Topics Education

Question I am a philosophy graduate who has been 'out of the game' for about 3 years now. During this time I have not read much philosophy, and what little I have seems to be forgotten as soon as a couple of days later. I was wondering if any of you might recommend any techniques or reading material that might get me back into the philosophical way of thinking, with a view to renewing my interest and bringing back my intellectual confidence. Thanks.

Accepted:
March 13, 2006

Comments

I feel your pain: I seem to lose any philosophical knowledge or acumen I might have had when I'm "out of the game" for more than a week. I'm inclined to think this is because the human mind (or at least the normal human mind) wasn't evolved to engage abstract issues and subtle dialectic with the duration and intensity required for philosophical investigation of any lasting quality. (My memory is particularly ill-suited--I remember philosphers' names much more readily than their doctrines.) Philosophical thinking seems a by-product of more evolutionarily pressing cognitive skills like causal reasoning, hypothesis formation, folk-psychological explanation, decision making, negotiation, and so on. And unlike, say, musical ability, philosophical ability seems, alas, only to be a disadvantage in sexual selection.

I find that re-reading things that particularly engaged me in the past (even my own writing) can get me back into philosophy, and remind me that I've retained a lot more ability, knowledge, and passion than it might have seemed. And for new readings you might look at almost any topic that seems interesting in the on-line sources listed to the right. By far the best cure, however, is to have a philosphical discussion...at least it is for more. Is there are seminar, reading group, or lecture series near you? If you're ever in Amherst I'll have lunch with you.

Philosophy is my profession, but even I find picking up and just reading a piece of philosophy outside of my area of expertise plain difficult. Part of the reason for this, I think, is that philosophy emerges best, for me, at least, in conversation and spirited collaborative reflection. Thus, Joe Moore's suggestion of finding a reading group is a fine one. That can be difficult, though, and without a structure academic context (like a graduate program) to infuse life into the group, they often fizzle out or attract people of widely different skills, interest, and background.

Another tack is not to read philosophy to get back into a philosophical mode of thinking. There is much great literature that is philosophically sophisticated and provocative. My favorites are the short stories of Jorge Borges, a great Argentinean writer of the 20th century (available on-line). Try, for instance, "The Library of Babel," which evokes a wealth of metaphysical and epistemological themes. Another is "Funes the Memorious," about a boy who develops perfect recollection after an accident. Alas, he seems incapable of abstract thought. These are more philosophy of mind and cognitive science topics.