Become a Western Philosophy Guru

Want to impress yourself with lots of fancy terms and basic philosophy? Great, this is not the place for you. If you have an interest in truly understanding Modern (Western) Philosophy, its impact on current society both psychologically and economically, this may be this place for you. After completing the following steps you will undoubtedly have a more intellectual basis than 98% of your peers. In between each step, you will likely begin philosophizing yourself!

Steps

  1. Track down the Meditations by Descartes. Descartes was considered the father of Modern Philosophy. He rationalized and defined the precepts of what can be considered true.
  2. Purchase a copy of Bertrand Russell's, "A History of Western Philosophy" and Will Durant's, The Story of Philosophy and read them cover-to-cover. The specific purpose of these books is to give you a spectrum / timeline and introduction to significant philosophers and how each of them fit in with one another, what was going on in the events and thoughts of their time and of course the basic premise of each of their philosophies and major works on the human mind, politics, economics, morals and ethics.
  3. Read Plato. It is arguable which of Plato's dialogs are most important, and after you have read Russell or Durant you'll have an idea which ones you want to read. Yet any such list must include Euthyphro, Apology of Socrates and Crito. It is hard to find an idea in philosophy that is not traceable back to Plato. As such, you do yourself a disservice to not start your readings with the father of philosophy. Similarly, you should not neglect his greatest pupil, Aristotle, whose Nicomachean Ethics stands at the head of all Ethics, and whose Metaphysics stand at the head of all Metaphysics.
  4. After reading the above (without skipping ahead) Next, find a copy of 17th Century Philosopher John Locke's A Letter Concerning Toleration, A Second Letter Concerning Toleration, A Third Letter for Toleration, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Two Treaties of Government. The first and the second to last of these works are considered to be the most important works by John Locke by most. You will gain an insight into understanding and interpretation theories by sensations and a "perfect knowledge" or instinct. note: Thomas Jefferson was heavily influenced by John Locke's ideas and works.
  5. After you've swallowed that pill you'll need to move onto 18th Century Philosopher David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, An Enquiry Concerning The Principles of Morals, and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. There are other great works by David Hume but the three above are typically considered his most significant. David Hume and John Locke go hand-in-hand with one another.
  6. So much reading, let's add another. It's said when reading about the philosophy of the 17th Century excommunicated Jew, Spinoza you do not read his works, but instead you read about his life. Though there may be a great degree of accuracy in that statement you will need to read the significant work The Ethics. This read should be done slowly and carefully, allowing you to take in the full concepts of his work. You will gain a greater basis on religious views and begin to understand the concept of the natural God that can only work within it's nature. You will also see how philosophy and mathematics are so intertwined. You will learn how to read Spinoza correctly after completing this step.
  7. [Voltaire] is your next philosopher to read on. It is said he had written 99 volumes in his 84-years, not counting his plays, letters and other works. Luckily you don't have to read them all! Start by reading up on Voltaire. There are hundreds of books you will find on him, his exile, his return to France, his followers and the belief that the "devil was in him."
  8. Next you will venture into the complex world of the German Philosopher Kant who virtually owned the 19th century and is considered more influential than even Friedrich Nietzsche. What do you mean Kant mathematically proved that a higher entity must exist? Using both David Hume and John Locke's works in the highest degree against them to prove his theories, this 5'0" tall little man upset and mangled the mathematical and philosophic followers of his era.
  9. Now you're ready to get into 20th century philosophy which can be of either the Continental or Analytical variety. This split represents a polarization of philosophy in the wake of Skepticism and Kant's Transcendentalism. Continental Philosophers: Friedrich Nietzsche, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" and "Beyond Good and Evil". Søren Kierkegaard, "Either/Or" and "The Sickness Unto Death". Edmund Husserl, father of phenomenology, especially "Philosophical Investigations" or "The Idea of Phenomenology". Martin Heidegger, specifically his magnum opus Being and Time which asks What is being, or what does it mean to be? Jean-Paul Sartre, the father of existentialism, a philosophical system expounded in his Being and Nothingness. Jacques Derrida, especially Of Grammatology. Analytic Philosophers: Bertrand Russell is one of the big players here. Ludwig Wittgenstein's "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus". W.V.O Quine "Two Dogmas of Empiricism" and "Word and Object".

Tips

  • Philosophy is the study and exploration of aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, morals, logic, political theory, ontology and metaphysics.
  • The term philosophy comes from the Greek word Φιλοσοφία (philo-sophia), which means "love of wisdom."
  • You may be able to easily find a compilation of most of the philosophers' works at a major bookstore. You may also easily find many of these works online for free.

Warnings

  • This is a hell of a lot of reading! For a fast reader, it's probably a year's worth of literature. Slower readers will need even more patience, but will be greatly rewarded with a deep understanding of philosophy.

Things You'll Need

  • Setup a time-line. Define approximately how quickly you believe you can absorb/read and the amount of time available. Set limits to how much time you spend on one philosopher/writing piece so you are not bogged down if you are stuck, but are also keeping up pace to retain and expand your new found knowledge.

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Sources and Citations

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