Philosophy · Similar reads
Books like The Symposium
The best books like The Symposium are The Republic, Nicomachean Ethics, and Meditations. The Symposium by Plato is about love, beauty, desire. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- The Republic
01
Plato · Philosophy
The Republic is Plato's most ambitious work, a sustained inquiry into the nature of justice staged as a dialogue among Socrates and his companions in Athens.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - Nicomachean Ethics
02
Aristotle · Philosophy
The Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle's systematic inquiry into what makes a human life go well.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - Meditations
03
Marcus Aurelius · Philosophy
Meditations is not a book Marcus Aurelius wrote for anyone to read.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary →
- Man's Search for Meaning
04
Viktor E. Frankl · Psychology
Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's account of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the psychological theory he developed from that experience.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - A Guide to the Good Life
05
William Irvine · Philosophy
William Irvine's book is a modern case for reviving Stoic philosophy as a practical guide to living well.
Both dig into desire.
Read the summary → - Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
06
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
Daniel C. Dennett · Philosophy
Breaking the Spell is Daniel Dennett's case that religion is a natural phenomenon — one that can and should be studied using the methods of evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and anthropology.
Both dig into philosophy of mind.
Read the summary → - Consciousness Explained
07
Daniel C. Dennett · Philosophy
Consciousness Explained is Daniel Dennett's attempt to replace what he calls the Cartesian Theater — the intuitive picture of consciousness as a single unified stream of experience observed by a self — with a model he calls Multiple Drafts.
Both dig into philosophy of mind.
Read the summary → - Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking
08
Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking
Daniel Dennett · Philosophy
Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking is Daniel Dennett's handbook for thinking well — a collection of seventy-odd conceptual tools assembled across a long career in philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and evolutionary theory.
Both dig into philosophy of mind.
Read the summary → - Love and Will
09
Rollo May · Philosophy
Love and Will is Rollo May's attempt to diagnose a civilizational problem: that contemporary Western culture has severed love from will, reducing both to hollow performances.
Both dig into love.
Read the summary → - The Architecture of Happiness
10
Alain de Botton · Philosophy
The Architecture of Happiness is Alain de Botton's investigation into why certain buildings make us feel more alive and others leave us deflated.
Both dig into beauty.
Read the summary → - The Art of Travel
11
Alain de Botton · Philosophy
The Art of Travel is Alain de Botton's philosophical meditation on why we travel, what we hope to find, and the gap between anticipation and experience.
Both dig into beauty.
Read the summary → - The Four Loves
Books like The Symposium: quick answers
What are the best books like The Symposium?
The best books like The Symposium by Plato are The Republic by Plato, Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with The Symposium, such as love, beauty, desire.
What should I read after The Symposium?
A natural next read after The Symposium is The Republic by Plato. A kindred philosophy read. Other strong choices are Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.
What books are similar to The Symposium by Plato?
The Symposium centers on love, beauty, desire. Books with a similar feel include The Republic by Plato, Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel C. Dennett — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
