I would say, if you can afford it, go to school. The professionals can provide very good direction. Start with an introductory course, and follow where your interest leads you.

Hello and welcome to the forum, mate.

Philosophy is complex and wide. Are you interested in some notions of philosophy or something more specific? 

Reading philosophy books is important, but don't be shy to start a thread here on what you want to discuss or learn. Dreamlike, hallucination, art, our mind and the world, etc., always interested me and I learnt a lot asking questions here.

There is also a 'currently reading' thread where you can ask for book recommendations.

The book "Sophie's World" is a good starting place. I recently picked up "Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...", which is a bunch of introductory snippets on various parts of philosophy but illustrated with jokes.

Both of these give you a taste of various topics without having to do too much work. I think it would be a good idea for you to find out something you're interested in in it so that you know what you read next. At least gives you some key terms to google.

Welcome to the forums! For beginners I don't recommend going to school, use the internet to do that!

Here's a 30 minute summary of philosophy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5i2y5w8Dzc

Here's a friendly digest which gives a more fun overview that dives a little deeper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2zElslG_tE&list=PLybg94GvOJ9FIZxEevSANiCk5O9l_rYWK

Want something more serious? Here's an online history of philosophy series of lectures for free from Arthur Holmes at Wheton College
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yat0ZKduW18&list=PL9GwT4_YRZdBf9nIUHs0zjrnUVl-KBNSM

Want to just browse topics like 'Aristotle, moralty, or epistemology?' Use the Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/contents.html

And of course, feel free to browse the forums and start topic like, "Can I taste the color green?" :) Have fun learning!

One thing unmentioned that I really like is the "A Very Short Introduction" series of books, as well as the "Introducing" series for similar reasons: They are easy to read and you get a fairly good all-around picture on the subject from someone whose taught it, but in comic book form. What's not to like?! :D

They write them on a number of philosophical, and sometimes other, subjects so I'll just post a link to one of each so you know what to look for if you're interested.

Introducing Descartes
Logic: A Very Short Introduction

Write. Let questions come out. Try to answer them as best you can.

People often suggest starting with Plato too. There is a good reason for that. The Republic is a pretty solid piece of work that covers a variety of topics AND it is also important to understand the historical context and learn something of ancient history so as not to be dismissive.

I've also heard people suggesting Hume as he wrote in English.

If you have literally no idea I honestly think writing and having a 'discussion' on paper with yourself. Maybe just start by asking "Why am I interested in Philosophy?" and then just write and write and write. Undoubtedly some interesting thoughts and ideas will pop up, then you just have to follow them with other questions.

Doing that for a few months will give you some grounding in your own thoughts before sullying them with those of others. Plus, it will allow you to better choose from the other suggestions offered probably.

Anyway, have fun and suffer ;)

Plenty of reading and good advice already.

But here is a handy free online crib sheet to use whenever you come across a name or a term that you are not familiar with. Philosophers love to name drop and use latin jargon so as to sound smart when they talk their nonsense. You don't want a treatise on every name, just a quick outline of who or what and when.

http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/index.htm

There's other stuff there too - a timeline some stuff on logic, some history, etc but the dictionary is what will be most useful probably. Not to read wholesale, but to lookup this and that while you cruise here or elsewhere..

It seems I am a little late to the party, and people have already recommended books and articles and such. I do have something original to offer, however - my own process of learning and approaching philosophy while possessing a working internet connection and a relatively thick skin. A heuristic of sorts.

Hello, I'm a person who's interested to start studying philosophy but I don't really know where to start. I discovered Philososphy through the YouTube channel called "Unsolicited Advice".... I think that's the name. — AlienVareient

That guy is great. His video on The Fall triggered an existential crisis in me that still hasn't, and may never, resolve. Yet I feel (somewhat?) content to exist somewhat uncertain of my values for now. That sort of process as a miniature schematic in which one becomes uncertain of one's self or one's convictions and then reaffirms certain fundaments through argument is often typical of my interactions with people and their ideas on this forum. Or, at least, that is what it is like when it is exciting. As for posting OPs: have an original idea, do a lot of reading and writing, keep thinking and writing until you have something of worth, and then post it. This recursion does not change too much across the study of different subtopics in philosophy I find.

As for reading articles and such on the internet, I suggest embodying the sponge when focusing on any given topic at first and just sucking up knowledge from reliable sources. Apply your bristly side once you have a grasp of the subtopic of philosophy you are interested in by creating an OP, but you really want to make sure you are prepared to defend it, as people on this forum love to argue and bicker, and sometimes are downright acrimonious. Especially when you insult their short fiction.

That's it, really. Just don't get angry when people try to "score" cheap points or be intimidated when they drop names or historical events they likely learned about through dialogue with a chat bot.

Just looking for some tips and suggestions. Answers appreciated : ) — AlienVareient

Get out while you still can. :wink:

There's really only one way to get into philosophy in a serious way and that is a university library and following your interest through as many philosophy books as possible as well as related subjects.

Depending on where you live this maybe a more or less difficult task, may require negotiating with the librarians and other administrators if you're not associated with the university in anyway, may require being persistent, in which case local public libraries, used book stores etc. may have a few books.

