Would you ever skip a philosophy introduction? Pic unrealated

>>8933326
All prefaces atleast could be skipped but Hegel's

Yes.
>>8933368
Even then.

I despise non-author written introductions of all sorts. Only exception I've made is for Gaddis's The Recognitions, since that one was written by Gass.

>>8933326
You should read philosophy, but never under any circumstances ever take a class in it.

No fucking way, to really understand an author's work you have to study their historical and personal context beforehand.

>>8933368
why is hegel special

>>8933427
Why not? I was thinking about taking a philosophy course even though it's not really related to my major. I only want to take it because I'm interested.

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>>8933481
>Look at me guys, I get Kafka!
You don't.

>>8933513
Just buy the books by the authors you want to read then. Having some fucking weirdo nobody telling you what shit means is bullshit. Just read what you want and form your own ideas about it. Seriously don't waste time with any courses like that. I regret taking even the single philosophy course that I did.

SKIP ALL INTRODUCTIONS.

There are many philosophy books with introductions which do not understand the text at all. Do not read anything besides what the author himself wrote.

>>8933522
Seconding this.
Not only is it better to get your own interpretation, but often enough the people who do introductions fuck up.
I went through that with Pessoa's Book of Disquiet and the introduction in it. Protip: The fragment about how stuff he feels he has just learned he has really known about for a long time is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT TO GET. Desu.

>>8933529
what about Cambridge Companions a d similar books?

>>8933326
Yeah and I do.

>>8933513
>>8933522
>>8933537
Strongly disagree. If you have someone decent teaching your class, it can be very helpful to have someone else's hand in your education. There are many philosophers I would never have touched that I was forced to read. It wasn't a particularly enjoyable experience, but it forced me to "eat my veggies" so to speak and my thought is a lot better for it. It has sometimes also turned me on to thinkers that I actually do enjoy.

But yeah, there is the possibility you get some banal motherfucker where you don't learn anything and it is boring. Just read the professor reviews and try to choose wisely.

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>>8933522
>I can understand complex texts better than people whose job it is to do so

>>8933669
I'm not arguing that. I just think it would be a better idea to read what you want to and draw your own conclusions solo.