Important Reference Books For UPSC CSE Philosophy Optional

In this post of Important Reference Books For UPSC CSE Philosophy Optional we endeavour to provide you with the list of best books for UPSC CSE Philosophy Optional.

From the inception of UPSC Examination, has been one of the most scoring subjects in UPSC IAS Mains Exam. It has given spectacular results. Among the humanities subjects, it has the potentiality of scoring good marks.UPSC has released the notification for UPSC 2021 IAS Exam.

UPSC IAS Exam is conducted in three phases- Prelims, Mains and Interview. The preparation should be done in such a way that all three phases are in proper focus. For a good performance in Mains exam, optional papers play a significant role.


Philosophy is one of the subjects where one need wide and selective reading. It has the shortest syllabus with great scoring potential in UPSC Mains exam. The paper I of Philosophy optional deals with the Indian and Western philosophy. It is purely conceptual and there is no as such applied part. Aspirants cannot write their own philosophy. Paper II of Philosophy optional is extremely broad and contains themes of common interest. It deals with Socio-Political philosophy and Philosophy of Religion.

In this article, IAS candidates can check the suggested readings of Philosophy optional books for UPSC exam.

UPSC Philosophy Books for Paper-I & Paper-II

History & Problems of Philosophy
A History of Philosophy by Frank Thilly
Survey of Indian Philosophy by C D Sharma
Indian Philosophy, A Counter Perspective by Dr Daya Krishna 
Indian Philosophy II Volume by Dr S. Radhakrishnan
Existentialism
Existentialism: A Reconstruction by David Cooper
Existentialism Is A Humanism by Jean-Paul
Indian Philosophy
An Introduction to Indian Philosophy- S Chatterjee
A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy- C Sharma
Western Philosophy
A History of Philosophy-Frank Thilly
A Critical History of Western Philosophy- Y Masih
Contemporary Western Philosophy- Dr B.K. Lal
Social-Political Philosophy
An Introduction to Political Theory by O P Gauba
Philosophy of Religion
Introduction to Religious Philosophy By Y Masih
Philosophy of Religion by John H. Hick

This Post Has One Comment

Leave a Reply