Reasons and Persons
by Derek Parfit
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“Here?s my list for the best books in philosophy, in no particular order. | Here’s my list for the best books in philosophy, in no particular order. | I also recommend Derek Parfit?s book, ?Reasons and Persons,? which is just brilliant and written as though by an alien intelligence. It?s a deeply strange book filled with thought experiments that bend your intuitions left and right.It?s just a truly strange and unique document and incredibly insightful about morality and questions of identity and well worth reading if you are of a philosophical cast of mind. | I also recommend Derek Parfit’s book, “Reasons and Persons,” which is just brilliant and written as though by an alien intelligence. It’s a deeply strange book filled with thought experiments that bend your intuitions left and right.It’s just a truly strange and unique document and incredibly insightful about morality and questions of identity and well worth reading if you are of a philosophical cast of mind. | One of the most important books written in the 20th century.”
Source →“Here?s my list for the best books in philosophy, in no particular order. | Here’s my list for the best books in philosophy, in no particular order. | I also recommend Derek Parfit?s book, ?Reasons and Persons,? which is just brilliant and written as though by an alien intelligence. It?s a deeply strange book filled with thought experiments that bend your intuitions left and right.It?s just a truly strange and unique document and incredibly insightful about morality and questions of identity and well worth reading if you are of a philosophical cast of mind. | I also recommend Derek Parfit’s book, “Reasons and Persons,” which is just brilliant and written as though by an alien intelligence. It’s a deeply strange book filled with thought experiments that bend your intuitions left and right.It’s just a truly strange and unique document and incredibly insightful about morality and questions of identity and well worth reading if you are of a philosophical cast of mind. | One of the most important books written in the 20th century.”
Source →Recommended by 4 notable people, including Patrick Collison and Mark Manson
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Recommended by 6 sources and appears in Ethics, Philosophy, and Most Recommended Books.
Challenging, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality, morality, and personal identity, Derek Parfit claims that we have a false view about our own nature. It is often rational to act against our own best interests, he argues, and most of us have moral views that are selfdefeating. We often act wrongly, althou...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 6 sources and appears in Ethics, Philosophy, and Most Recommended Books.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Will MacAskill
“Here?s my list for the best books in philosophy, in no particular order. | Here’s my list for the best books in philosophy, in no particular order. | I also recommend Derek Parfit?s book, ?Reasons and Persons,? which is just brilliant and written as though by an alien intelligence. It?s a deeply strange book filled with thought experiments that bend your intuitions left and right.It?s just a truly strange and unique document and incredibly insightful about morality and questions of identity and well worth reading if you are of a philosophical cast of mind. | I also recommend Derek Parfit’s book, “Reasons and Persons,” which is just brilliant and written as though by an alien intelligence. It’s a deeply strange book filled with thought experiments that bend your intuitions left and right.It’s just a truly strange and unique document and incredibly insightful about morality and questions of identity and well worth reading if you are of a philosophical cast of mind. | One of the most important books written in the 20th century.”
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Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
Reasons and Persons
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