NationStates Jolt Archive

I recently decided to begin studying philosophy, and was wondering, what would be a good way to start. I don't have much opportunity to take a class in the subject, but am wondering what I should read to initate myself without being overwhelmed. I am most interested in modern philosophy, especially existentialism.

I recently decided to begin studying philosophy, and was wondering, what would be a good way to start. I don't have much opportunity to take a class in the subject, but am wondering what I should read to initate myself without being overwhelmed. I am most interested in modern philosophy, especially existentialism.
"Philosophy for Dummies (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764551531/qid=1111711473/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-3813682-1337603)" is a decent book if you're just beginning.
If you've already done a bit, here's a book on existentialism that I rather like:
Existentialism: From Dostoevsky to Sartre (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0452009308/qid=1111711214/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-3813682-1337603?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)
I have a soft spot for that book.

Another good book on existentialism is this one:
Irrational Man: A Study in Existential Philosophy (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385031386/ref=pd_sim_b_1/002-3813682-1337603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

I'd suggest Coppleston's history of philosophy, especially his take on the medieval period.. probably the most authoritative version out there.

If I were you, I would avoid concentrating on a single area to begin with. Take an intro course and see what interests you. Someone earlier suggested studying existentialism, which is fine, but if you're going to major in philosophy, odds are you won't need it. Find out where you want to go first.

I've done a little reading, and have some decent grounding, so I'll go with those two. Good price, too. They sound like interesting reading.
Thnks a lot, Neo-Anarchists :)

Jostein Gaarde "Sofies Verden" packs a decent overview of the history of philosophy. I recommend it.

Sounds good. I'm making a list right now. I'll probably go down to Barnes and Noble, get a coffee, and read them for a while. I shouldn't have any trouble hopefully.

Wherever you go, there you are.

Jostein Gaarde "Sofies Verden" packs a decent overview of the history of philosophy. I recommend it.
"Sophie's World" in English.

I'd suggest Coppleston's history of philosophy, especially his take on the medieval period.. probably the most authoritative version out there.

I would caution here that with Copleston his role as a Jesuit sometimes interferes with his role as a philosopher to the detriment of the latter.

I'd suggest picking up Donald Palmer'sLooking at Philosophy, The Unbearable Heaviness of Philosophy Made Lighter 3rd ed. . Its from McGraw Hill Press, c. 2001.


It gives a decent look at what every major philosopher has believed and written about from Thales (pre-Socratic) all the way to up to Structuralism and PostStructuralism (modern Philosophy).

Keep naming them and I'll keep writing them down.

I'd suggest picking up Donald Palmer'sLooking at Philosophy, The Unbearable Heaviness of Philosophy Made Lighter 3rd ed. . Its from McGraw Hill Press, c. 2001.


It gives a decent look at what every major philosopher has believed and written about from Thales (pre-Socratic) all the way to up to Structuralism and PostStructuralism (modern Philosophy).

How many hundreds of pounds does it weigh?

I would caution here that with Copleston his role as a Jesuit sometimes interferes with his role as a philosopher to the detriment of the latter.

I don't see much of that, although concerning the medieval period, I highly enjoy Weinberg's "A Short History of Medieval Philosophy," which should provide a nice balance - any major disparities or omissions on Coppleston's part would be quickly noticible here.

I am most interested in modern philosophy, especially existentialism.

Why does existentialism take your fancy? I have to say that I found it quite an uninteresting movement and somewhat lacking in rigour.

I recently decided to begin studying philosophy, and was wondering, what would be a good way to start. I don't have much opportunity to take a class in the subject, but am wondering what I should read to initate myself without being overwhelmed. I am most interested in modern philosophy, especially existentialism.

I've basically got a degree in philosophy (3 credits shy), so I might be of some assistance.

The first thing I would do is to ask yourself why you are interested in philosophy? If you are interested in it for the ethics (as I was), then you want to index some important ethical thinkers for future reference: Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, John Rawls. If you're more interested in epistemology (the study of how you know what you know, supposing of course that you do know it), then it would be people like Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Bertrand Russell, and Wilfred Sellers. If you're more interested in the scholar route (finding a particular philosopher and learning everything about him), then you'll want to start searching for one particular person.

Now that you've identified your aim, the first thing you need to do to accomplish it is get a good general background of philosophy. You'll need this because you'll want this first because it's useful to learn how philosophers argue, and second because many arguments piggyback on other people's arguments: You can't make heads or tails of Kant's epistemology, for example, unless you first know the objections Hume raised about bald empiricism. There are two schools of thought on how to do this. The first is that you should simply dive into the texts you want, the other is to look at source material like a philosophical encyclopedia first (or even better, an instructor who knows the source material) and then ease into the reading. Having done some of both, I'd tend to recommend the latter.

