The Four Best Philosophy Books on Truth

Lennox Johnson Books

From beginner-friendly introductions to comprehensive textbooks on truth, this page features philosophy books to suit any learning style. It’s important to note that there is no single best book on truth. The best book for you will depend heavily on your preferred learning style and the amount of time/energy you’re willing to spend reading. It’s also worth noting that it is not a list of personal recommendations. Personal book recommendations tend to be highly subjective, idiosyncratic, and unreliable. This list is part of a collection of over 100 philosophy reading …

The Seven Best Introductory Books on Epistemology

Lennox Johnson Books

From beginner-friendly introductions to classic books on epistemology, this page features books to suit any learning style. It’s important to note that there is no single best book on epistemology. The best book for you will depend heavily on your preferred learning style and the amount of time/energy you’re willing to spend reading. For example, if you tend to find classic works of philosophy difficult to understand, you might want to start with a short, beginner-friendly introduction. If you prefer more depth, you can choose a more comprehensive introduction or …

The Allegory of the Cave – a short reading from Plato’s Republic

Lennox Johnson reading

“Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?” In this passage, from book seven of Plato’s Republic, Socrates describes an unusual cave in which prisoners have been chained since childhood. The prisoners in this allegory represent the majority of mankind who perceive only the shadows of reality and hear only the echoes of truth. They cling to their mistaken view of reality and have no desire to escape their prison. Only philosophers make the journey out …

Can Virtue Be Taught? – a short reading from Plato’s Meno

Lennox Johnson reading

“Once more, I suspect, friend Anytus, that virtue is not a thing which can be taught?” Introduction This week’s reading is about whether virtue can be taught. Now you may have noticed that there are some good people, or as Socrates would say, virtuous people, and there are some not so good people, or as I would say, arseholes. So we might ask: how did the good or virtuous people become virtuous? One possibility was that they were born that way; they’re just naturally good. Another possibility is that they …