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I'm seeking recommendations for a book to buy for my philosophy teacher, who is leaving my sixth form at the end of this year, so I would quite like to give him a gift as thanks for his talented teaching.

I know he studied philosophy at university (and has been teaching for upwards of 10 years), so I don't want book recommendations of fairly common prescribed texts nor of any textbooks (unless remarkably written). Furthermore, he is remarkably clear at explaining difficult to understand concepts, so I anticipate he will have read quite widely and so recommendations which are less commonplace but still highly interesting would be appreciated.

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  • What topics in philosophy are they interested in?
    – E...
    Nov 24, 2018 at 21:13
  • I think metaphysics and logic, but nothing too involved mathematically.
    – Jonathan Low
    Nov 24, 2018 at 21:56
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    The Harry Potter series, it has everything: Ethics, Metaphysics, and most important of all, no Math.
    – Bertrand Wittgenstein's Ghost
    Nov 25, 2018 at 15:12

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These came to mind for a fan of metaphysics and logic who already knows the university reading list and wants something different. I mention these because they are to do with metaphysics and logic rather than soteriology or practice.

Francis Bradley - Appearance and Reality

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamptso - The Sun of Wisdom: Teachings on Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way

Radhakrishnan, K - The Philosophy of the Upanishads

Rumi - Any collection of Rumi's poetry makes a good present for a philosopher.

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  • Came across this book, One: Being an Investigation into the Unity of Reality and of its Parts, including the Singular Object which is Nothingness by Graham Priest. Think you would enjoy it.
    – user29568
    Nov 28, 2018 at 18:46
  • @user29568 - Graham Priest does not understand this topic. It is possible to deduce this from the book title you reference with its talk of parts, objects and Nothingness, from his endorsement of dialethism, from his writings on Nagarjuna and from his insistence that Buddhist doctrine is full of contradictions. Best to read someone who knows their stuff.
    – user20253
    Nov 29, 2018 at 11:28
  • Isn't nothingness a core concept of Nagarjuna's writings? I haven't read a lot about Priest to understand his position, but I have read a few parts of that book and found them generally consistent. I assume you dislike Garfield's interpretation of Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way as well?
    – user29568
    Nov 29, 2018 at 12:21
  • @user29568 - I find Garfield so complex that I wouldn't want to comment on his view other than to say I feel he confuses the issues horribly. 'Nothingness' is not what Nagarjuna is about but rather 'emptiness'. Emptiness is definitely not Nothingness. It would be 'no-thing-ness'.but not Nothing. I would recommend 'The Sun of Wisdom' - details above. .
    – user20253
    Nov 29, 2018 at 12:28
  • I assumed that he was using "nothingness" and "emptiness" with the same idea in mind. I read his chapter on "Compassion" which is the one I found reasonable. I will check that translation out.
    – user29568
    Nov 29, 2018 at 14:01

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