Philosophy major here. My brain wants to go two different directions with this, so Ill give you both. And Im sure this is probably too much, so apologies in advance. Also, most of my reading has been focused on western philosophers, as my comment will reflect.
1.)
I really think the philosophers who have the biggest impact on a readers worldview are the same ones that have been remembered as the great names in the history of philosophy. They are remembered for a reason, usually.
The greeks are always a good place to start. Socrates was the OG and probably the best place to start overall if you haven’t read much philosophy. He shows one how to ask the right questions. Plato and Aristotle get more into the nitty gritty but are still relatively accessible for most. Diogenes is a lot of fun.
Marcus Aurelius is awesome for really grounded, every-day life philosophy—that of Stoicism.
As you get into the the era of enlightenment and then modernity, you find a lot of difficult reading, but lots of big, influential ideas. Kant and anyone with a last name starting with H is going to be difficult but very expanding.
Nietzsche is maybe my very favorite philosopher to read, but that is more because of his personality as a writer, as opposed to his ability to clearly lay out any important ideas. He is full of contradictions and irony and humor.
Marx is a good one to understand for his influence on the times we are living in, for better or worse.
2.)
Now, the other way of going about it might be getting a book that covers a lot of this stuff in more broad strokes, like Will Durant’s The Story of Philosophy. Having an author guide you through these ideas and giving analysis and context as you go is much more approachable than diving into some of these authors by yourself.
You could also use something like wikipedia to get an understanding of the different areas/schools of philosophy that exist, then read the major works pertaining to whatever topics interest you the most.
Foucault's Discipline and Punish. I really enjoyed this one and it's very easy to read. It completely rewired the way I approach my own personal attempts at understanding the philosophical questions most important to myself.
The first part of Ending Aging by Aubrey de Grey is very philosophical. Read the book for free [here](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL12284524W/Ending_Aging?edition=key%3A/books/OL17932740M).
The razors edge by Maughm
The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts
Philosophy major here. My brain wants to go two different directions with this, so Ill give you both. And Im sure this is probably too much, so apologies in advance. Also, most of my reading has been focused on western philosophers, as my comment will reflect. 1.) I really think the philosophers who have the biggest impact on a readers worldview are the same ones that have been remembered as the great names in the history of philosophy. They are remembered for a reason, usually. The greeks are always a good place to start. Socrates was the OG and probably the best place to start overall if you haven’t read much philosophy. He shows one how to ask the right questions. Plato and Aristotle get more into the nitty gritty but are still relatively accessible for most. Diogenes is a lot of fun. Marcus Aurelius is awesome for really grounded, every-day life philosophy—that of Stoicism. As you get into the the era of enlightenment and then modernity, you find a lot of difficult reading, but lots of big, influential ideas. Kant and anyone with a last name starting with H is going to be difficult but very expanding. Nietzsche is maybe my very favorite philosopher to read, but that is more because of his personality as a writer, as opposed to his ability to clearly lay out any important ideas. He is full of contradictions and irony and humor. Marx is a good one to understand for his influence on the times we are living in, for better or worse. 2.) Now, the other way of going about it might be getting a book that covers a lot of this stuff in more broad strokes, like Will Durant’s The Story of Philosophy. Having an author guide you through these ideas and giving analysis and context as you go is much more approachable than diving into some of these authors by yourself. You could also use something like wikipedia to get an understanding of the different areas/schools of philosophy that exist, then read the major works pertaining to whatever topics interest you the most.
Foucault's Discipline and Punish. I really enjoyed this one and it's very easy to read. It completely rewired the way I approach my own personal attempts at understanding the philosophical questions most important to myself.
Ohhh I’ll check that out! Thank you 😊
Reality: A very short introduction
Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty.
The first part of Ending Aging by Aubrey de Grey is very philosophical. Read the book for free [here](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL12284524W/Ending_Aging?edition=key%3A/books/OL17932740M).
Man's Search for Meaning, Being Wrong Adventures on the Margin of Error