Metaphilosophy: A Reading List
Metaphilosophy
The Nature and Purpose of Philosophy
The Problems of Philosophy, Bertrand Russell, (1912)
Argues that the value of philosophy is found in its ability to enlarge the self through contemplation.
Philosophy as a Way of Life, Pierre Hadot, (1995)
Reclaims the ancient view that philosophy is a set of transformative "spiritual exercises" (Sadhana).
The Sovereignty of Good, Iris Murdoch, (1970)
Argues that philosophy’s primary role is a moral one: redirecting our attention away from the ego toward the Good.
What Does It All Mean?, Thomas Nagel, (1987)
Provides a concise introduction to the philosophical method of questioning the basic assumptions of human life.
What is Philosophy?, Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari, (1991)
Defines philosophy as the creative art of "forming, inventing, and fabricating concepts."
Logic, Language, and Conceptual Analysis
Language, Truth and Logic, Alfred Jules Ayer, (1936)
A primary Logical Positivist work arguing that philosophy's only role is the linguistic analysis of scientific statements.
Philosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstein, (1953)
Proposes that philosophy is a "therapy" designed to clear up linguistic confusions.
The Concept of Mind, Gilbert Ryle, (1949)
A seminal work in conceptual analysis, famously critiquing the "ghost in the machine" as a category mistake.
Philosophical Plumbing / Is a Dolphin a Person?, Mary Midgley, (1992/1983)
Likens philosophy to a conceptual infrastructure that provides the essential clarity needed for ethical living.
A Defence of Common Sense, G.E. Moore, (1925)
An analytic foundational text arguing that philosophy should start with the undeniable truths of ordinary experience.
The Philosophy of Philosophy, Timothy Williamson, (2007)
A rigorous defence of armchair philosophy, arguing that philosophical questions are essentially non-scientific but can be answered using the same cognitive tools we use to navigate reality.
Global and Multicultural Perspectives
The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination, Sankara, (c. 8th Century)
An Advaita Vedanta classic framing philosophy as the rigorous practice of distinguishing the real from the illusory.
Indian Philosophy: A New Approach, Daya Krishna, (1991)
Challenges Eurocentrism by framing Indian thought as a universal process of "conceptual engineering."
The Self, Jonardon Ganeri, (2012)
Bridges Indian philosophy and modern cognitive science to explore the first-person stance as a philosophical methodology.
Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto, Bryan Van Norden, (2017)
A forceful metaphilosophical argument that critiques the Eurocentrism of modern academic philosophy and advocates for the inclusion of Chinese, Indian, African, and Indigenous traditions.
Islams and Modernities, Aziz Al-Azmeh, (1993)
Examines how philosophical reason and method are transformed when they encounter different cultural modernities.
In My Father's House, Kwame Anthony Appiah, (1992)
Critiques the universalist claims of Western philosophy and explores the construction of African philosophical identity.
Religion and Nothingness, Nishitani Keiji, (1961)
Uses the Zen concept of "Emptiness" (Sunyata) to explore the foundations of human existence.
Epistemology and the Human Image
Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, Immanuel Kant, (1783)
Attempts to set the boundaries of reason by investigating how our mental "filters" construct our experience.
The Structure of Behaviour, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, (1942)
A foundational text for Phenomenology, focusing on the lived, embodied experience of being in the world.
Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man, Wilfrid Sellars, (1962)
Defines philosophy as the task of reconciling our personal sense of agency with the descriptions of science.
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, Richard Rorty, (1979)
A pragmatist critique arguing that we should stop seeing the mind as a "mirror" of an objective reality.
Who are We? Theories of Human Nature, Louis Pojman, (2005)
Uses philosophical inquiry as a tool to unearth and critically evaluate the hidden metaphysical assumptions behind various biological, social, and psychological theories of identity.
Why Philosophize, Jean-François Lyotard, (2013)
Explores the role of philosophy in a postmodern age where "grand narratives" have collapsed into fragmented perspectives.
