Three essential reading tips for newcomers to philosophy: enhancing their reading, learning, and comprehension of philosophy
Learning philosophy is no easy feat.
These three tips will help you read better, learn, process, and implement the teachings from the greatest minds ever to walk this earth. I have read books written by the earliest philosophers in history like Epictetus, Confucius, Lao Tzu, all the way through the ages to contemporary philosophers of our time like Slavoj Žižek and Alain De Botton. After reading philosophy over my lifetime, I have found these three tips the most essential in becoming a student of philosophy.
Every philosopher’s teaching is written in different ways, and through different arguments and areas of history, far from classic writing like Jane Austen.
I never thought I would be able to read such complicated and mindful books with ease after implementing these tips.
Tip 1: Read slowly
Read slowly and process what you are reading.
We all read for entertainment, and at the same time, we all skim-read for knowledge. To truly get the full benefits and understandings from a philosopher’s writings, you need to take it slow and be in the right headspace for critical thinking. If you’re reading and you lose your place or have to re-read it more than three times, put the book down. Once you can no longer retain what you just read, reading philosophy can become a slog — a waste of your energy and time.
If you are struggling, stop, put it down, do something else; the book is not going anywhere.
Tip 2: Highlight
Highlight everything that interests you, anything you don’t understand or any words that jump out at you.
Whether it’s a Kindle, e-reader, physical highlighters, or a notebook; to reference the page and passage, highlight everything that you deem valuable. Highlight everything you want to remember or learn. When you highlight something, the power that has over your retention of that passage is unprecedented.
Highlighting is a must when reading philosophy, to look back on what interested you and also to learn and dive deeper into those ideas.
Tip 3: Reflect on what you have highlighted
This is where philosophy truly begins with thought, ideas, critical thinking, and reflecting.
After writing down or highlighting key points, quotes, and ideas you have found, re-read them again. Let them digest in your mind and take what resonates with you; discard the rest. Add your own thoughts to what you have highlighted, challenge it, put it in your own words.
That is why we highlight, not only the good, but also the teachings we disagree with, so you can reflect and come to your own logical conclusions.
Why learn philosophy
I believe that philosophy is like a religion, without the dogma, damnation, and guilt.
We can pick and choose different parts of philosophers’ writings and combine them into our ideas and morals. It is one of the best genres of books you can read; philosophy can open your eyes and teach you how to think, act, in different ways and be in this world. Philosophers can teach us morals, what it is to be dignified, how to address pain, struggles, and damnation.
Reading is one thing, understanding is another, but implementing what you have learned is the whole purpose and reason to read philosophy — because it’s by doing what you have learned that transforms you from an everyday person into a philosopher yourself.
