Wes Cecil's Recommended Readings in Philosophy
From the Humane Arts podcast, which I strongly recommend.
The goal here is to provide a short list of accessible works in the original rather than criticisms or histories in another voice. The list and its ordering are arbitrary, other works could be suggested, but it's an excellent and reasonably friendly set of key writings. Most can be read in an hour or two.
I'm adding links to Archive.org and Library Genesis copies typically of PDF or ePub format, as well as Worldcat which should provide a nearby library copy. Note that there may be other versions / formats, as well as editions or translations which you might prefer / find more available. I've also corrected errors in titles / spelling from the video notes. Translations are suggestions, others may be substituted.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius / tr. George Long
Other translations may be substituted.
Ecce Homo by Nietzsche / translations by Kaufmann or Hollingsdale
An excellent translation. Thus Spake Zarathustra is another option though it's longer.
- Hollingsdale: Archive.org
- Kaufmann: Archiveorg | LibGen
- Worldcat
Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laertius / tr. Charles Yonge
A compilation, it's true, but in this case, the book is the only surviving evidence of many of the covered philosophers. Can be read in snippets. Yonge's English translations are excellent.
Symposium and Phaedrus by Plato / tr. Jowett
Think of these as plays rather than documents as an aid to reading and understanding.
- Archive.org
- LibGen (alt. trans.)
- Worldcat
Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy by Kongzi (Confucius), Mozi, Mengzi (Mencius), Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, and Han Feizi / tr & ed Van Norden, pub. Ivanhoe
This is another cheat as it's a compilation, but again there are short selections of each. Cecil recommens specifically Laozi.
Essays and Aphorisms by Schopenhauer / tr. Hollingsdale, Penguin edition
"Not the best translation, but easy to get."
Essays by Plutarch / Penguin Classics
Pragmatism and Other Writings by William James / Pub. Penguin
Hugely influential on the American idiom.
Discourse on Method and Related Writings by Descartes / pub. Penguin
And no, you're not mis-counting, though Cecil promised ten texts, he delivered nine ;-)
Cecil recommends diving straight into the works rather than reading translator's or editor's introductions, to come at the works with beginners' mind. You can read the introductions later if you like. Let yourself form your own initial imipressions.
