Socrates, A Man for Our Times by Paul Johnson

A good study of Socrates by the historian Paul Johnson. Since the subtitle was "A Man for Our Times", I was expecting more concerning the contemporary relevance of Socrates, but this is a simply a straightforward study of Socrates and Socratic philosophy. To the extent that Socrates is a man for all times - and he is - then naturally he is a man for our times.

I prefer the older book on Socrates by Romano Guardini, as Guardini is more philosophically sophisticated than Johnson. I think Johnson is also a little hard on Plato, but Johnson is still excellent.

Socrates meets Kant by Peter Kreeft

This is an excellent entry in the "Socrates meets ..." series from Kreeft. A good introduction to Kant.

Approaches to God by Jacques Maritain

A short work by the great Thomas philosopher on the "many ways to God." Includes - beyond the Five Ways of St. Thomas - a Sixth Way from Maritain himself based on the experience of the intellect. Maritain is always worth reading.

Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

A comprehensive look at human history for a resolutely secular perspective. Eh.