while in jail. They are structurally unsystematic because he was in prison at the time. They are wide-ranging. He covers Fascism, Fordism, Italian history, the French revolution, folklore, religion and culture. He critiques capitalism and the cultural hegemony that maintains it. You can dip in and out of this one.

Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (1532)

This political treatise from the sixteenth century remains current. Machiavelli was a politician and a political theorist who wrote about power. He explains how to get it, how to wield it and how to maintain it. Realpolitik debuts here. Political philosophy was never the same afterwards.

G.E.M. Anscombe, Intention (1957)

Anscombe wrote on mind, logic, language and ethics. She is best known for her work on action theory. Intention is about action and practical reasoning. It is difficult compared to other texts here. Her easy prose style is at odds with the complexity of her arguments. She is a giant among analytic philosophers.

Daniel Dennett, The Intentional Stance (1987)

This book fits into the category of philosophy of mind. Dennett examines how we explain and predict the actions of others by using different levels of abstraction. The intentional stance assumes something operates with belief or intent rather than mechanically. Dennett is an engaging writer. If you have read Anscombe, this will be easy.

Donna Haraway, A Cyborg Manifesto (1985)

This is an essay titled A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century. Like de Beauvoir, Haraway argues that being female is socially constructed. She uses the cyborg to reject rigid boundaries between human and machine. Check out her book Simians, Cyborgs and Women (1990) for further essays.

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