If you liked
Books like The Republic
Loved The Republic by Plato? Here are 10 books with a similar appeal — drawn mostly from philosophy, ranked by how confidently we'd recommend them next.
Philosophy worth reading takes hard questions seriously without making them harder than they need to be. This list spans 1739–1991 and includes 1 marked as essential reading in philosophy.
10 books · ranked
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1
Sophie's World
A teenager receives mysterious lessons that walk through the whole history of Western philosophy; a story and a course in one.
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2
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
A prophet descends to teach a new way of valuing life; poetic, provocative and frequently misread.
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3
The Myth of Sisyphus
Why life worth living despite its apparent absurdity; the essay that frames absurdism.
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4
The Second Sex
The foundational analysis of how 'woman' has been defined as other; a cornerstone of feminist thought.
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5
A History of Western Philosophy
Twenty-five centuries of ideas, opinionated and surprisingly entertaining; a famous one-volume tour.
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6
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
The book that gave us the 'paradigm shift'; how science actually changes its mind.
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7
A Modern Utopia
Imagine a life without worries. You live in a perfect environment untouched by pollution. You have a job to do and play an important role in society. The politicians are watching out for your best int
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8
A Room of One's Own
A Room of One's Own is an extended essay by Virginia Woolf. First published on 24 October 1929, the essay was based on a series of lectures she delivered at Newnham College and Girton College, two wom
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9
A Study of History
A masterful attempt to describe a universal history. Staggering depth of scholarship and breath of thought.
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10
A treatise of human nature
The eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher's classic work on human understanding and morals.