How to Read Philosophy (for Beginners)

In this video, I give you some tips on how to read philosophy. I talk about what to look for as you're reading, how to take notes, and the varieties of reading.

Reading philosophy is immensely valuable. But some people find diving into the great works of philosophy to be difficult or intimidating. Let's fix that.

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[Mietzscheh]

I am someone who decided to go to college in their 30s, with no skill set to prepare me for the challenges of majoring in philosophy. From me and the other people I have met in the same situation, thank you so much Jared; you are a gem.

[Sunshinysky]

New reader of philosophy here at 64 years old. Thank you Jared, this was very helpful.

[etrain]

I have very little interest in philosophy, but I have a deep appreciation for thoughtful and insightful content. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. Keep doing what you’re doing, Jared!

[naberyoutube]

As a Turk living in Gaziantep, one of the cities that was affected by the earthquake, thank you for your thoughts and thanks to everyone donating. Although it's been a long time since the quake, I've never seen a youtuber do this for us. Liked and subscribed❤

[Christian_from_Copenhagen]

Having looked at similar videos years before taking philosophy courses in university, I can honestly say that having a curriculum, deadlines and lectures to attend got me through the history of philosophy better than I ever could have on my own.

[TheActiveMind]

Love your clarification between engaged reading versus purely understanding! It's important to reflect on your purpose for reading each book and defining what you hope to get out of it. This will help direct your process of note-taking, analyzing, and the act of reading itself

[BrandonsBookshelf]

Preach! Nothing more important than the re-read. Love what you said about points of confusion. That is not the place to just say eh, and skip over. Dig in! Great video, friend!

[christianwittmann]

Having read Descartes's meditations even years before I went to university (aged 37), I took a proseminar on it. I did not understand a single thing in the text, although I read it a few times. Reading slowly, closely, and over a long period trained me to "look closely" at other things in life, too. Almost nothing appears in its original way in life. Slowing myself down, and going deep into something, an essential tool in philosophy, is worth so much in all life topics. I recommend everybody to go into philosophy, not necessarily in an academic way just by reading something from the old guys.

[mettapollweaxd]

Your tips really are helpful! I’m looking forward to studying philosophy in my next academic year, since it’s the first time I can take it as another school subject. I’m more than happy to admit that I’ve been introduced to it with the most excellent tools out there. Thank you so much for it, and please keep uploading interesting content!

[certinho]

I love this. I'm actually reading "How To Read A Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading, " by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren.
These two great men were proponents of classical learning of the Liberal Arts!
This video sounds pretty much the same thing they are talking about!
I became aware of this book because Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, President of Zaytuna College, gave a lecture about this topic several years ago and it was on my booklist as I endeavor to become a better reader, even as a college graduate.
Zaytuna College is the First (accredited)Muslim Liberal Arts College in America. Were the 'Great Books' tradition of the West and the Islamic tradition are engaged and mastered.

[paul_anthony_cameron]

Hi Jared, new subscriber here. Great video. I see a number of comparisons here with Mortimer J. Adler's work "How to Read a Book", and it works quite well for people wanting to find a way into more difficult texts. Over the years I have tried to obtain a self taught classical education (my background is in Theoretical Physics) but philosophy was always left in the background as I always felt that I could finish a larger number of other books in the time it takes to finish the one work. As I get older, I'm finding that quality is more important than quantity, and I think this video just tipped that balance. I have a complete collection of "The Great Books of the Western World" by Adler (as a Philosopher, you may appreciate the selections), and Plato's Dialogues will be my door into your world; I can't wait!

[jenellegloria]

I am researching disciplinary literacies for a project so I googled "how to read philosophy" to see what come up, how cool to see you as the FIRST google result when searching that question! I had no clue you had a YouTube! And what production quality, wow!

[smkh]

Reading 'about' philosophy, or the history of philosophy is one thing. 'Doing' philosophy, actually thinking about things, is another. As much as i have read in books and watched in videos about thinkers and their statements, I still don't have the cutting edge skills to do it myself.

[jchong]

I really had a hard time reading philosophy but looking forward in understanding it. Thanks for this kinds of content ❤

[domingo-osabel]

Here's my main takeaway: Reading philosophy is doing philosophy itself. Thank you for this great content! As I'm watching, I thought to myself (who wants to take a Degree in Philosophy) the question: Is it necessary for me to have a degree in philosophy in order to read philosophical books? Thank you in advance for the answers. It means a lot.

[mr_mr]

Thank you so much. I didn't study philosophy back in school, but I've begun now and you've been a huge part of this effort.

[Alberts_Stuff]

Omg this video is AMAZING! Insta sub!
I'm a complete noob to philosophy and have recently at aged 50 to take on A level philosophy.
I've never been an academic because of poor mental health, but stoicism seems to have grounded me and prepared me to take on more. I accidentally found the 2 types of reading on my own (yay me 😊)
Read it first to get the gist and maybe some key points highlighted. Then read again the following day but much deeper. Looking forward to seeing your back catalogue of content!
Many thanks! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[incepted]

I started reading philosophy about 6 months ago (fully by myself) and already use sole of ur tips. Thanks a lot for the new ones!

[shubhranilnag]

As a beginner reader of philosophy, the primary issue that i stumble upon is being convinced by every other philosophical text, while reading more and more gives you a sense of where and how the arguments might fail and point out fallacies, but for a beginner it is difficult. Any tips?

[dungeonmastershock]

5:00 (personal use lol)
Points of Importance
Points of Confusion
Points of Connection