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Ten Easy Tips for Reading Philosophy Texts
25 March 2013 Culture
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Philosophy 7
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Philosophy texts involve a certain kind of gravity Philosophy texts involve a certain kind of gravity. Reading Aristotle, Kant or Descartes is not easy,
never mind tackling Heidegger or Hegel. The problem perhaps is that our understanding is used to our understanding is used to
more practical or technical discourses, and we tend to forget that theoretical forms of more practical or technical discourses, and we tend to forget that theoretical forms of
thought are different thought are different. And yet this type of reflection is still important. Without it we would be unable to
discuss subjects such as ecology ecology, social responsibility social responsibility, technol ogy technol ogy or empathy empathy. We would not
understand essential texts on economics economics, sociology sociology or politics politics. Nor would we be able to read certain
articles in Le Monde, The New Yorker or El Pas. Here are my suggestions on how to approach a philosophy
text:
A previous awareness of what you are about to read previous awareness of what you are about to read never goes amiss. The philosophical warm-up
begins with the knowledge that reflections on the world and its meaning follow a different logic to other
types of reasoning.
Another form of preparation is to ask yourself some specific questions about what youre going to ask yourself some specific questions about what youre going to
find find, or else discuss the subject with someone else who may have read something about it. Playing at
posing philosophical questions and their answers can be fun. Provided, of course, that you dont forget the
point of the exercise.
You need to choose the right time and the right attitude the right time and the right attitude. Those lonely nights are not necessarily a
friend to philosophy (although Descartes Descartes might beg to disagree). You need a degree of lucidity which
allows you to concentrate. You might also need -although not always- a good lamp, a pencil and a cup of
coffee.
You should also be fully aware that this is not the same type of fun as reading a comic be fully aware that this is not the same type of fun as reading a comic, a novel or
a news item. A love of theoretical reading has to do with the quest for precision, the logic of the texts, and
the discovery of new information about reality.
It is a good idea to go to the l ist of contents to go to the l ist of contents, as this in most cases will show you the path that has
been followed, and that the author of the work is inviting you to travel. A helpful step when you have a
philosophy text in your hands is to pl ace it in its context to pl ace it in its context. This can be done by asking yourself a series of
questions, like when was it written? Who wrote it? Was the author part of a movement or was he involved in
a particular debate? This context can be found by consulting a philosophy philosophy dictionary or a good
encyclopedia. The summary usually found on the flyleaf or cover of many of these works is often very
useful.
On the matter of vocabulary vocabulary, you should be forewarned. I say this because the style of expression can
change enormously from one author to another. The history of the term matter has undergone major
variations from Democritus Democritus to Hegel Hegel. Once again, philosophy dictionaries are a great help.
Language is important Language is important too. The German used by Kant Kant in 1754 is very different to the German used by
Heidegger Heidegger in 1935. We should always recall the Italian adage traduttore traditore and try and tackle the
original text. And if this is not possible, remember some of the keywords used by the author that are
untranslatable, such as the pre-Socratic arj, the Thomist esse, Heideggers Dasein, the Weltanschauung of
Dilthey Dilthey, the impressions of Hume Hume, the Cartesian cogito or the falsificationism of Popper Popper.
Reading over and over again in an attempt to memorize everything is difficult in a subject with a theoretical
slant. It is better to take notes as you go better to take notes as you go. And if youre lucky and the book is yours, you can write in the
margins as a guide to your reading, or else underline some key paragraphs.
Creating thought maps and linking the authors together Creating thought maps and linking the authors together with time lines is a good support. This type
of diagrams are intended to show the relationships between concepts, authors or developments in the form
of a chart.
Al though you may occasional l y find something difficul t to understand, its often a good idea Al though you may occasional l y find something difficul t to understand, its often a good idea
simply to carry on. simply to carry on. The insistence on a perfect understanding can in some cases cause you to become
blocked, and is not recommended. Reading an impenetrable paragraph over and over again is liable to make
your head spin and cause you to lose your reading pace reading pace. Its better to press on even though not
everything is completely clear, as an overall view may shed more light on the concepts. Its also possible that
the complication is not in you, but inherent in the text itself. You can then go back to some of the most
complicated paragraphs. Not everything in philosophy can be understood, but that doesnt mean that you
cant understand something about philosophy. The aim is to follow the path of the wise man who was aware
of how little he knew.

ngel Prez Martnez ngel Prez Martnez
Research Professor, University of the Pacific, Lima (Peru)
Culture
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7 Comments to Ten Easy Tips for Reading Philosophy Texts
Pingback: Diez consejos fciles para leer textos filosficos | Esencia AnIsGOtt Creativo
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2 May, 2014 at 17:32
jacqueline
mantener despierto los sentidos es la clave, la mejor filosofa
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21 May, 2013 at 12:53
jjmartin.roda
A veces es bueno volver a lo bsico para seguir avanzando.
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24 April, 2013 at 9:30
u341132
Es muy interesante. Creo que conviene acercar la filosofa a la calle, que como deca Epicuro nunca se es
demasiado joven o demasiado viejo para filosofar, como no lo es para ser feliz.
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21 May, 2013 at 16:38
ngel Prez Martnez
Creo que la filosofa puede asistir a las personas en sus reflexiones cotidianas. A veces los filsofos
hemos tendido a complicarla.
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23 April, 2013 at 21:57
Beatriz Garcia
Excelentes consejos para los bsicos y lo ms profundo de las reflexiones!!!
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21 May, 2013 at 16:21
ngel Prez Martnez
Gracias por el amable comentario
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