I've never read philosophy before. What's an easy text

>>8782726

Do you already have a good idea of the areas of interest in philosophy, what types of questions it tries to answer, and an overal history of its development?

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>>8782726
This is pretty accessible.

>>8782728
Are you telling me to start with the Greeks? Because I'm planning to in 2017. I just feel like I'll be lost during difficult philosophical texts if I have no real experience.

>>8782726
Being and Time or Phenomenology of Spirit IMO.

>>8782855
jesus murphy go easy on the lad

first
Aristotle - Metaphysics
then
Wittgenstein - Logico-Tractatus Philosophicus
nothing in between is of any real significance

>>8782726
Please do not listen to anyone who tells you to read some comprehensive history of philosophy, to do that is to entirely miss the point. Start with Descartes, Hume, Plato, Aristotle and if you want get an anthology of first sources of whatever you're interested in.

>>8782883
How so? Isn't it useful to know the context of what you're reading before reading it??

Start with that cutie you posted, OP. The language is a little dry so it might feel sluggish at first, but Methods on Discourse is short. Probably you should start with the Greeks, or so they say.

>>8782903
just don't do it. Philosophy is about going through methods of reasoning and argumentation, unless a history of philosophy book can represent this in all of its rigor I would stay away. If the intro to a work doesn't provide the proper context, which is usually does, just spend some time on SEP. The articles are usually written by actual professors

>>8782943
Unless you don't actually care to read philosophy, and just want to learn about the history of it. Right?

>>8782875
I once actually memed a friend into reading Hegel before Kant.

>>8782961

you heartless bastard how do you sleep at night

>>8782972
When I say friend I mean associate, and by associate I mean an undergraduate freshman teacher's pet who was one of those hangers on who always tries to trap you into a 30 minute discussion about some banal pseudophilosophical topic in the media after class.

The guy looked for affirmation everywhere and from everyone, he had the mind of a puppy. At first I tried to blow him off but he got more aggressive, even following me out the door and talking to me. I'm a very polite person so I don't like to be direct, it becomes a problem when people can't take a hint. Eventually I decided to start stoking his ego, calling on him more frequently and directing him to more 'advanced' material. It amused me to slowly watch him fall into a fugue trying to understand material that was obviously far beyond him. But he was too proud to admit for one minute that he didn't get it. He never got beyond a wikipedia article reader's level of comprehension.

He came from a podunk town and was top of his high school class there so I doubt he even conceived of the possibility that he wasn't the smartest shit known to man prior to being mindraped by our buddy GWF. Never saw him again after the quarter ended.

>>8782726

the wikipedia articles..then any book that says introduction to philosophy but imo u dont even need that...just read the wikipedia and links to types of philosophy and major philosophers and jump on to the book about what u digged the most in those links because frankly most philosophy books are nonsense written by uncool hacks as part of compulsory degree or sth 20 years ago and edit and publish it now to try to be cool even if they cant. never take anything too seriously...read plato and aristotle..ignore everything before and after until renaissance and enlightenment like hobbes, mill, kant, descartes importantly, marx, dont take nietzsche too seriously its just entertainment its quite good...spinoza is epic if u know how to skim and skip wisely, wittgenstien even though i pwrsonally havent read anything by him but hes big, dont forget epicurus and zeno, antisthenes and diomedes are obviously big idiots as youll find out so dont bother..id youre intent on just one...read mill, descartes is compulsory ofc, then move to more important and sensible subjects like darwinism and anthropology, social science is a term used to say wankers writing about things they dont know anything about, hacks, etc and its not science by any stretch of the world, read books on journalism, philosophy of science, etc..logic is waste of time its common sense, ethics is also obvious so ignore the volume afger volume written by uncool bitches every other day, write about what u learn, dont trust anyone who hasnt done a phd on the subject unless theyre cool, like donal trump ph wait no that guys an idiot..but dont trust the liberal media or dimwitted internet commentators theyre crazy like thise loud mouthed neighbor woman everyone has...very stupid. anyway, after that youll hopefully develop a brain of ur own and will carry on from that. ur welcome

>>8783033
good post anon

that fugue state, christ i've been there. it's painful and embarrassing and cringe as fuck but arguably necessary. ego checks are no joke. enlightenment doesn't usually come with being bathed in a soft glow like in the video games. imo it usually comes with alcohol and cigarettes and panic

was a good story tho. thanks for sharing

>>8783033
I did the same with an "artist" I met while learning how to work in Stained Glass. Told him how to emulate a certain style while skipping a couple key techniques that he would need first, all because he wouldn't stop acting like he was a gift to humanity. The guy royally screwed up on the piece he was working on.

