Philosophical Resources
A curated collection of resources for serious philosophical inquiry — books, essays, websites, and tools for the examined life.
Essential Books for Beginners
If you’re new to philosophy, start here:
Ancient Philosophy
- Plato — The Republic (especially Book VII, the cave allegory)
- Aristotle — Nicomachean Ethics (Books I-II)
- Epictetus — Enchiridion (The Manual)
- Marcus Aurelius — Meditations
Existentialism
- Albert Camus — The Myth of Sisyphus ⭐ Start here
- Jean-Paul Sartre — Existentialism is a Humanism (short lecture)
- Søren Kierkegaard — Fear and Trembling
Nature & Observation
- Henry David Thoreau — Walden
- Annie Dillard — Pilgrim at Tinker Creek ⭐ Highly recommended
- Aldo Leopold — A Sand County Almanac
Contemporary & Accessible
- Thomas Nagel — What Does It All Mean? (excellent intro)
- Bryan Magee — The Story of Philosophy
- Simon Blackburn — Think
Free Online Resources
Academic Encyclopedias
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Scholarly, comprehensive, free
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Excellent for beginners
Excellent Philosophy Blogs
- Aeon Magazine — Long-form essays on philosophy and ideas
- 3:AM Magazine — Interviews with philosophers
- The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) — Beautifully curated
Podcasts
- Philosophy Bites — Short interviews with philosophers
- The Partially Examined Life — Group discussion of philosophical texts
- Hi-Phi Nation — Narrative philosophy podcast
Primary Texts (Free)
Many classic philosophical texts are in the public domain:
- Project Gutenberg — Free ebooks
- Internet Classics Archive — Ancient Greek and Roman texts
- Early Modern Texts — Modernized versions of classic philosophy
Secondary Sources & Guides
Cambridge Companions Series
Excellent scholarly introductions to individual philosophers and topics. Available in most university libraries.
Oxford Very Short Introductions
Brief, accessible overviews. Titles include: Existentialism, Stoicism, Ethics, Consciousness, etc.
For Serious Study
Research Databases
- PhilPapers — Comprehensive index of philosophy papers
- Google Scholar — Free access to academic papers
- JSTOR — Academic journals (some free access)
Citation Tools
- Zotero — Free reference manager
- Obsidian — For philosophical note-taking and linking ideas
Following Contemporary Philosophy
Academic Blogs
- Daily Nous — Philosophy news and discussions
- The Stone (NYT) — Public philosophy
Journals with Open Access
- Aeon — Essays for general readers
- Philosophers’ Imprint — Free academic journal
Tools for the Examined Life
Note-Taking & Thinking
- Obsidian — For building a philosophical zettelkasten
- Notion — For organizing reading notes
- Standard notes — Private, encrypted notes
Reading Philosophy
- How to Read a Philosophy Text:
- Read through once without stopping (get the arc)
- Read again, taking margin notes
- Summarize the central argument
- Engage: agree? disagree? why?
Book Recommendations by Theme
Consciousness & Self
- David Chalmers — The Conscious Mind
- Thomas Metzinger — The Ego Tunnel
- Antonio Damasio — Descartes’ Error
Ethics & Morality
- Alasdair MacIntyre — After Virtue
- Martha Nussbaum — The Fragility of Goodness
- Peter Singer — Practical Ethics
Nature & Environment
- Rachel Carson — Silent Spring
- David Abram — The Spell of the Sensuous
- Robin Wall Kimmerer — Braiding Sweetgrass
Meaning & Existentialism
- Albert Camus — The Rebel
- Viktor Frankl — Man’s Search for Meaning
- Susan Wolf — Meaning in Life and Why It Matters
Support This Work
If these resources and the work of Thought Margins has been valuable to you, consider:
- Sharing posts that resonated with you
- Subscribing to the newsletter
- Writing — share your own margin notes at [email protected]
A Note on Reading Philosophy
Philosophy is not self-help. It’s harder and slower than that.
Read actively. Argue with the text. Write in the margins. Let difficult questions sit with you. Philosophy is not about finding answers — it’s about learning to think more carefully about what matters.
Take your time. Read less, but read deeply.
This page will be regularly updated with new resources. Suggestions welcome.