Book · 1912
The Problems of Philosophy
by Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell wrote a 90-page intro to analytic philosophy in 1912 and r/askphilosophy still hands it to newcomers first, every time.
What does Reddit think of The Problems of Philosophy?
That distribution isn't an accident. This is the book that sub's regulars cite when someone arrives with zero background and asks where to start. Russell's Problems sits alongside Plato's Republic and the Stanford Encyclopedia in the canonical beginner stack. The sentiment is broadly positive — not ecstatic, but consistent. Nobody shows up to argue the book is wrong or dated; they recommend it and move on. The more interesting citations are substantive. One heavily upvoted comment (↑42) uses chapter II directly to run Russell's critique of the cogito against Descartes, treating it as a live reference rather than a historical artifact. A ↑46 thread on Wittgenstein and the analytic tradition names Russell as one of the founding figures students will encounter at any analytic-leaning department. r/philosophy barely registers — 2 mentions, last in 2020 — which tracks: this is a teaching book, and r/askphilosophy is where the teaching happens.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Analytic philosophy as a distinct tradition
- · Epistemology and the limits of knowledge
- · Appearance vs. reality
- · The problem of induction
- · Russell's critique of Descartes and the cogito
- · Universals and particulars
Common praise
- + r/askphilosophy recommends it in 37 separate threads over 7 years without the enthusiasm cooling.
- + The chapter II cogito critique gets cited in live r/askphilosophy arguments (↑42), not just listed on syllabi.
- + At roughly 90 pages, it fits inside a weekend and still delivers a working vocabulary for analytic epistemology.
- + Works as the method-focused companion to Durant's Story of Philosophy — the ↑52 comment pairs them explicitly.
Common criticism
- − r/philosophy has essentially stopped mentioning it: 2 mentions, last in 2020.
- − Gets bundled into starter packs so reflexively that it's hard to find anyone arguing for it on its own terms.
Who it's for
You've just asked r/askphilosophy where to start, and multiple top answers included this book. That's the audience. If you want the analytic tradition's core questions — what can we actually know, what separates appearance from reality, what makes induction legitimate — Russell gets there in under 200 pages without prerequisites. Graduate students in the ↑37 thread recommend it as the non-historical entry point. Continental readers who found Sartre or Heidegger impenetrable will find this gives them the missing context; though for Heidegger specifically, commenters point elsewhere.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for The Problems of Philosophy?
Top-upvoted quotes across the subreddits where this book is mentioned. Click through to read the full thread.
“Check out this sub’s FAQ first and foremost, there are a LOT of resources there. personally, i recommend The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell:)
“I don't understand /u/MaceWumpus's attitude that the analytic/continental descriptors are not useful. If someone told me they studied philosophy at an analytic-leaning department, I would be fairly confident that they encountered some of Frege, Russell, Carnap, Quine, Lewis, Kripke, etc. (If they t…
“I would not personally start with Sartre. He is an important and interesting author. But, out of the stuff you have listed, him and Heidegger prpbably have the steepest learning curve and require a LOT of context. Plato's republic is an excellent read and most modern translations are quite accesib…
“Hello welcome to philosophy. I believe it is not just books but a package of resources would help you, here are some suggestions: (1) The Problems of Philosophy, Bertrand Russell. (2) The Story of Philosophy, Will Durant. (3) for insig…
“From a historical perspective, Wittgenstein's *Tractatus*, with its focus on the logical analysis of language, was received at the time as a hallmark text that helped sketch out the principles and methods (e.g. the "linguistic turn") of what we now call the analytic tradition of philosophy. Since th…
“This was exactly Russell's critique in *The Problems of Philosophy*, ch. II. You can consult that for further discussion. One big assumption that Bert made was that the cogito is an argument—if it is, it obviously begs the question; if it *isn't*, then it's a first principle that doesn't need to be…
“This is a lot to cover in a post so I'll keep it schematic, probably a low amount of detail. One side is the historical approach, which is preferable is you have patience. I'm in a graduate program in philosophy and in my free time I'm reading through the history of philosophy myself. The other side…
“The search bar above begs Lord Betterthanprevious to use it. Keep in mind, no book will ever make a better "you" just by getting it => reading it. It isn't a magical spell nor a pill with an instantaneous effect. Like when you master demo trading. Even when you get the hang of it, upon entering rea…
Convinced? Pick up The Problems of Philosophy
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with The Problems of Philosophy — counted from the comments, not curated.
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A History of Western Philosophy
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Phaedo
Plato
Socrates spends his final hours arguing that the soul survives death — and inviting his friends to find the holes in his logic.
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
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Wittgenstein built a numbered ladder from logical atomism to the inexpressible, then said the ladder had to be discarded once you climbed it.
The Problems of Philosophy — frequently asked
Is The Problems of Philosophy still worth reading as a first philosophy book in 2026?+
Yes. r/askphilosophy has recommended it in 37 threads over 7 years, including top-voted answers at ↑58 and ↑52, without the consensus softening. It covers the analytic tradition's core questions in a format that doesn't require prior coursework. The main caveat from the data: no one argues it's exciting, they argue it's useful.
What does Reddit actually use The Problems of Philosophy for?+
Mostly as a starting-point recommendation alongside Will Durant and Plato, but also as a live reference in debates. The ↑42 comment in r/askphilosophy cites chapter II to run Russell's cogito critique against a commenter's Descartes argument — meaning it gets pulled off the shelf, not just assigned. Both uses appear repeatedly across the 39 total mentions.
How does The Problems of Philosophy compare to The Story of Philosophy by Durant on Reddit?+
They get recommended together rather than against each other. The ↑52 r/askphilosophy comment pairs them explicitly: Durant for historical breadth, Russell for analytic method. 37 of the 39 mentions come from r/askphilosophy, where the historical-vs-analytic framing comes up repeatedly. If you want one, the data suggests you'd benefit from both.
Should I read The Problems of Philosophy if I'm already comfortable with Descartes?+
Depends how deep you've gone. If you know the cogito but haven't seen Russell's critique that it begs the question as an argument, chapter II alone is worth the read — the ↑42 r/askphilosophy comment walks through that exact argument at length. If you've already worked through the analytic epistemology canon, the 39-mention data suggests Reddit points elsewhere.