Philosophy
I hold a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, but my interest in the questions raised by the writers below began long before I chose to take up the least marketable major in the known universe.
Henry David Thoreau, Walden: I first read this book when I was in the 8th grade. I understood perhaps one word in three, so I read it again, and again. Just when I thought I'd figured it out, I would uncover something else that fascinated me about Thoreau's experiment in the woods. This is one of the books I make sure I read every two years or so.
Thoughts from Thoreau
"The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them."
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
William James: I find it fascinating that James was decried by a number of his contemporary thinkers because he had the audacity to write and speak simply enough so nearly everyone could understand him. Among other things, James addressed questions of morality, the ethics of belief, and the common-sense philosophy he referred to as pragmatism.
Here's a thought from James' essay The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life: "The moment you get beyond the coarser and more commonplace moral maxims, the Decalogues and Poor Richard's Almanacs, you fall into schemes and positions which to the eye of common-sense are fantastic and overstrained. The sense for abstract justice which some persons have is as eccentric a variation, form the natural-history point of view, as is the passion for music or for the higher philosophical consistencies which consumes the soul of others."
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet: This book straddles the line between philosophy and spirituality, and reminds me that the two don't have to be mutually exclusive. When I was about sixteen, I figured I'd learned enough to write a book about my own beliefs. It came as a bit of a surprise to me when I came across Gibran, who had already written about all the things I had in mind, and done so with incredible eloquence. It didn't stop me from writing about my own take on the same questions, but it reminded me that I'm not necessarily as smart as I think I am.
"And let your best be for your friend. For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? Seek him always with hours to live."
Richard Bach, Illusions: This isn't the only one of Bach's books I admire, but it's the one I remember most fondly. My best friend loaned me a copy of it when I was thirteen and I was stunned by the combination of a simple narrative with such amazing, complex thoughts inside it. It's the kind of book you keep an extra copy of around so you can loan it out to friends and still have your own. Truth be told, the copies I've loaned have never made it back to me.
A couple of ideas from Richard
"The world is your exercise book, the pages on which you do your sums. It is not reality, though you may choose to express reality there if you wish. You are also free to write nonsense, or lies, or to tear the pages."
"Do not be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before we can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."
Know of a deep thinker I've missed? Email me and let me know!