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What if I want to start with philosophy?


Roy

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Hi!! I don't know if there's someone who has started this topic, please feel free to move this on its correct place if there is one. Thank you.

 

Recently I've decided to start reading Philosophy but I've found that I can't understad Platón or Sócrates, a friend of mine told me that I need to start with history of philosophy but I don't know which book I must pick up first. 

 

Is there a way to start reading Philosophy?

 

 

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A book I enjoyed that not only was a good introduction to philosophy, but a compelling story in itself was 'Sophie's World' by Jostein Gaarder.

 

It describes itself as 'a novel about the history of philosophy', and was aimed at the teenage market when it came out. Although considered to be a young adult book, it was a huge seller at it's publication as it enabled many people (myself included) to access philosophy in a way they hadn't been able to do previously.

Edited by Chrissy
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I've just finished reading "A very short introduction to Metaphysics" from the OUP very short series. It was excellent, but as the title suggests, very short and not too in depth. It does have a further reading section though so it's a good starting point. But if you're more interested in general philosophy rather than that particular branch, they also have "A very short introduction to Philosophy". I haven't read it but am tempted to and I think it does cover the history a bit.

 

I've also looked into introductory books and may at some point purchase Routledge: Philosophy the basics. The Routledge series seems well regarded but I haven't actually read them myself.

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Thank you so much, Chrissy

I've heard of Sophie's world, but I didn't think it was considered as a first book in philosophy haha. Now I'm feeling lucky since I have this book in Spanish at home. :) After that book, do you know how to continue reading philosophy?  Maybe I should read it first and then ask hehe. :)

 

Andrea, I'l try read them for sure, thank you so much. :) 

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There are lots of books out there that would cover specific aspects / schools of thought etc., but for general reading I would probably go with ones such as this one with 50 philosophical ideas or one of these ones that a search came up with. 

 

I remembered that there was a whole range of "......For Dummies" books and some of them are really quite impressive with what they cover on a subject, so I assumed they would have one for Philosophy too! I haven't read a huge amount in this area, so I am really only saying where I would go next if I wanted to go any further.  :blush2:

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I would just like to second Jostein Gaarder - Sophie's World. This is the first book I read on philosophy and it taught me a lot (it's also an entertaining story). There is also a book Philosophy for Dummies which could be another good place to start. I've been reading other For Dummies books lately and they are pretty good.

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Hi!! I don't know if there's someone who has started this topic, please feel free to move this on its correct place if there is one. Thank you.

 

Recently I've decided to start reading Philosophy but I've found that I can't understad Platón or Sócrates, a friend of mine told me that I need to start with history of philosophy but I don't know which book I must pick up first. 

 

Is there a way to start reading Philosophy?

 

Bertrand Russell's A History of Western Philosophy is generally held in high regard. I haven't read it, however. It is recommended reading for those studying philosophy.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Roy,

 

The first Philosophy work I've read was "Of the Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right" (or simply "The Social Contract") by Jean Jacques Rousseau. It's short and to the point.

 

I've found it to be a very easy read and it was definitely to my understanding; after which I followed the writings of Philisophers such as Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche.

 

Next up: Voltaire

 

Go for it - once your attraction towards the subject increases, you will then possibily like to continue with Mathematical Philosophy (by modern authors, such as Stephen Hartmann) and Logic.

 

Best of luck and give us an update.

 

 

Best regards,

 

IndyPhimaA

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Whilst I love Bertie Russell’s "History of Western Philosophy" and would highly recommend it, it’s more a compendium to be used complementary to an inquiry rather than an exercise in itself. The devil is in the detail for philosophy and a good philosophical dictionary might be more useful to you.

You shouldn't be put off of Plato, along with Aristotle he underpins the majority of western philosophical thought so will form a basis for any further reading. Start with something like "The Republic" it's one of his most accessible works and the majority of editions come with a supporting essay. There is a good translation by G. M. A. Grube or if you want one with an example of a controversial interpretation (although not one that I particularly agree with) try Allan Bloom. If you needed additional help with the text Routledge have a comprehensive set of relatively objective and easy to understand guides without being "...For Dummies".



 

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  • 1 month later...

I don't know if hegel's the philosophy of history is considered philosophy, but it's the book i lately finished. It's a bit hard for me, and i didn't understand it very well. There is the famous sophie's world for people who don't know very much about philosophy, like me. It's a great history of philosophy ,at least for me. even teens can understand it. besides i highly recommend you the ancient chinese's philosophy works. Try confucious, mencious, laocious and chuangcious. Believe me, you won't be dissappointed.

 

Wow, i see many people recommending sophie's world, i'm glad that many people like it.

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Hi Roy.

 

I hope you are still trying philosophy, so here are my recommendations.  

 

The first book I read on the subject was The Consolation of Philosophy by Alain de Botton. It takes the subjects in everyday life (loneliness, lack of money,unpopularity) with different philosophers. It inspired me to read more on western philosophy, with Seneca, Epicurus and the Stoics.

 

I agree with Snowla, Eastern and especially Chinese philosophy are enjoyable to read, and I found Taoist philosophy quite enlightening. Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu (his quirky sense of humour is a breath of fresh air when so many philosophies are dull) are very good.

 

I do hope you carry on with reading philosophy. Sometimes philosophy can be a consolation with life's struggles. :doh:

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I read Sophie's World and the philosophy clips were Ok but the story got increasingly silly for me. Consolation Of Philosophy sounds interesting Marie H!

I read a primer on Western Philosophy a while back I forget the title but it is in my reading list around March/April and passed it on to my daughter.

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The Consolation of Philosophy was a good starting point for me.  It's quite light and frothy, more like a self-help book than a serious philosophical book, and I find the pictures rather annoying, but I still enjoyed Alain de Botton's writing. 

Edited by Marie H
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  • 2 months later...

There are lots of books out there that would cover specific aspects / schools of thought etc., but for general reading I would probably go with ones such as this one with 50 philosophical ideas or one of these ones that a search came up with.

 

I remembered that there was a whole range of "......For Dummies" books and some of them are really quite impressive with what they cover on a subject, so I assumed they would have one for Philosophy too! I haven't read a huge amount in this area, so I am really only saying where I would go next if I wanted to go any further. :blush2:

Christy, thanks for posting these links. Philosophy is a topic I've tried to get into a few times and even bought one of the "Dummies" books a couple years back, but alas it's missing in the scattered stacks, bookcases and boxes of books hubby kept rearranging to accommodate the daughter and father who moved in. They are both gone now, but everything is still a disaster and I no longer have the physical strength to clean it all up. Hubby tries....but.....

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