Stevo’s Selected
(This is NOT merely a list of
favorites. This is a series meant to be
experienced step-by-step. Each reading
is building upon the last. At least,
follow the steps.)
Step 1 The
Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell Far
from being one of my favorite philosophers, Russell, nevertheless, is the
real deal. This book serves as a great
(lay) introduction to Philosophy, not too hardcore, yet philosophically and
practicably relevant and by a legit philosopher, whose work will be read for
centuries to come. The
Enchiridion
by Epictetus (trans. Thomas W. Higginson) After
a very readable modern work, it is time for a Greco-Roman classic that
hearkens to one root of the western mind.
The language is going to present more of a challenge, but Epictetus, the former slave, makes his point in less than
40 pages. I specified the translator
because his is the rendition with which I am most familiar. The main point, though, is that there are “flighty”
translations of this work that you want to avoid. On
Bullshit
by Harry G. Frankfurt Wrestle
with a contemporary issue in a philosophically deep manner. Though it is only 67 pages, this is not a
light read. One Amazon.com reviewer
claimed to have read it in the lounge at the doctor’s office while waiting to
be called in for an appointment.
Needless to say, said reviewer did not “get it”. |
Step 2 Walking
the Tightrope of Reason by Robert Fogelin I
have had contact with Dr. Fogelin, and, while he claims
to not have been influenced at all by Eastern thought, this book is an ideal
primer for westerners approaching the Eastern tradition. It carefully outlines the inherent problems
that arise from the traditional western philosophical focus on theory (theoria) over practice (praxis), which are by
and large not a problem in the East, especially Classical China, because the
focus is quite the opposite. What
the Buddha Taught
by Walpola Rahula Classic
introduction to Buddhist Philosophy! It
outlines the basic philosophy of the Buddha adhered to by traditional Theravadans and built upon by the Mahayanists. In other words, you are getting the
foundations. It puts on display how
practice wins the day, even in an Eastern religious/metaphysical venue, over
theory. The
Way of Life by
Laozi (trans. Witter Bynner) First
off, this is not really a translation of the famed Dao De Jing. It is a
poetic redaction. It was composed
specifically for an American audience.
Thus, it eases you into the tradition.
Though it is not highly touted in academia, its poetics and fusion of
standing translations make this rendition true in spirit and context (see
Chap. 19). |
Step 3 Meditations
on First Philosophy
by René Descartes Delve
into the mind of the father of modern philosophy who proclaimed, “Cogito,
ergo sum,” “I think, therefore, I am.”
It could be argued that this relatively short classic was the seed of
phenomenological method in the West.
This book gives us perhaps the greatest example of how we tend to
meditate on the “I” in the western tradition. How
to See Yourself As You Really Are by Tenzin
Gyatso Now
learn how to meditate on the “I” the eastern way in the tradition of Tibetan
Buddhism as per the instruction of its venerable leader. I contend that with Tibetan Buddhism we
have, somewhat suspended in time, a Buddhism that is firmly grounded in the
realities of the world in which we live and that is reflective of the
Buddhism that was so appealing to the pragmatically-disposed mind of the classical
Chinese philosophers and reminiscent of early Chinese Chan Buddhism before it
went the less practical way of the “super-mundane” that is the mark of
Japanese Zen. Existentialism
and Human Emotions
by Jean-Paul Sartre Next,
try out this more “take-control” approach to the “I”. There is no more pithy
of an explication of Existentialism’s mantra, “Existence precedes essence,”
than in this piece by the quintessential Existentialist. You are what you choose and how you act. |
Step 4 The
Analects of Confucius by Confucius (trans. Roger T. Ames and
Henry Rosemont, Jr.) The
introductory sections will help you get your footing in classical The
Abolition of Man
by C. S. Lewis The
Greco-Roman-Judeo-Christian tradition with just a hint of Dao. Lewis, not one of my favs,
but a powerhouse, grounds rationality (logos) in the proper
cultivation of emotional values (pathos), not vice-versa as is
traditionally the case. He points out
the danger of the impossibility of having standards in relativistic
approaches to life. Mencius by Mencius (trans. D. C. Lau) The
Mencius provides a more thoroughgoing
Confucian vision than that of Confucius himself. Mencius gives us
a much more organized and detailed account of his thinking, mainly, on how we
can keep from straying from our innate goodness. Moreover, this book is chockablock with
great quotes to live by. |
Step 5 Lao-tzu’s Taoteching by Laozi [trans. Red Pine (Bill Porter)] Yupper, this is a double dose of the Dao
De Jing.
As you are coming down the home stretch, a person transformed and
transforming, I am wanting you to take on this more
academically accepted version. The
translation, which is accompanied by excerpts from classical commentaries
that can help hone your sensibilities toward the text, is preceded by a
fascinating introduction that takes up the uncommon argument anymore in
academia “for” the existence of the historical figure Laozi. Thinking
Through Confucius
by Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall Now,
we are stepping it up with some serious secondary literature. This is the single best “philosophical”
commentary on Confucius and Classical Confucianism to date. With the possible exception of the final
chapter where the socio-political and philosophical biases of the authors
unfortunately seeps through, this is a remarkable piece of scholarship, and,
yet, it is very readable and, moreover, illustrates Confucius’s relevance to
the here and now. This work really
concretizes the pillars on the eastern side of this East-West bridge under
construction. The
Acting Person
by Karol Wojtyla (trans. Andrzej
Potocki, ed. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka) Alas,
you have arrived at the destination of your journey and a book that is, in
terms of the western corpus, not just among my favorites, but my absolute
favorite! However, know that you have
now been plunged into the deep end.
This is not a light read. In
terms of philosophical depth, this is a book that rivals any in the traditional
corpus of Western Philosophy. It is a
toughie, to put it mildly, along the lines of, say, Heidegger’s Being and
Time. Furthermore, the translation
does not help. The English translation
is notoriously awkward and, thus, difficult.
Also, this translation has been criticized for emphasizing Wojtyla’s phenomenology and downplaying his
metaphysics. However, that was his
genius. The fact that he employed and
developed such a phenomenologically rich method and
deep understanding despite his obviously weighty metaphysical commitments
testifies to his open-mindedness and brilliance. As George Weigel,
Wojtyla biographer, writes, “(Wojtyla)
came to see that the philosophical analysis of reality and its relationship
to the moral life he had been taught at the seminary and the Angelicum was inadequate in the contemporary world. Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas had built
their philosophies from the foundation of cosmology. But starting with a general theory of the
universe and moving to a theory of the human person didn’t leave much room
for human freedom.” WOW! While reading this, the ideas to be tuned
into, vis-à-vis all else you have read, are the notions of the subjectivity of
the “I”, the human/personal act, horizontal and vertical transcendence, self-determination
(in the sense of self-authorship), intersubjectivity,
participation, and the subjectivity of the “we”. Thing is, you probably need to allot
yourself a year or so to intelligibly (and intelligently) work through this
masterpiece of Philosophy. |
Make sure not to skimp!!! With each book read the WHOLE thing,
including