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Question of the Month

What Philosophy Book Should Be Required Reading?

Our readers give their thoughts, each winning a random book to read.

When it comes to ‘the’ book that’s required reading, there are a few parameters we can set in place that will aid us in finding an answer: timelessness, applicability, and wisdom. While this choice may seem arbitrary, I believe that these attributes are a subset of what we can call ‘greatness’ in a book, since all of these attributes are markers of probable presence of certain important values or truths in a given book. For example, ‘timelessness’ might indicate that there’s something fundamental, essential and important there that served past generations well and has therefore been passed on. ‘Applicability’ relates to usefulness, and while not a sufficient attribute in itself, it is desirable. since it adds a tangible dimension to the value of a philosophy.

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