Question As I am taking Philosophy at higher level and the specified approach focused on doing philosophy...what would you suggest about reading to get an understanding of philosophy as a discipline. What does it mean to study philosophy? Am I suppose to start with a question/concept?

Accepted:
June 7, 2012

Comments

Terrific question(s). You may indeed begin studying philosophy with questions. Kant once observed that there were three foundational questions: what can I know? What should I do? What may I hope for? But you can expand these to include: who or what am I? What is the meaning of life? What is the best form of government? Do I have duties of gratitude to my parents? When (if ever) is it justified to go to war? and so on. And if we follow the practice of Aristotle, one good way to begin reflecting on these questions is first to consider how others have tried to answer such questions, and then begin working out which answer you are drawn to and why. Probably the best historian of philosophy by a living philosopher is Anthony Kenney. You can do a search on Amazon for either his single volume history of philosophy or his multi-volume undertaking. If you would prefer not to undertake an historical approach, an easy introduction to the practice of philosophy is T.V. Morris's Philosophy for Dummies. I am sorry that it has such a silly (and slightly insulting) title, but it is a good read, clear, and reliable. As I believe philosophy is best done in dialogue with others, I suggest you might find a friend who is also interested in philosophy and perhaps work out a series of conversations on different topics. The publisher Rowman and Littlefield has published a series of dialogues in philosophy under the general editor Dale Jacquette. You might pick up one or more of them on topics of interest to get a feel for how an engaging philosophical dialogue can be both fun and insightful.