As for what texts to start looking up and eventually reading, I'd pick something early and simple. Plato's Crito, for example, makes an excellent introductory philosophical text, because it's short, to the point, and it actually covers some deep issues like the concept of rule of law. From there, I'd move to some other stuff like the first 2 books of The Republic, or something like Hume's Essays Concerning Human Understanding. Before you begin, though, you probably want to look up some general concepts and discuss it with people who have read it and understand it. The trick is to pick texts that are well-written and easy to understand (both Hume and Plato were good in that regard, as were some other people. John Rawls comes to mind.), rather than diving headfirst into the really complicated stuff like Nietzsche, Aristotle, or Kant.

From Rationalism to Existentialism (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/074251241X/qid=1111713261/sr=1-20/ref=sr_1_20/002-0790953-1432064?v=glance&s=books) by Robert C. Solomon

This gives a good account of the origins of existentialist thinking.

How many hundreds of pounds does it weigh?
its only about 200 pages (or so).

It gives a solid 60 to 70 philosophers 2-6 pages. In those pages their thought process is summarized, as well as their major points. Its actually pretty good for picking up beginning philosophy.

its only about 200 pages (or so).

It gives a solid 60 to 70 philosophers 2-6 pages. In those pages their thought process is summarized, as well as their major points. Its actually pretty good for picking up beginning philosophy.
I should probably go pick up a copy of that.

I am interested in philospohy both for my own interest and as a model, in a way, for living and contemplating the world. I want as much exposure as possible while still progressing in a way that ensures I get the most out of each treatise as I can.

Why does existentialism take your fancy? I have to say that I found it quite an uninteresting movement and somewhat lacking in rigour.

I have to agree, but each to their own. If that is Vetalia's interest, then so be it.
What is your background Vetalia? Literature, sociology, psychology?
Where are you comming to philosophy from?

Sounds good. I'm making a list right now. I'll probably go down to Barnes and Noble, get a coffee, and read them for a while. I shouldn't have any trouble hopefully.

This may help, if you don't want to spend a month of Sundays at the bookstore, or a fortune on books. :)

http://www.iep.utm.edu/

On line as well. This is a good starting place (http://www.epistemelinks.com/)

I am taking classes in AP European history currently, and am fascinated at the evolution of European culture. I'm also learning independently about Asian, African, and American history whenever I can, and I felt that the philosophy would help me get both a better feel for the minds of the world's great thinkers and provoke change and thought about myself.

On line as well. This is a good starting place (http://www.epistemelinks.com/)
There's some interesting stuff here too:
http://eserver.org/philosophy/

Wow. With all of the information being given, I'm going to have plenty to do over break. :D It's worth it though. Just keep it coming, as I have plenty of time and interest to hear everyone's suggestions.

I am taking classes in AP European history currently, and am fascinated at the evolution of European culture. I'm also learning independently about Asian, African, and American history whenever I can, and I felt that the philosophy would help me get both a better feel for the minds of the world's great thinkers and provoke change and thought about myself.

J. B. Schneewind. The invention of Autonomy
This covers the emergence of modern western thinking in an interesting and well written way.

I recently decided to begin studying philosophy, and was wondering, what would be a good way to start. I don't have much opportunity to take a class in the subject, but am wondering what I should read to initate myself without being overwhelmed. I am most interested in modern philosophy, especially existentialism.

The best critique of existential philosophy that I have ever read was by Francis Schaeffer. It is in his books The God Who Is There, Escape From Reason, and He is There, and He is Not Silent. He is a Christian, but he shows the shortcomings of the philosophy quite well, plus he shows how it has manifested itself in art, music, literature, film, and theology. Please note: his writings assume a basic understanding of the basic ideas and people in philosophy, so you might want to get a basic philosophy book first.

I love philosophy. I pick up a new movement the way other women pick up new season's fashion. The gutenberg project has some marvelous old philosophers like Locke etc. If you find a philosophy you like, and want to back track thru to its source, there is plenty of stuff in the public domain.

Have you tried reading Sartre's novels? :rolleyes: I did, and got rather bored with him, but some of his plays are easy to read if you can be bothered extrapolating his deeper meanings. Ethics is also a great field to starting point if you want to check out how different theories apply to real-world issues. :)

I'm playing around with reductionism at the moment.

I suggest you invite all of your friends over, throw them a fantastic meal and supply them with a lot of wine. Works for me when I want a philosophy conversation. It's a very traditional method.;)

I suggest you invite all of your friends over, throw them a fantastic meal and supply them with a lot of wine. Works for me when I want a philosophy conversation. It's a very traditional method.;)

He's got it. This is what philosophy is and should be about. Good friends, good wine, good converstion, (and a good Stilton as well if you are in the UK).

