Bernard Williams Morality (Penguin)
A short introduction to the problems of moral philosophy, focusing on our reasons for being moral, and including criticism of utilitarian accounts of ethical judgement that appeal to the principle of the 'greatest happiness for the greatest number'.

Section Two

Sir Alfred Ayer The Central Questions of Philosophy (Penguin)
A challenging approach to the problems of philosophy, which shows the well-known British philosopher's lucidity and intelligence.

Laurence Goldstein The Philosopher's Habitat (Routledge)
An original and accessible survey of the main areas of intellectual activity of the philosopher. As an aid to study, a number of questions are included at the end of each chapter.

Guttenplan, Hornsby and Janaway (Eds.) Reading Philosophy (Blackwell)
An original appproach which aims to show the student how to read and criticize a philosophical text, using actual examples of texts by classical and contemporary philosophers. This book is provided free by the University of London to students taking the Diploma via the External Programme.

Anthony Grayling (Ed.) Philosophy: A Guide Through the Subject (2 Volumes, OUP)
Based on undergraduate courses taught at the University of London, these impressively large books together give a good picture of the state of the art in academic philosophy today. This book is provided free by the University of London to students taking the BA via the External Programme.

Martin Hollis Invitation to Philosophy (Blackwell)
An original approach to the problems of philosophy, presented in a readable style. Some of the arguments are subtle and need to be taken at a slower pace.

Calvin Pinchin Issues in Philosophy (Macmillan)
Designed as an A-Level text book, this gives a good overview of the topics that would be covered in a typical first-year degree course.

Bertrand Russell A History of Western Philosophy (Unwin)
Highly entertaining and readable. Russell had strong views about his predecessors, and expressed them with great perception and wit. Good for dipping.

Roger Scruton Modern Philosophy (Reed)
A wide-ranging survey of problems investigated by twentieth-century philosophers up to the present date. A rallying call against narrow specialism and the rise of the philosophical 'technocrats'. His more recent book An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy (Duckworth) is also worth a look.

Sir Peter Strawson Analysis and Metaphysics (OUP)
An elegant work, based on a series of lectures given at Oxford and recently at the Bejing Philosophy Summer School, China. Strawson helped bring about a revival of interest in metaphysics amongst British philosophers in the 1960's.

Jonathan WestPhal Philosophical Propositions (Routledge)
An interesting approach, which concentrates on analysing the nature of philosophical arguments. Good if you like logic.

Richard E. Creel Thinking Philosophically: an introduction to critical reflection and rational dialogue (Blackwell 2001)
"This book does not cover all the fields of philosophy (for example Logic is missing), but I like this book very much, as it begins by helping the reader to acquire a lively sense of what philosophy is, how it began, why it persists, and how it is related to other fields of study, especially science. Creel also provides methods for thinking about or discussing philosophical problems. He then explores three fields in detail: Theory of Knowledge, Theory of Value, and Metaphysics, each of them explained, defended, and critiqued in numerous positions." (Simone Klein)

Anthony Harrison-Barbet Mastering Philosophy (2nd Edition Palgrave 2001)
"Another very good, bit more demanding book. It investigates a wide range of problems within a generally historical framework from the Ancient Greeks through to the present day. The book provides many review questions with some guided answers and comments to encourage the reader to engage actively in philosophical problems and the book also contains extensive suggestions for further reading." (Simone Klein)

Fernando Savater The Questions of Life — An Invitation to Philosophy (Polity Press 2002)
"A book that has, deservedly, sold over 70,000 copies in Spain and has been translated into 10 languages. Savater here presents an overview of the main philosophical themes, whilst engaging us with his own views and arguments. Savater shows how philosophizing infuses all aspects of life and is not merely a compartmentalized catalogue of opinions. As can be seen from the subtitle Savater asks us to try to think philosophically for ourselves. This book goes a long way to helping us achieve that. Each chapter is accompanied by a set of provoking questions and an appendix with biographies of important thinkers complements the book." (Brian Tee)

Roger Trigg Philosophy Matters (Blackwell 2002)
"Trigg takes the view that philosophy is a method of thinking rather than a collection of facts. This method, one of rational investigation that leads to knowledge, is then defended from various challenges such as relativism, naturalism and scientism. The result is a rewarding and innovative re-instatement and introduction to the origins, nature and role of philosophy." (Brian Tee)

Christopher Falzon Philosophy Goes to the Movies, An Introduction to Philosophy (Routledge 2002)
"An original introduction, this book uses examples from films to guide the reader through the some basic philosophical problems. This is a great device for those with no previous knowledge of philosophy because the questions raised are given concrete and familiar formulations, a change from the tendency to abstraction in some other introductions. One of the consequences of reading the book is that not only does one have grounding in philosophy, but also that when watching the films again we can impress (or annoy) our friends with what we have learnt." (Brian Tee)

Section Three

George Berkeley Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous (1713)
A joy to read. Berkeley presents some of the most perplexing arguments in philosophy in a gripping and deceptively lucid style.

Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy (1641)
Descartes broke with tradition and sought an audience for his views outside the philosophical 'schools'. The originality of the arguments combined with the confessional style makes this an exciting read, but in parts quite difficult for a beginner.

David Hume Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779)
Published posthumously, these lively and brilliantly written dialogues represent a challenge to religious thinking no less relevant today than in Hume's time.

Plato Phaedo (around 385 BC)
Recounts the last day of Socrates' life. While waiting for the hemlock, he discusses with his close friends arguments for the immortality of the soul. Guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye. (See also: Meno, Republic, Theaetetus.)

Ludwig Wittgenstein The Blue and Brown Books (Blackwell)
An underground classic. Originally, notes dictated to a few students between 1933 and 1935, stencilled copies were widely circulated. Shows the development of Wittgenstein's later views on mind and language.

Section Four

Miller and Smith (Eds) Thought Probes (Prentice Hall)
A very entertaining handbook, exploring philosophy through science fiction short stories by such writers as Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Roger Zelzany, Frederik Pohl. Recommended for Pathways program The Possible World Machine. (This book is unfortunately out of print, but still obtainable from libraries.)

Peter Carruthers Introducing Persons (CUP)
A lively and original inquiry into the nature of consciousness, our knowledge of others, and the criteria of personal identity. Includes questions for study. Recommended for Pathways program Searching For the Soul.

Kirk, Raven and Schofield The Presocratic Philosophers (2nd Edition CUP)
Don't be put off by the rather scholarly format. The book contains translations of the 'fragments' of the Greek philosophers who lived up to the time of Socrates, together with a concise philosophical commentary. Recommended for Pathways program The First Philosophers.

Simon Blackburn Spreading the Word (Blackwell)
A text book giving a comprehensive and challenging survey of current issues in the philosophy of language, written by one of the leading contributors to recent debates. Recommended for Pathways program Language and the World.

Timothy Sprigge The Rational Foundations of Ethics (Routledge)
An closely argued investigation into the nature of ethical truth, and the prospects for establishing moral judgements on a rational basis. Includes a useful historical survey. Recommended for Pathways program Reason, Values and Conduct.

David Hamlyn Metaphysics (CUP)
An authoritative but accessible introduction to the problems of metaphysics, giving a sense of the range and the difficulty of the questions addressed by metaphysicians today. Recommended for Pathways program The Ultimate Nature of Things.