From the inception of UPSC Examination, Philosophy 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.Â
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 Optional for UPSC IAS Mains
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
UPSC candidates can check the table below where we have provided booklist categorised as per the sections of UPSC Philosophy optional syllabus:
| UPSC Philosophy Optional Books | |
| 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 |
IAS aspirants who are preparing for UPSC 2023, may check the linked article.Â
UPSC Philosophy Booklist:-Download PDF Here
 For more articles related to UPSC Philosophy Optional subject and IAS exam preparation, check the table below:
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