Xenophobia pretty much covered what I would say. I'll give it my own spin, though, and suggest something else.

Start your study of philosophy with the early Greek philosophers. They form the foundation upon which all Western Philosophy is based; many philosophical traditions formed in response to the ideas put forth [or not put forth!] by the ancient Greeks.

Greek and Roman philosophers I would recommend: Aristotle, Plato, Cicero, Epictetus, Plotinus, Seneca the Younger, and Marcus Aurelius [I'm biased towards Stoicism]. Each has one or two key works [more for Aristotle, Plato and Cicero, of course] that will build a strong foundation for your understanding better the philosophies of today.

As to philosophers you might want to look into that are more modern: Emmanuel Kant, William James, David Hume, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Rawls and Noam Chomsky.

Also. Never read secondary sources first. Always read the primary source first and form your own opinions on the given philosophy; then, if you need help understanding it or want to hear what someone else has to say, read the secondary source. I'll admit that I sometimes need someone to explain to me what Kant or Nietzsche or Descartes is saying, but I always try to get through the text on my own. I feel the ideas I then have are my own, not somebody else's.

That's all for now.

I recently decided to begin studying philosophy, and was wondering, what would be a good way to start. I don't have much opportunity to take a class in the subject, but am wondering what I should read to initate myself without being overwhelmed. I am most interested in modern philosophy, especially existentialism.

In addition to the other fine books mentioned, might I suggest that you pick up a textbook on logic. Knowing how to identify valid and invalid arguments and work logic equations is a fine base to build upon. I've noticed that many posters on this board tend to use many logical fallacies in their arguments, which tends to leave me less inclined to post, as they're defeating themselves before they even get started.

I recently decided to begin studying philosophy, and was wondering, what would be a good way to start. I don't have much opportunity to take a class in the subject, but am wondering what I should read to initate myself without being overwhelmed. I am most interested in modern philosophy, especially existentialism.

If you want to learn phenomenology, you can rent a copy of the movie Dark Star.

If you want to learn phenomenology, you can rent a copy of the movie Dark Star.

I love that movie! Haven't seen it in ages...now I'm going to have to go out and rent a copy before the nostalgia overwhelms me.

In addition to the other fine books mentioned, might I suggest that you pick up a textbook on logic. Knowing how to identify valid and invalid arguments and work logic equations is a fine base to build upon. I've noticed that many posters on this board tend to use many logical fallacies in their arguments, which tends to leave me less inclined to post, as they're defeating themselves before they even get started.Yes! Excellent idea.

You've already been given some good starting texts as well as lists of philosophers you might investigate.

Studying philosophy on your own isn't easy, but I think you can see from the response you've gotten that you can always start a thread here to get help understanding things.

A couple of short, fairly easy to understand, but very substantive works that may synthesize some of the issues and that discuss practical application of philosophical ideas are: Joel Feinberg, Social Philosophy (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0138172544/qid=1111794249/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/102-7229765-1727302) and William Frankena, Ethics (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0132904780/qid=1111794468/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl14/102-7229765-1727302?v=glance&s=books&n=507846).

Wittgenstein's Poker: The Story of a Ten-Minute Argument Between Two Great Philosophers (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0066212448/102-7229765-1727302) is an interesting blend of narrative history, biography, and philosophy. Here is a short description of the book:

On October 25,1946, in a crowded room in Cambridge, England, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Karl Popper came face-to-face for the first and only time. The encounter lasted just ten minutes, and did not go well.

Their loud and aggressive confrontation became the stuff of instant legend. Almost immediately, rumors spread around the world that the two great philosophers had come to blows, armed with red-hot pokers.

Twenty years later, when Popper wrote an account of the incident, he portrayed himself as the victor, provoking intense disagreement. Everyone present seems to have remembered events differently.

What really happened in those ten minutes? And what does the violence of this brief exchange tell us about these two men, modern philosophy, and the significance of language in solving our philosophical problems?

Wittgenstein's Pokeris an engaging mix of philosophy, history, biography. and literary detection. David Edmonds and John Eidinow evoke with dazzling clarity the tumult of fin-de-siÈcle Vienna, Wittgenstein's and Popper's birthplace; the tragedy of the Nazi takeover of Austria; and Cambridge University, with its eccentric set of philosophy dons, including Bertrand Russell, who acted as umpire at the meeting. At the center of the story stand the two philosophers themselves -- proud, irascible, larger-than-life -- and spoiling for a fight.