How to Get into Philosophy

Make beginnings with the Myceneans

Dive in with the Dorians.

Always start with the Achaeans

Modern philosophy is a waste of time and Greek philosophy is only worthwhile as Greek literature.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=1A_CAkYt3GY

don't do it, it's a trap!

i love you

Are you willing to practice the principles that you hold to be virtuous or are you seeking to impress others with eloquent words?

If you want a real into into phil get a first year text on any discipline that interests you.
Get a book that goes through both the arguments and counter arguments

theology is a good place to start since everyone is some what acquainted with the major perspectives

Listen here you sub-80IQ subhuman nigger, Stoicism is The Chad of all philosophies

i really hope that's bait

historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01f0vzr

read multiple sources not just the interpretation of one fag

also

I'll check those out, thanks.

I started by picking up philosophers I liked the sounds of and then trying to learn the philosophers that influenced their thoughts. I've been... not terribly successful.

>I started by picking up philosophers I liked the sounds of
you mean like the literal sound of their name or what you thought would fancy your interest?
If the former, than that's a pretty great way of chosing your reading material

>hmm...Spinoza
>Spi..no..za
>SpInozAAA
>nah, doesn't sound right!

>Kant (more like "cunt" hue hue)

kek

>If you want a real into into phil

Wat

youtube.com/watch?v=a-1fvld9xLA

I mean I guess I would be willing to, never really considered what that sort of thing. I don't know man, just interested in knowledge for knowledge's sake.

Knowledge for knowledge sake is useless without practical application. Greedily aquiring knowledge is no different than hoarding real estate or gold. We must cultivate our estates and invest our wealth for the benefit of others so therefore we should practice our learnings so that we might set the example for others to live by. Do as you say and say as you do.

Roger Scruton's A Short History of Modern Philosophy

if you are in your 20s consider pic related

Fair enough. Never thought about Philosophy that way, I guess.

If you do choose to pursue philosophy, know that it is a life-long love affair that should be attended to daily. Don't allow yourself to slacken for diligence is a virtue in itself. Persist and you will succeed your endeavor.

I'm sure this user meant "...intro into...", dont let your critical analysis overload your other mental processes.

Thanks for the encouragement. Any tips you have about how to start?

What are you interested in? You need to dive into something that'll make all of philosophy click for you, I literally can't think of a worse intro to western thought than Aristotle, unless you actually want to start with him

it all depends on who you are as a person, i guess.. and also what part of philosophy you are most interested in... the practical stuff like ethics and moral, you might start with Kant or John Stuart Mill. Theoretical is a bit more tricky... almost all of them fall into this category. :/ If you feel lost in life: Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, maybe Satre (all of them are existentialists). Language Philosophy is also pretty interesting: Wittgenstein is a great example. Bertrand Russell also.

Bye

I don't really know. Not sure if this is more sociology than philosophy, but the why of human society has always interested me. Why do people organize into society? Why do they organize the way they do? Does this inform their interactions within the society, or is it the other way around?

Thanks. I'll start poking around. See what clicks.

try this guy: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and also John Locke.

As a beginner, I found existentialism to be a neat topic since it addresses the very important question of "what is the meaning of life?"

Camus, Satre, Nagel

One of my favorite (short) essays on the topic is by Nagel; his conclusion is that there is no meaning, but it doesn't matter that there is no meaning:

philosophy.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/The Absurd - Thomas Nagel.pdf

I will, thanks. Locke sounds familiar, think I heard of him from somewhere else.

I read Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus a few months ago I think. And by that I mean read the last few paragraphs.

Existentialism does sound interesting, answering the most basic philosophical issue.

I firmly believe in diving right into the deep end, fuck watered-down reddit summaries of shit, trial by fire my nigga. Yeah the terminology is gonna fly over your head but these guys are writing in English, not moonspeak, sooner or later it'll gel. Without further adieu:

If you want a more psychoanalytic take on why societies are the way they are: Zizek, Deleuze

Practical, no-nonsense: Stoicism (Seneca, Epictetus, Aurelius), Plato and Aristotle to an extent

Spirituality, theology, mysticism, and metaphysics: Evola, Plotinus, Boehme, Kierkegaard, Eckhart, Weil

Dark, pessimistic, existential: Brassier (practically impenetrable as a first choice tho), Bataille, Michelstaedter, Schopenhauer, Shestov, Heidegger to an extent

Existence, being, cognition, God: (some overlap with the spirituality category, but these guys are more systematic) Hegel, Kant, Fichte, Schelling

Empirical, positivist, pragmatic: Dewey, James, Russell, Wittgenstein

Just FYI anyone one of these guys can change your life for the better, if not in immediate applicability at least with a fullness of knowledge of what you are, what life is, where you stand

That's a good attitude to have about things, especially learning things. That's a big list, but it's giving me a lot of good entry points. Thanks.

I started with Buddhism as a philosophy, being Christian raised it took some time to grasp, though the ethics were similar just without reverence to skydaddy. This led me to Taoism and Zen which run pretty parallel. Zen focusing on the eternal present whilst relenquishing imposed expectations of future/present/past, and Tao being the entirety of all conceivabilities and the harmonious discord therein.
Recently i've been on a Stoicism binge and they advocate complementary teachings, that are more able to be digested with having a western conditioned mindset.

Hm. Camus sounds interesting, as does the philosophical absurd in general. I'll look into that.

May your sail find favorable winds my friend, and may you traverse the tumultuous seas with vigour and enthusiasm.

>I don't know the first thing about philosophy.

90% of it is bullshit, going around in circles, and arguing over definitions.

Thanks a lot, you've been a great help as to the purpose of philosophy and a good direction to head in it.

Looks like that last part is what the end of Candide by Voltaire meant.

Practice being able to do mental gymnastics.

Read The Apology of Socrates by Plato, the rest will come on its own

Try a sampler

youtube.com/watch?v=oa0bCzwSNA0