Best Philosophical Literature

Fiction that aims to enlighten the reader "philosophically" (whatever you take that word to mean).

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1	The Stranger by Albert Camus 4.02 avg rating — 1,155,274 ratings score: 51,608, and 524 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	1984 by George Orwell 4.19 avg rating — 4,771,046 ratings score: 42,399, and 435 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 4.07 avg rating — 792,316 ratings score: 39,776, and 406 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 4.33 avg rating — 2,176,128 ratings score: 37,767, and 385 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.27 avg rating — 937,099 ratings score: 34,067, and 350 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 4.13 avg rating — 1,601,426 ratings score: 24,397, and 255 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.37 avg rating — 343,852 ratings score: 22,662, and 235 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3.99 avg rating — 1,901,765 ratings score: 21,850, and 231 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.96 avg rating — 2,497,387 ratings score: 19,495, and 206 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Lord of the Flies by William Golding 3.69 avg rating — 2,967,924 ratings score: 19,475, and 204 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3.80 avg rating — 3,605,575 ratings score: 18,529, and 194 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Trial by Franz Kafka 3.95 avg rating — 341,208 ratings score: 17,785, and 188 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 3.88 avg rating — 1,170,274 ratings score: 17,571, and 189 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera 4.11 avg rating — 487,217 ratings score: 16,862, and 177 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder 3.96 avg rating — 264,457 ratings score: 16,492, and 171 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 3,165,794 ratings score: 16,304, and 168 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse 4.13 avg rating — 191,534 ratings score: 15,424, and 162 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Animal Farm / 1984 by George Orwell 4.30 avg rating — 201,276 ratings score: 14,460, and 154 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Notes from Underground, White Nights, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, and Selections from The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.19 avg rating — 77,102 ratings score: 13,491, and 143 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Plague by Albert Camus 4.02 avg rating — 273,665 ratings score: 13,177, and 142 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.10 avg rating — 1,392,178 ratings score: 12,281, and 134 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre 3.94 avg rating — 123,733 ratings score: 12,030, and 128 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Phaedrus, #1) by Robert M. Pirsig 3.78 avg rating — 233,831 ratings score: 11,942, and 125 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Candide by Voltaire 3.76 avg rating — 281,923 ratings score: 11,419, and 125 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Animal Farm by George Orwell 3.99 avg rating — 4,013,594 ratings score: 11,261, and 126 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 3.69 avg rating — 394,062 ratings score: 10,038, and 104 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Hamlet by William Shakespeare 4.02 avg rating — 975,678 ratings score: 9,775, and 108 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand 3.89 avg rating — 326,563 ratings score: 9,412, and 100 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 3.87 avg rating — 1,645,966 ratings score: 9,209, and 100 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Demian by Hermann Hesse 4.14 avg rating — 116,938 ratings score: 9,136, and 97 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The Giver (The Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 2,555,219 ratings score: 8,806, and 93 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett 3.84 avg rating — 206,222 ratings score: 8,775, and 96 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis 4.27 avg rating — 461,880 ratings score: 7,288, and 78 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 4.26 avg rating — 6,304,860 ratings score: 7,128, and 81 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 725,861 ratings score: 6,607, and 74 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Faust, First Part by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 3.87 avg rating — 127,205 ratings score: 6,318, and 71 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez 4.12 avg rating — 996,556 ratings score: 6,309, and 73 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Life of Pi by Yann Martel 3.94 avg rating — 1,654,191 ratings score: 6,218, and 69 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 3.43 avg rating — 522,108 ratings score: 6,007, and 69 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Macbeth by William Shakespeare 3.89 avg rating — 923,231 ratings score: 5,728, and 65 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	No Exit and Three Other Plays by Jean-Paul Sartre 4.08 avg rating — 29,414 ratings score: 5,690, and 63 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Fall by Albert Camus 4.04 avg rating — 112,518 ratings score: 5,672, and 65 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.01 avg rating — 925,422 ratings score: 5,550, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.15 avg rating — 410,950 ratings score: 5,435, and 61 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 256,366 ratings score: 5,329, and 58 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	East of Eden by John Steinbeck 4.42 avg rating — 555,784 ratings score: 4,935, and 56 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust 4.34 avg rating — 12,952 ratings score: 4,840, and 54 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy 