Best way to start philosophy?

Where should I start with philosophy?

The Best Philosophy Books for Beginners

  • Plato: Five Dialogues by Plato.
  • The Emperor’s New Mind by Roger Penrose.
  • Mengzi: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries translated by Bryan W. …
  • Meno by Plato.
  • Republic by Plato.
  • Discourse on Method by Rene Descartes.
  • Symposium by Plato.
  • The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.

What do you study first in philosophy?

Introductory Courses



One might begin in philosophy either with a general introduction or with an introduction to a subfield, such as ethics, logic, philosophy of religion, or philosophy of art.

Can I self teach myself philosophy?

(the long answer) Yes. You can learn philosophy on your own. Just like you can learn biology, programming, and calculus to name a few. Things tend to be on a continuum of difficulty for self-learning and it varies by individuals.

How do you introduce philosophy?

In general, it means love of wisdom. Philosophy is a broad field of knowledge in which the definition of knowledge itself is one of the subjects investigated. It spans the nature of the universe, the mind, and the body; the relationships between all three, and between people.

Which philosopher should I start with?

When people ask where they ought to begin in reading philosophy I always suggest starting with Plato. And given how important his teacher, Socrates, was in Plato’s own philosophical development, why not begin with these dialogues that set out the drama of Socrates’ trial, conviction, imprisonment, and execution?

What age should you start reading philosophy?

This book would make a great gift for teachers, students and anyone interested in some of the big eternal questions. I would recommend it for ages 12+ given its clear writing style that illuminates and contextualises some of the most important ideas in philosophy.

Is learning philosophy hard?

Readings for philosophy courses are generally not long, but they are difficult and challenging. You cannot expect to go through an assigned reading once and have an adequate grasp of it. Some students seem to thrive on the painstaking study required, while others simply don’t have the patience for it.

How long does it take to learn philosophy?

Generally speaking, it takes about four years to earn a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, two years to earn a master’s degree and six to eight years to earn a doctorate.

Does studying philosophy make you smarter?

A study of philosophy will help you develop critical thinking skills. It will encourage you to understand the constraints you operate within when you make certain choices or even when you decide which goals you should pursue. You will be able to think intelligently of how you live and why you live that way.

Which philosopher is easiest to read?

10 easy & must-read Philosophy Books

  • Apology of Socrates by Plato.
  • Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle.
  • The discourse on method by Descartes.
  • Candide or Optimism by Voltaire.
  • Beyond good and evil by Nietzsche.
  • Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky.
  • The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Kundera.

Is Plato hard reading?

Plato’s books are in dialogues and actually are in a sense very poetic. Plato was one of the best writers (in a sense artist) that ever existed. It is easy to start reading Plato due to this format and know the basic concepts. Once you get into it, going to Aristotle, his difficulty will not be discouraging.

How do I start Nietzsche?

Other works by nietzsche are optional but recommended daybreak for example offers a good introduction. But keep in mind nietzsche's ideas hadn't been fully developed at the point of writing it.

Why can’t I understand Nietzsche?

Because of two reasons, because he wrote philosophy and because philosophy is hard, neither of which obviously has anything to do with him of course as some others here may have you believe (they are just the usual complainers, the kind that you will encounter about every difficult discipline, and the set which …

Can I read Nietzsche as a beginner?

With Nietzsche, you could start with his first book, The Birth of Tragedy. This is both informative and readable (and short), and gives an insight into his entire project. Then you could cut to his late little books Ecce Homo and The Antichrist.

Was Nietzsche a nihilist?

Summary. Nietzsche is a self-professed nihilist, although, if we are to believe him, it took him until 1887 to admit it (he makes the admission in a Nachlass note from that year). No philosopher’s nihilism is more radical than Nietzsche’s and only Kierkegaard’s and Sartre’s are as radical.

Is the Joker a nihilist?

Joker has a unique character and he is different from other villains in movies. While they committed crime based on personal revenge, economic fulfillment, Joker does it his own way. He does not obey rules, laws, or even morals. Based on those ideas, the writer includes Joker as a nihilist.

Who were famous nihilists?

While few philosophers would claim to be nihilists, nihilism is most often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche who argued that its corrosive effects would eventually destroy all moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions and precipitate the greatest crisis in human history.

What does Amor Fati means?

love of fate

Definition of amor fati



: love of fate : the welcoming of all life’s experiences as good.

What did Nietzsche believe?

In his works, Nietzsche questioned the basis of good and evil. He believed that heaven was an unreal place or “the world of ideas”. His ideas of atheism were demonstrated in works such as “God is dead”. He argued that the development of science and emergence of a secular world were leading to the death of Christianity.

What is good Nietzsche quote?

To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering. He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.

What is Nietzsche Superman theory?

Nietzsche’s concept of the superman represents the highest principle of development of humanity. It designates the affirmation of man’s full potentiality and creativity. It is the affirmation of one’s fate whether pleasurable or painful. This means saying yes to life and not no to life’s challenges.

What religion was Nietzsche?

And while many simply regard Nietzsche as an atheist, Young does not view Nietzsche as a non-believer, radical individualist, or immoralist, but as a nineteenth-century religious reformer belonging to a German Volkish tradition of conservative com- munitarianism.

How do I become Übermensch?

To become the Übermensch, one must transcend the established morals and prejudices of human society to define their own purpose and values in life. Most of the townspeople ignore Zarathustra, making him dismayed that most humans are becoming content with mediocrity and simple pleasures while avoiding anything extreme.