Introduction to Philosophy (OpenStax)

A complete intro course written by community college professors for first-time readers. It moves from critical thinking to knowledge, mind, free will, God and ethics, with plain explanations and examples.

Matthew J. Van Cleave, Paul M. Jurczak, Christopher Schneck, Douglas Sjoquist

Bertrand Russell's classic short introduction, still assigned in intro courses a century later. It asks what we can know for certain, starting from a table in front of you and ending with the value of philosophy itself.

Bertrand Russell

A friendly intro textbook that teaches you how to think like a philosopher before diving in. It covers critical thinking, ancient philosophy, rationalism, empiricism, science, mind and ethics.

W. Russ Payne

A beginner-friendly guide to logic and good reasoning. It explains arguments, fallacies, deduction and induction, with short exercises to practice each idea.

Benjamin Martin (Editor)

Each chapter answers one big moral question, from whether right and wrong are just opinion to how to be a better person. A clear tour of relativism, virtue ethics, utilitarianism and Kant.

George Matthews (Editor)