4.13 avg rating — 174,145 ratings score: 4,722, and 55 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann 4.13 avg rating — 51,207 ratings score: 4,621, and 53 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov 4.29 avg rating — 367,563 ratings score: 4,446, and 52 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison 3.91 avg rating — 191,424 ratings score: 4,445, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Blindness by José Saramago 4.17 avg rating — 299,863 ratings score: 4,437, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse 4.22 avg rating — 64,931 ratings score: 4,343, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	On the Road by Jack Kerouac 3.61 avg rating — 418,978 ratings score: 4,331, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse 4.10 avg rating — 39,477 ratings score: 4,255, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 3.89 avg rating — 1,505,616 ratings score: 4,225, and 47 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott 3.81 avg rating — 71,836 ratings score: 3,776, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Man Without Qualities: Volume I by Robert Musil 4.27 avg rating — 3,666 ratings score: 3,694, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 4,626 ratings score: 3,630, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger 3.96 avg rating — 226,573 ratings score: 3,527, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.25 avg rating — 130,149 ratings score: 3,500, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 3.79 avg rating — 818,614 ratings score: 3,283, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf 3.80 avg rating — 189,990 ratings score: 3,249, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Paradise Lost by John Milton 3.85 avg rating — 169,295 ratings score: 3,143, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire 4.20 avg rating — 73,400 ratings score: 3,140, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Aesop's Fables by Aesop 4.05 avg rating — 126,569 ratings score: 3,113, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 3.69 avg rating — 136,217 ratings score: 3,106, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 3.83 avg rating — 599,939 ratings score: 3,096, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 4.20 avg rating — 291,907 ratings score: 3,029, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 64,698 ratings score: 3,005, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Z213: EXIT by Dimitris Lyacos 4.34 avg rating — 210 ratings score: 2,895, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville 3.55 avg rating — 573,163 ratings score: 2,882, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Solaris by Stanisław Lem 3.99 avg rating — 112,537 ratings score: 2,852, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Road by Cormac McCarthy 3.99 avg rating — 933,287 ratings score: 2,818, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 3.99 avg rating — 841,511 ratings score: 2,725, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Les Misérables by Victor Hugo 4.20 avg rating — 808,018 ratings score: 2,658, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery 3.80 avg rating — 188,253 ratings score: 2,603, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	The First Death by Dimitris Lyacos 4.60 avg rating — 151 ratings score: 2,551, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil 4.19 avg rating — 6,861 ratings score: 2,493, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Franz Kafka's The Castle by David Fishelson (Adapter) 4.10 avg rating — 28,249 ratings score: 2,482, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	We by Yevgeny Zamyatin 3.89 avg rating — 99,964 ratings score: 2,434, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges 4.45 avg rating — 32,150 ratings score: 2,432, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	The Wall by Jean-Paul Sartre 4.06 avg rating — 25,838 ratings score: 2,391, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis 4.04 avg rating — 53,087 ratings score: 2,355, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis 4.19 avg rating — 72,294 ratings score: 2,313, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.88 avg rating — 870,917 ratings score: 2,307, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind 4.04 avg rating — 486,847 ratings score: 2,261, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline 4.19 avg rating — 43,351 ratings score: 2,184, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa 4.41 avg rating — 32,450 ratings score: 2,142, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 3.80 avg rating — 1,184,962 ratings score: 2,130, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke 3.94 avg rating — 9,135 ratings score: 1,985, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway 3.82 avg rating — 328,686 ratings score: 1,970, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 40,676 ratings score: 1,963, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	The Complete Stories by Franz Kafka 4.34 avg rating — 27,085 ratings score: 1,956, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy 4.16 avg rating — 176,033 ratings score: 1,942, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	Utopia by Thomas More 3.55 avg rating — 76,613 ratings score: 1,910, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 4.16 avg rating — 336,324 ratings score: 1,861, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Island by Aldous Huxley 3.85 avg rating — 32,754 ratings score: 1,858, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1) by Pearl S. Buck really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 252,418 ratings score: 1,795, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	Immortality by Milan Kundera 4.14 avg rating — 39,701 ratings score: 1,791, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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1,136 books · 2,878 voters · list created July 30th, 2008 by deleted user.