>>8782726

Plato mate, not even memeing the greeks. He is accessible. His profundity consists mainly in the fact that you can revisit his dialogues throughout your life and discover something new every time.

>>8782726
>Beyond Good and Evil
Or
>The World as Will and Representation
Or
>The Republic

>>8783033
Why not just call him out on his shit?

>>8783033
>>8783091

jesus all of these people you are describing sound way too much like me. the universe must be sending me a message or something

thanks for sharing anon, this kind of stuff is 1000% why /lit/ is a part of a balanced breakfast. take care

>>8783352
Because I'm too polite for such vulgarity. That aside, 'calling' someone on something in public is probably more likely to solidify whatever undressed inferiority complex they're hiding through the projection of their ego than it is to cure them of it. Giving him an opportunity to be humbled in private was really an act of mercy.

>>8783290
Beyond Good and Evil needs a bit of philosophical background, Nietzsche references a lot of other philosophers in the first few chapters

>>8783365
God even your post is annoying

>>8782726
The Great Philosophers by Bryan Maggie is a pretty nice summary of well-known western philosophers since Socrates (some schools aren't discussed there like the stoics or utilitarians though so just google them). It is quite good to give you the general idea of their thought, and then you can start reading what interests you. You can also find the filmed conversations from the book on youtube, by the way.
I don't know if there's a special way to read philosophy, just read carefully and pay attention and take notes if you feel like it.

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke.

Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy is great because it works as both an introduction to philosophy generally as well as a good starting text for reading philosophers.

I majored in philosophy. It is an interesting subject. I don't mean to meme but start with the Greeks. Pierre Hadot has two excellent books entitled Philosophy As A Way of Life and What Is Ancient Philosophy?. Those would both be good starting points. If you are unread in history (or haven't gone to college yet), then Sophie's World might be an entertaining overview.

>>8783814
I swear for a moment I could see waves of Reddit faggotry emanating off his post and down the page.

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>>8783057
>spinoza is epic if u know how to skim and skip wisely
>spinoza is epic if u know how to skim and skip wisely
ethics is also obvious so ignore the volume afger volume written by uncool bitches every other day
>dont trust anyone who hasnt done a phd on the subject unless theyre cool, like donal trump ph wait no that guys an idiot..but dont trust the liberal media or dimwitted internet commentators theyre crazy like thise loud mouthed neighbor woman everyone has...very stupid.


Kill yourself.

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I would start off with something that you can chew on a bit, but that isn't long or too cumbersome. Consider reading Plato's Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito (save the Phaedo for later).

The Euthyphro is serious foreshadowing to Plato's metaphysics, and presents some very basic issues in philosophy. So, this gets started on some basic epistemology (especially virtue epistemology) and metaphysics (beginning to think about universals).

The Apology is less of what is considered above, and is more exhortation to philosophy than anything else. This is an oft forgotten or underrepresented area of philosophy (plan to read Boethius' Consolation).

The Crito is a work of political philosophy -- specifically concerning societal and individual justice; it also sets the stage for social contract theories in certain ways.

These texts can very easily be found together, and are widely available online.

>>8783500
>>such vulgarity
Oh don't be such a pussy. And I didn't mean call him out in public, you can do it privately. Sincerely, even.

the fucking GREEKS. /thread

>>8783091
that's not the same at all

you are just being a dick

>>8782726
The apology of Socrates
Discourse of the method
Was ist Aufklärung?

>>8783033
>>8783091
tossers

>>8782903
>Isn't it useful to know the context of what you're reading before reading it??
Yeah, so read a bit about Greek culture and mythology.

>>8782943
Right, so start with Blink by simon somethingorother

From Socrates to Sartre is pretty accessible. It's like Edith Hamilton's Mythology but for basic philosophy