The Problems of Philosophy
by Bertrand Russell · first published 1900
65% recommend31% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short, accessible introduction to the big questions of philosophy, especially knowledge and its limits. Suits newcomers who want ideas rather than famous names, and rewards rereading; chapters can be read out of order.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In the following pages I have confined myself in the main to those problems of philosophy in regard to which I thought it possible to say something positive and constructive, since merely negative criticism seemed out of place. For this reason, theory of knowledge occupies a larger space than metaphysics in the present volume, and some topics much discussed by philosophers are treated very briefly, if at all.
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Bertrand Russell - The Problems of Philosophy
on “Eminent Philosophers Name the Most Important Philosophy Books from 1950-2000” ↗…many other people have mentioned ancient essays I like, I'll go for something more "modern". Some of Bertrand Russell's earlier works are well worth a read even though they're obviously dated. * The Problems of Philosophy (1912) gives a short introduction to philosophy that he at the time considered "positive and constructive". https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5827/5827-h/5827-h.htm * Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗…case that is what you were asking for specifically). The Very Short Introductions series have some really good booklets if you want quick ways to jump into a topic. A few other books: B Russell The Problems of Philosophy. OUP (dated, but a classic general introduction) Simon Blackburn Think. Oxford (nice general introduction) Tim Crane The Mechanical Mind. Penguin (Nice introduction to phil of mind) A J Ayer Language,…
on “If Philosophy Won’t Diversify, Let’s Call It What It Really Is” ↗…including some really basic ones, makes it hard to study anything else out of sheer guilt. As for philosophy, if anyone are curious, a book that was recommended to me by a philosophy major buddy is "The Problems of Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell[3]. [1] https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/computer-networking-a-top-down... [2] https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/designer/ [3] https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-problems-of-philosophy_ber...
on “Ask HN: What are you learning?” ↗"The problems of philosophy" by Bertrand Russell. ~8 times. "The abolition of man" by "C.S. Lewis" 3 times. "The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times" by René Guénon. 3 times, and planning to set a weekend for another…
on “Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?” ↗…recommend reading that first, but you can skip it if you don't want to read fiction. If you want something that talks purely about ideas without reference to the famous names, Bertrand Russell's book The Problems of Philosophy is also good. It give a very good overview of the major questions that philosophy keeps coming back to without dwelling too much on the history of the different answers. He also gives his own opinions…
on “Ask HN: Learning about philosophy” ↗…learn a conceptual understanding but can't actually perceive color as the sighted do). There's much more to Moore too: moral philosophy, etc. He was a trendsetter for much of 20th C. philosophy. 18. The Problems of Philosophy—Bertrand Russell Russell was one of the last great polymaths and a social reformer, philosopher, logician and much more (I remember him on TV when a kid). The Book discusses past philosophical problems…
on “Philosophy of Science: Suggested Core Readings and Background Texts [pdf]” ↗…thread, I posted some recommendations on books on philosophy of religion from a non-theistic perspective. I guess I should probably list some books on philosophy generally. 1. Bertrand Russell - The Problems of Philosophy A good introduction to the basic things which philosophers in the Anglo-American/analytic tradition worry about in logic, metaphysics and epistemology (primarily epistemology): induction, a priori knowledge,…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗This is a great list. +1 on the Philosophical Investigations. As an introductory book, I would recommend Russell's Problems of Philosophy.
on “Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?” ↗…could also have read them sometimes with all my energy going into the philosophy. </QUOTE> To the OP, two overviews of Western Philosophy (of the analytic variety) I'd suggest are Russell's "The Problems of Philosophy" (http://www.ditext.com/russell/russell.html) and Nagel's "What Does It All Mean?: A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy".
on “Ask HN: Can anyone recommend some philosophy reading?” ↗…http://ask.metafilter.com/71101/What-single-book-is-the-best... http://ask.metafilter.com/52701/Philosophy-readings http://ask.metafilter.com/26408/crash-course-in-modern-philo... Overwhelmingly, with my approval, many suggest reading "The Problems of Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell. It's one of the most accessible and thought provoking books on philosophy I've read. This has already been suggested by someone in this thread with a link to the book (http://www.ditext.com/russell/russell.html).
on “Ask HN: Can anyone recommend some philosophy reading?” ↗…particular subject, I think Gleick does a pretty good job of providing a 'road through history' on the subject of the representation/computation duality in "The Information". If you're keen on the broader problems of philosophy that will sound strikingly familiar to anyone who has studied a bit of computer science, Bertrand Russell's "Problems in Philosophy" is a tidy little dip into the fundamental problems philosophers have…
on “From Philosophy to Program Size (2003)” ↗There is a book I've read at least 6 times: "The problems of philosophy" by Bertrand Russell. And for a completely different turn: "Revolt against the modern world" by Julius Evola. The first book in my mind is a great read no matter what place you are coming from. The…
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗If you're craving some philosophy I would recommend "The Problems of Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell. It's about 160 pages and you can easily skip around to chapters that interest you. Quite thought-provoking.
on “Ask HN: What are the best short books that you can read in an evening?” ↗There were many similar threads on HN in the past, and my recommendation is always the same: "The problems of philosophy" by Bertrand Russell https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5827/5827-h/5827-h.htm
on “Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?” ↗