On Reading Philosophy
The following is abstracted from Mark B. Woodhouse's A Preface to Philosophy. It consists of a set of points to consider and questions to ask when engaging a philosophical work.
1. Give yourself plenty of time. In reading works of philosophy it takes time to go beyond the words to penetrate to the ideas themselves. For our first reading assignment, Book I of Plato's Republic, about 30 pages, you should set aside at least 2 and maybe 3 one-hour segments. You should get more efficient as you proceed in this course . . .
2. Keep the momentum going; i.e. read a little philosophy each day rather than once every three or four days, trying to cram all of it in the night before the class. While important to consider for all subjects such a habit is especially important for philosophy because of its unusual and more difficult nature.
3. Keep a good dictionary handy as well as a glossary of philosophical terms.
4. Keep personally removed from the material you are reading. Keep in mind that you are not entering a private debate to be won or lost; oftentimes you are looking for the truth or the closest thing to it.
5. Read for understanding.
a. Develop a preliminary understanding (read summaries, take note of instructor tips, etc.)
b. Employ the principle of charity. Don`t erect straw men; don`t jump to hasty conclusions about the author's intention. Take responsibility for your not understanding what you are reading!
c. Read actively: Summarize in your own words, make connections to your experience, relate passages to relevant ideas, ask questions, journalize!
d. Read critically after understanding the selection (which may require several readings).
1.) are the main points clear?
2.) are they supported with plausible reasons?
3.) are there weaknesses which the author may not have considered, such as faulty assumptions?
4.) how close does the work come to doing what it sets out to do?
5.) can you support your criticisms of the work with good reasons?
6.) Etcetera
e. Etcetera
6. Etcetera
Notes: