What's a good introductory guide to philosophy?

Question

I mean a book or website.

Answer 1

think on these things  by  Jiddu Krishnamurti

Answer 2

3 websites. Since you are a Christian by your screen name, use the Catholic Encyclopedia for everything. I'm atheist, but I find this site to be very objective above the "blue line." Below the line, you get dogma, but it's still very good explanation. And it is as much philosophy as it is theology.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/

Then for objective answers that might really make you think hard and go consult that Catholic site there is this one http://www.aynrandlexicon.com/

And for purely technical answers (which you can reference against the Catholic link--I do it all the time) use this: http://www.ditext.com/runes/index.html

As for a book, go to the library and get the Syntopicon. It is brief little excerpts from the great philosophers, done by topic, not by author. It's the best anthology I've read.

My site, Thank you! A little sanity. http://freeassemblage.blogspot.com/

Answer 3

For books try Google books. I found some good stuff there.

Best regards.

Answer 4

The Story of Philosophy by Wil Durrant.

Answer 5

Simon Blackburn--a leading professor of Philosophy from Oxford--has written a great book that covers all the major ideas of Western Philosophy.  It is aptly named "Think".

If you are interested in Eastern Philosophy, I agree with the recommendation of Krishnamurti.  But the "Best Guide to Eastern Philosophy" is a sound overview of the Eastern schools of thought.

If you're a speculative kind of fellow, you might like Plato and the idealist philosophers.

If you're a pious kind of guy, concerned with ethical reasoning and iron will-power, you might like the stoics, Epictetus especially.  (My fav.)

Lastly, if your an empirical, down to earth, problem solving type of dude, then you might like Aristotle and the scientific/logician type thinkers.

I hope this helps

Answer 6

the bible.

Answer 7

I'm curious to know the same.

In the mean time, I find these websites to be helpful. Not much of a guide unless you already have an idea of what you are looking for, but full of information (very highly respected organizations as well):

http://plato.stanford.edu/

http://www.iep.utm.edu/

http://classics.mit.edu/

Answer 8

A good book would be one that has a lot of different philosopher's so you can get a variety of different opinions and the ways they influenced society's point of view.

Answer 9

Many short introductory books.

Sophies World by Jostein Gardner is comprehensive.