But there's really no substitution for a university library and once you get to the philosophy section in such a library you'll understand what I mean.

There's no substituting reading the source material. Other material about this source material is complimentary, but not a substitute.

History of philosophy without any gaps is a pretty great and pretty comprehensive free introduction however.

I'm a person who's interested to start studying philosophy but I don't really know where to start. — AlienVareient

You typically spend the first 6 - 12 months studying the history of western philosophy: ancient, medieval, and modern, including an introduction to logic. Then you pick some famous philosopher's original work, read it carefully, also other books about it, and then you write an essay about the work. That's a start for further investigations.

I have a bit of a different attitude towards philosophy than most people here do. I once started a discussion called "You don't need to read philosophy to be a philosopher" which may or may not be true. I certainly have read philosophy books, but generally on subjects where I have a specific interest.

For me it all starts with what I know, what I believe, what I value, and what I see. This is from one of my favorite philosophers, Emerson:

To believe our own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, -- that is genius. Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost,--and our first thought, is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the Last Judgment. Familiar as the voice of the mind is to each, the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought. A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. — Emerson - Self-Reliance

That's what philosophy is for - to help us "learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across [our] mind from within." It's about self-awareness. How we think. What we value. How we know what we know. How should we act. For me that means everything starts with your own ideas - what's important and interesting to you. Philosophy is a tool to help you figure things out that matter to you. So, what matters to you?

Reading the masters (Kant, etc) sometimes is confusing since they might not express themselves in the best ways. Read commentaries of them if you encounter problems.

I am curious about your age and level of education. What might help one person could be meaningless to another.

All I can say, is that I can't drink alcohol

what do you mean. Please tell me. Please

okay, maybe I will start a thread here or there when I know my stuff

thanks for the heads up

okay, got it. Suffering is inevitable anyways

what do you mean. Please tell me. Please — AlienVareient

Just a joke. E.g., save you a lot of time so you can move on to something useful :razz:

Get out while you still can. :wink: — Tom Storm

:up:

Should I start by reading Philososphy books? Should I start by going on Wikipedia and just go into a rabbit hole from there?

Just looking for some tips and suggestions. Answers appreciated : ) — AlienVareient

One piece of advice i can give you at the moment is to start with your own natural curiosity. Be clear on what specifically you want to know, and begin observing (inwardly and outwardly). Assume you know nothing, and look with fresh eyes. Ask yourself questions that pertain to how and why. Don't look for the answers directly from other philosophers or thought leaders, but rather seek ways to find the answers from your own original place, using first principles.

Your answers (whether true or not) will emerge from this original place. Don't immediately turn to philosophers for answers they've arrived at on their own or borrowed from others. Instead, do what the originators did, and then, if you wish, compare your conclusions. Identify where your differences lie, and try to understand how or why they came to different conclusions than yours. They might have considered something you didn't, or it could be the other way around. You can decide to keep yours, and reject theirs, or you can reject yours and adopt theirs. In this way you would have performed the essence of philosophy in my humble opinion of course. Rinse and repeat as needed.

Additionally, be as rigorous as you can. Oh, and tell Sophia when you see her i said hello. :smile:

I think the plan you’ve laid out is the right one for someone new to philosophy.

I think the plan you’ve laid out is the right one for someone new to philosophy. — T Clark

It has served me well; it has. I particularly liked your advice and suchi's, but everyone gave good advice.

:smile: :up:

Suffering is inevitable anyways — AlienVareient

Great! If you have that in mind, you should start with Kierkegaard or reading Dostoevsky.

Welcome!! Let your curiosity guide you. Don't be afraid of approaching any thinker that interests you. You don't have to be super systematic and start at the very beginning.

Start by reading. If nothing else reading will keep you quiet so that you do not immediately make a fool of yourself. A good start is A History of Western Philosophy, W. T. Jones, five volumes. Start with vol. 1. This is college Phil. 101 material and a very good place to start. Getting and reading all five volumes will take time, and should take time, but you will be learning the whole way. Try to find good used copies, and be patient.

Start reading an introductory book for philosophy—like the one you quoted by W.T. Jones—is obviously important. But since the OP seems to have thoughts like 'suffering is inevitable' I guess it will help him to read Kierkegaard or works related to existentialism rather than generic topics that could make him feel bored.

Philosophy is very vast and deep. I am more interested in reading books about dreams/awareness than logic, although these are philosophy. @AlienVareient needs to set his preferences. :smile:

Watch anything by Jeffrey Kaplan on YouTube. He’s got whole intro to philosophy courses online and he’s great to watch.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JFfIQJsUFL4

I think it’s more important to get acquainted with the subject of philosophy than to start interacting on forums. On forums you will find a huge variety of attitudes and arguments, and it can be very confusing until you have some knowledge of the subject and can orient yourself wth respect to the arguments. As many have suggested here, start with history of the subject and basic reading of the important philosophers. Be patient and be prepared for lots of reading and/or listening to texts. As far as podcasts go, definitely check out Peter Adamson’s History of Philosophy Without any Gaps.