Tags: literary-fiction

18 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (2878)

Antoine 949 books
177 friends

Seth 2035 books
435 friends

David 2551 books
603 friends

Fire-fish 243 books
1 friend

Nathan 267 books
0 friends

Anastasia 793 books
116 friends

Naomi 851 books
43 friends

Danielle 971 books
10 friends

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Comments Showing 1-27 of 27 (27 new)

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message 1: by Derya (new)

Dec 28, 2010 04:54AM

Each and every text could be a subject for a philosophical discussion. Thus, The Little Prince may "enlighten" the reader, as well as The Happy Prince and Other Tales.

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message 2: by ibrahim (new)

Aug 31, 2013 01:23PM

so entrusting book to red and inspire

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message 3: by Sam (new)

Sep 06, 2013 03:22AM

This is the best group of books I have seen on a list. I am going to work my way down it!

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message 4: by ibrahim (new)

Oct 12, 2013 12:16PM

work on it brother,then you can brief me sir

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message 5: by Timatima (new)

Jan 28, 2014 11:42PM

I love this list!! Thank you x

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message 6: by Denisa (new)

May 10, 2014 01:15PM

Life of Pi, seriously?

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message 7: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Sep 20, 2014 02:23AM) (new)

Sep 20, 2014 02:21AM

Believe it or not, but Justine, of De tegenspoed der deugdzaamheid by Marquis de Sade does pose some very interesting philosophical questions...

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message 8: by Paul (new)

Dec 19, 2014 08:09AM

Checked for duplicates: 1 book removed.

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message 9: by Catherine (last edited Aug 11, 2015 01:10AM) (new)

Aug 11, 2015 01:07AM

Loving this list because:

1. It has quite a few of my favourite books
2. For once the voters have stuck to the brief
3. It doesn't have Twilight on it!

PS - I added Knowledge of Angels - please read it.

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message 10: by Mike (last edited Jun 12, 2016 06:37AM) (new)

Jun 12, 2016 06:33AM

To Kill a Mockingbird?

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message 11: by B (new)

Jun 22, 2016 05:54AM

Mike wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird?"

Are you serious? Of course!! It's a beautiful piece

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message 12: by Mike (last edited Jun 24, 2016 03:27PM) (new)

Jun 24, 2016 03:23PM

B wrote: "Mike wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird?"

Are you serious? Of course!! It's a beautiful piece"
it's a beautiful piece and a great novel but not a philosophical one.

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message 13: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Jun 24, 2016 10:37PM) (new)

Jun 24, 2016 10:25PM

Mike wrote: "it's a beautiful piece and a great novel but not a philosophical one. "

I was wondering why the book was on the list, but it seems I'm not the only one. I just thought my idea of what would be considered 'philosophical literature' was (completely) different from others, as it's not the only title I wouldn't have put on this list :-) But again, I might have a completely different idea of philosophical literature, because after all the description does say "whatever you take that word to mean".

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message 14: by Mike (new)

Jul 25, 2016 04:57PM

Booklovinglady wrote: "Mike wrote: "it's a beautiful piece and a great novel but not a philosophical one. "

I was wondering why the book was on the list, but it seems I'm not the only one. I just thought my idea of what..."

Yeah! I just saw that. But it's wrong and actually it doesn't need any explanation why it's wrong. 'Philosophical literature' is a category. It can't be "whatever you take that word to mean".

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message 15: by MarpleInvestigates (new)

Dec 14, 2016 07:49PM

Mike wrote: "B wrote: "Mike wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird?"

Are you serious? Of course!! It's a beautiful piece"
it's a beautiful piece and a great novel but not a philosophical one."

It may not explore what is more often considered to be philosophy like metaphysics or epistemology but the themes of morality and value of living could be considered philosophical to some but I agree that it's not really philosophical literature like some of the other pieces like The Little Prince or Steppenwolf.

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message 16: by Greg (new)

Feb 20, 2017 01:25PM

Great list! I'm always looking for a great novel with some philosophical undertones so I searched curated lists and took suggestions from readers and from philosophical fiction authors like Khaled Hosseini, Irvin D. Yalom, Rebecca Goldstein and Daniel Quinn. From over 400 books, I came up with this list of The 105 Best Philosophical Novels: https://www.greghickeywrites.com/best...

I also produced two free bonus downloads: 1) the favorite works of philosophical fiction from eleven contemporary philosophical fiction authors and 2) a one-page PDF shopping guide to The 105 Best Philosophical Novels. Happy reading!

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message 17: by Donna (new)

Aug 25, 2017 08:34PM

Mike wrote: "B wrote: "Mike wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird?"

Are you serious? Of course!! It's a beautiful piece"
it's a beautiful piece and a great novel but not a philosophical one."

How can one not see this as philosophical? Think about issues surrounding race and justice. Think about the ways in which we treat people with mental health issues; how many Boo Radleys out there have been treated as pariahs? You can see the philosophy inherent.

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message 18: by Donna (last edited Aug 25, 2017 09:44PM) (new)

Aug 25, 2017 08:38PM

Removed as nonfiction: Phenomenology of Spirit, by Hegel

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...

The Invention of Religion, by Drake
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Gagh. It's like a wreck on the freeway. Everything is flowing along nicely, and then someone isn't paying attention and does something dumb; next thing you know, half the world has crashed along with them.

PEOPLE. Read the description of the list. This is fiction. There's no place for straight philosophy here. Now trusty souls like me have to come clean up your mess. It's either that or look at it, so to me the choice is clear. NOW...

Nietzsche didn't write fiction. Seriously. There's a mess of it here, and he's not alone either. Here we go:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

The Sickness Unto Death, by Kierkegaard et al...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Fear and Trembling, also Kierkegaard
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

And yet more Kierkegaard:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

The Trial and the Death of Socrates, by Plato:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Tuesdays with Morrie is memoir, NOT fiction; the same is true of Night:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Crimony. MORE Nietzsche:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Medium-Stupid: It's true at least that Camus wrote a lot of fiction; still, the word "Essays" in the title should have been a clue:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Winnie the Pooh is fiction; however, The Tao of Pooh and Piglet is not:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...

Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius...c'mon now.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

And Kahlil Gibran
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Critique of Reason, by Kant:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

More Nietzsche:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Autobiography of a Yogi cannot be fiction because it's an...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

And Tao te Ching:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Pretty sure the first page is clean now.

Those that see books left on this list in error--not because you don't care for the book, but because it's not fiction--please note the title of the book in this comment section along with the # or at least the page on which you saw it. Those of us editing these lists are all volunteers; I get notified when a comment pops up, so extraneous comments about books liked or not liked, and especially spam done by authors whose books aren't selling yet are to be avoided.

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message 19: by Donna (last edited Aug 25, 2017 09:53PM) (new)

Aug 25, 2017 09:49PM

Good grief. I thought I would just go enjoy the list and vote; I went to page 2, and there it was...more Nietzsche:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...

Okay then. I am leaving for the night. Turning off the monitor and muting sound. If anyone sees anything that shouldn't be here, shoot me a message via this thread and I'll check it Saturday. My copy of Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad is waiting...

(Forehead smack) As soon as I knock The Republic, by Plato, off the list at #23. How did I miss that? Gone:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

'night, all.

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message 20: by Donna (new)

Aug 26, 2017 10:44AM

I return, fresh as a daisy, and the first thing I see is that I missed something else on the first page. Rats!

Removed, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

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message 21: by Donna (last edited Aug 26, 2017 11:09AM) (new)

Aug 26, 2017 10:53AM

Back again, fresh as a daisy from an almost-full-night's sleep, and sure enough, I missed titles on page 1. I've removed over a dozen titles that are nonfiction, and still they aren't all gone.
Usually with a list this severely compromised, I would be tempted to abandon it, but the concept is so strong, I've grown attached to it and want to save it. So here we go.
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays, gone from page 1, nonficiton:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

From #43, The Decline of the West:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
Page 2, Foucault, Discipline and Prisons:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
A note: I'm seeing a lot of poetry collections here. For the moment I am not touching them; it seems to me to be a gray area, especially in the case of ballads that tell a story in verse rather than prose. If anyone sees a work that straight-up lands outside the category of fiction, say what it is and where it is, and I will deal with it. A further complication, of course, is that many of these are collections of poems AND short stories. So for now, never mind all that; it's looking like a job just to pull out the nonfiction works of philosophy and the occasional philosophic memoir, biography, autobiography.

If anyone reading this comment knows which is the best list that embraces philosophy as a genre, please post it here so that readers that want to spend time with Hegel, Kant, and (*shudder*) Nietzsche can go there.

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message 22: by Donna (last edited Aug 26, 2017 10:18PM) (new)

Aug 26, 2017 11:12AM

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message 23: by Greg (new)

Nov 02, 2017 08:05AM

To all voters/commenters, what are your favorite philosophical fiction books of 2017?

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message 24: by Donna (last edited Nov 02, 2017 11:38AM) (new)

Nov 02, 2017 11:25AM

Greg wrote: "To all voters/commenters, what are your favorite philosophical fiction books of 2017?"
Greg, that sounds like a good topic for a new list. Have you thought about starting one? Of my votes, 11 (if I counted correctly) are books published this year. 2 of them actually haven't been published yet--I read the DRCs for them--but they will be published soon.

The system found and removed 2 duplicates.

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message 25: by Greg (new)

Nov 02, 2017 11:42AM

Donna wrote: "Of my votes, 11 (if I counted correctly) are books published this year."

Thanks Donna. I went through the entire list and identified books published in 2017. I just wanted to see if anyone had others to add.

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message 26: by Donna (last edited Nov 02, 2017 12:01PM) (new)

Nov 02, 2017 11:43AM

Removed as nonfiction from page 3: Antifragile...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

and from page 2, The Love Poems of Rumi:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Also page 2, Letters to a Young Poet, nonfiction
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

And from page 3, Utilitarianism, by John Stuart Mill, who totally didn't write fiction EVER:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Okay, readers, that's it for now, but Granny Donna will be back, so don't go sliding any more nonfiction into this list. Nobody that fails to follow directions may have dessert tonight.

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message 27: by Greg (new)

Feb 12, 2018 12:41PM

Here's the update to my previous list of The 105 Best Philosophical novels, with the best of 2017: https://www.greghickeywrites.com/best....

The list is based on rankings from Amazon, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Publishers Weekly and The Washington Post, suggestions from readers on Goodreads and Reddit and ratings on Goodreads and Amazon. Enjoy!

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