Nonfiction
Spiritual & Philosophical Reading
Books for the big questions, from many traditions.
14 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
The Power of Now
A guide to living in the present moment; the bestselling cornerstone of modern mindfulness.
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3
The Republic
Socrates argues with Athenian citizens about the nature of justice, the ideal city-state, the philosopher-king, the allegory of the cave, and the forms. Plato's dialogue is the foundational text of Western political philosophy and one of the most influential works of thought ever written.
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4
Mere Christianity
A clear, conversational case for the Christian faith; influential well beyond its tradition.
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5
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
A prophet descends to teach a new way of valuing life; poetic, provocative and frequently misread.
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6
The Miracle of Mindfulness
Simple practices for being fully present; a gentle, enduring introduction to mindfulness.
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7
The Myth of Sisyphus
Why life worth living despite its apparent absurdity; the essay that frames absurdism.
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8
A History of God
Four thousand years of how Jews, Christians and Muslims have imagined God; lucid and even-handed.
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9
The Second Sex
The foundational analysis of how 'woman' has been defined as other; a cornerstone of feminist thought.
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10
A Burnt-Out Case
Querry is assigned to a leper colony on the upper reaches of the Congo, run by a doctor as lacking in faith as he is himself.
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11
A Far Country
Follows the career of Hugh Paret from youth to manhood. There he travels from Britain to America where he later becomes a very prosperous man.
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12
A History of Western Philosophy
Twenty-five centuries of ideas, opinionated and surprisingly entertaining; a famous one-volume tour.
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13
A Letter Concerning Toleration
A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke was originally published in 1689. Its initial publication was in Latin, and it was immediately translated into other languages. Locke's work appeared amids
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14
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
The book that gave us the 'paradigm shift'; how science actually changes its mind.