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1118307 No.1118307 [Reply] [Original]

I want to get into philosophy.

I have The Republic of Plato. Is that a good place to start? If I like it, where do I go from there?

Yes, I read the philosophy pic in /lit/'s recommended reading, but it doesn't really say where to start and where to go from there.

>> No.1118319
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1118319

I'd take an introductory philosophy course before delving into any particular philosopher. Or at least purchase and read an intro to philosophy textbook.

>> No.1118321

>>1118319
I plan on doing that in the Spring semester, but that is a long ways away.

>> No.1118323

>>1118319
+1

After reading one or two of these you'll know the philosophers that seem most interesting to you.

Protip: you still can not read Kant or Hegel after reading one or two of those.

>> No.1118327
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1118327

>>1118321

Another reason why I say it is that if you go straight into individual philosophers without the benefit of perspective, you end up buying into whichever one falls into your lap, with the zeal of a convert. It happened to me when I read Ayn Rand when I was 16. Fortunately the maniacal Nietzsche didn't have that effect when I read him three years ago, but this was after having gained enough of an overview of the field. LOL

>> No.1118347

Plato's Republic is a bit heavy for a first time philosophy book. His Symposium might be better.

David Hume and John Locke are rather reader friendly. Descartes rambles a bit, but isn't hard to read.

Stay the fuck away from Kant and Nietzsche.

>> No.1118354

http://www.klick-game.gauss.livando.com/joke-21.html
gkjgjk

>> No.1118371

russel's history of western philosophy is an excellent place to start. it's completely comprehensive but it's completely compartmentalized so you can choose what you want to cover

>> No.1118378

nietzche is pretty eay to understand . I read zarathustra at 14 and finished series by 16

>> No.1118382
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1118382

>/lit/
>recommended reading .jpg
Because one anon with photoshop obviously represents the whole of /lit/

>> No.1118387
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1118387

>>1118378

Oh, dear Zeus. I pity the child who has Nietzsche imprinted onto his impressionable mind at 14. Run for your lives.

Pic related.

>> No.1118395

The Republic is a good place to start if you never ever want to read philosophy ever again.

>> No.1118428

>>1118395
This.
Platos by far the most boring philosopher I have ever read. Alot of his ideas are interesting but hes just so dull in describing them, its a chore to read him.

>> No.1118436

I'm interested in this as well, are there any introductions to philosophy I should get(with the exception of VSI) that are cheap and that will prepare me for my course next year?

>> No.1118437
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1118437

>>1118428

To be fair, all you'll read is translations of his original ancient Greek. There has to be a lot lost in translation there. For all we know, in its original language his work could have been riveting.

I did not find Plato especially boring.

PIC RELATED!! Plato says fuck you!

>> No.1118438

>>1118436

Doing Philosophy (by Vaughn and Schick) is nice and gives you a logic/critical thinking background to work up from so you don't take the seductive philosophers at their word without being able to reason it out for yourself.

>> No.1118440

>>1118438
Thank you, you wouldn't happen to know where I can get it cheapest would you?

>> No.1118442

>>1118440

I bought a used one off Amazon for a total of 11 bucks, including shipping.

>> No.1118448

Sophie's World seems the best book to start with, most university introductory classes read it

>> No.1120324

>>1118327
nietzsche is a moron

>> No.1120362

Step one: don't be a lazy fucking asshole and look a SINGLE page back for several detailed answers to your insipid question: >>1119904

>> No.1120366
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1120366

>>1118387
pic related

>> No.1120431

Descartes' Meditations is a great place to start in terms of actual texts, but introduction books into philosophy are the best option for...introducing yourself into philosophy.

>> No.1120451

Kant is my personal favourite but

HOLY FUCK STAY AWAY FROM HIM HE IS THE ALMIGHTY KING OF SUBCLAUSES

>> No.1120460

I reccomend Bertrand Russel

A history of western philosophy I think is the title, and it gives (Admittedly brief) overviews of all the main philosophical advances.

You'll likely see what you want to study there.

>> No.1120464

>>1120451
Sometimes I laughed reading his Groundwork on the Metaphysics of Morals

Sometimes you're just like 'Holy shit that was ONE SENTENCE?'

>> No.1120476

Walter Kaufmann's Critique of Religion and Philosophy covers a lot of ground from an interesting perspective and is much more engaging than Russell's History of Western Philosophy.

>> No.1120479

Honestly OP, and this what a lot of the haters don't understand, the best part of philosophy is argument, and you only really get that in classes.

The only way you'll really develop your rational viewpoints is in argument with another person, that's what tutorials and such are for. You can learn by yourself, but it won't be as effective or engaging.

So go ahead with that course. I'm a law student, and I did philosophy degree alonside purely as an interest subject(Free in my country though).

>> No.1120484

>>1118387
Personally I would force some Kantian ethics on children at a young age

What a nice world it would be!

Well, unless you get into that awkward situation of the killer who admits he's going to kill your friend and asks where he is...

>> No.1120493

Kantian ethics is retarded, but the categorical imperative doesn't require that you answer someone's questions.

>> No.1120498

>>1120484
We already teach our kids virtue ethics, which is the way to do it. Good examples, heroes and advice on staying withen a golden mean - early indoctrination into Aristotle is a good thing.

>> No.1120505
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1120505

http://lichess.org/swi003

Get Chess'd, OP. Let's talk philosophy 101.

>> No.1120515

>>1120493
>Kantian ethics is retarded

OH IT IS ON MOTHERFUCKER I AM TAKING YOU DOWN

They should replace philosophy debates with gladiatorial combat. Would be SO much better and is what everyone really wants.

>> No.1120516

>>1120505
I am OP. Post again and I'll join you ^_^

>> No.1120521
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1120521

>>1120515
I had a mental image of Kant vs Bentham on that Gladiator show where they hit each other off the platform with those foam polearms.

Glorious.

>> No.1120540
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1120540

>>1120521

I would watch the shit out of that

>> No.1120564

>>1118307
Philosophy is mostly for people in philosophy courses or graduates of philosophy courses with some interlopers from mathematics and psychology.

You aren't going to get much by yourself unless you are a most unusual human being. If you are modern philosophy tends to go Descartes => Hume=> Hobbes => Rousseau => Kant => Hegel => Kierkegaard\ Nietzsche => Heidegger\ Frege

And that's an abbreviated but hilariously complex reading list.

Just read zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance if you want to feel clever.