Indrouction to Philosophy

[wmc1982]

Just thought I would share a link with all of you that has helped me get a decent introduction to Philosophy.

I haven't started studying Philosophy until recently and this is one of the best sources I have found online so far.

Here is the link to the series on the
Introduction to Philosophy

http://www.hyperboreans.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=10&sid=50e61cdaef6955b9c812ca5ed92aee47

Into to Philosophers

http://www.hyperboreans.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=15

 

[mnbvcxz87]

Hi wmc, thanks for the post and info.

A couple things I'd suggest. I really don't think that a study of philosophy has to be so methodical infact I'd say it shouldn't be.

The way way to study it I would say is to stidy schools of philosophical thought, and philosophers, and then think about the world in your own way. The best thinking can and should be in your head, but of course knowledge of theologies and philosophies is always good.

 

[wmc1982]

Hi wmc, thanks for the post and info.

A couple things I'd suggest. I really don't think that a study of philosophy has to be so methodical infact I'd say it shouldn't be.

The way way to study it I would say is to stidy schools of philosophical thought, and philosophers, and then think about the world in your own way. The best thinking can and should be in your head, but of course knowledge of theologies and philosophies is always good.

what are some different schools of philosophical thought?

 

[mnbvcxz87]

Well there's been a long history of philosophy, there is the three greeks we all know and their ideas, which was influenced by a german philosopher (whose name I forget). There's eastern theologies and ideas which are interesting, from india and china. The western religions are philosophies in a sense, there is the pantheism school of thought, humanism, the idea of discovering the true nature of the soul which is a key idea in eastern philosophies as well as the kaballah.

taoism
jainism
buddhism
kaballah
pantheism
humanism
figmentalism
karma and reincarnation

 

[MoonlessNight]

which was influenced by a german philosopher (whose name I forget).

Do you mean, which influenced a german?

Here's some names to pick from:

Gottfried Leibniz
Georg Hegel
Immanuel Kant
Friedrich Nietzsche
Arthur Schopenhauer

Those are the names that come to mind for me first when thinking of German philosophers, and I'm pretty sure that they were all familiar with "the three Greeks" as you call them.

 

[The Nihilist]

There's no really right way to study philosophy, although there are lots of bad ones. If you have no prior experience with the field, let me suggest some introductory or companion books, though I know of none. If you're serious about philosophy, read someone with whom you know will you disagree. If you're a Christian, read Nietzsche, and if you're not then I guess read someone else. But take them seriously and figure out why it is they think what they think. That is to say, pay more attention to the arguments than you do to the conclusions. What are the premises, and how does the reasoning work? If you want to be a philosopher instead of a mere dogmatist, this is where you must begin.
Oh, and read Descartes. Every single introduction to philosophy includes Descartes for some reason.
In the west, eastern philosophies are not studied in the academy by philosophers, at least not primarily, but by religious scholars, so I'm not certain whether that is the topic at hand.

 

[MoonlessNight]

Hume would also be a good choice for a Christian who wants someone to disagree with. I consider him more straightforward and less fun than Nietzsche, so it kind of depends on your tastes, though I do agree that you should look at opposing viewpoints.

Most introductions to philosophy will cover Plato's Republic and it's not a bad idea to read it. It has to be one of the influential books out there, at least in the Western world. As you study other (western) philosophers it will become apparant that a great deal of them are working with concepts that had their germination within that book. In some cases it is a clear relationship (for example, Aristotle's theory of morality is clearly derived from the first treatment Plato gives to morality), and other times it will be more of a vague feeling of influence (for example, some of Nietzsche's writings remind me of Plato's treatment of politics, particularly his notes that in a democracy the poor overthrow the rich).

I guess the place to start for eastern philosophies would probably be Confucius. Confuciusism certainly influenced practically every philosophy to arise afterwards in China and Japan.

 

[SarcasmDispenser]

Well there's been a long history of philosophy, there is the three greeks we all know and their ideas

Read more than just Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. There is a lot of richness in Greek philosophy... dig deeper.

 

[The Nihilist]

SarcasmDispenser is right. Learn about three sentences each on the preSocratics, and learn the basic outline, at least, on the Epicureans, the Stoics, and the Skeptics. You should pay particular attention to Stoicism, because it's pretty similar to the way Jesus commanded his followers to live.

 

[Danhalen]

My intro to philosophy course was horrible. We spent almost the entire course on Plato's The Last Days of Socrates. Then we spent the last two weeks on Neitszche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra. We only got up to section 6 in Zarathustra.

Anyway, I would suggest a broad range of topics for the beginner. I would not specifically suggest groups of philosophers and time frames of major importance in philosophy. I would suggest starting by reading up on the types of philosophy, and then moving out from there. The starting point of where to begin is difficult. Perhaps ethics, since it encompasses such a huge field of philosophies, is the best place to start. From there, move on to epistemology and metaphysics. Logic would is a good contender for the starting point too. I don't know for sure, but I intend to find out. I plan on becoming a philosophy professor some day.

 

[The Nihilist]

Ok, here it is. A History of Western Philosophy is the name of the series. It's pretty readable. Learn about, in this order, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Liebnitz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel. Just develop a cursory understanding at first. This will give you a good, broad understanding of what goes on in modern philosophy. It fractures after that, so do your best.
The reason you don't want to cover this field by field is that no one of the guys I've listed, except for maybe Kant, really divides up this way. The ethics depends on the metaphysics, and if you try to break them down, the arguments will be completely lost and you won't learn anything.
That being said, once you have a fair background, dealing with individual fields is a good idea, and that's the way it is generally handled.
DanHalen, you poor guy, change your plans. There are about twice as many people seeking a job as can find a job in academic philosophy, and of those jobs, only half of those are tenure track. Check out the Leiter report at www.philosophicalgourmet.com if you really want to know what you're chances are.

 

[morningstar2651]

Just thought I would share a link with all of you that has helped me get a decent introduction to Philosophy.

I haven't started studying Philosophy until recently and this is one of the best sources I have found online so far.

Here is the link to the series on the
Introduction to Philosophy

http://www.hyperboreans.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=10&sid=50e61cdaef6955b9c812ca5ed92aee47

Into to Philosophers

http://www.hyperboreans.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=15

Right now I'm studying the writings of Aristotle. So far I find that I agree more with Aristotle than I do with Plato. I still need to read more of Plato as well as Socrates and Xenocrates. I'm working my way through the ancient world to the modern to understand what inspired each notable philosopher. For example, what inspired Aristotle break from Plato?