This is actually a difficult question – which philosophical texts are best for beginners? But it’s also one that I get asked pretty regularly. I typically suggest starting with Plato, and occasionally delve a bit deeper into the topic, but admittedly haven’t devoted the thought and attention it really deserves to give a proper answer. So when Leah brought it up as a matter that might be addressed, and suggested we record a conversation on her YouTube channel about it – which you can watch here – I thought writing a bit first might help me sort out my thoughts on the topic.
Today's guest post is written by my friend Greg Sadler. Greg was a philosophy professor earlier in his career, and still teaches upon request for traditional academic institutions. Over the last decade, he transitioned to doing philosophy in more public and practically oriented ways. He is the president of a philosophical consulting, coaching, and tutoring company, ReasonIO. He is also the editor of Stoicism Today. His main YouTube channel contains over 1,300 videos, and has had nearly 5 million views. His personal blog is Orexis Dianoētikē. He lives with his wife and partner, Andi Sciacca, in their hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This is actually a difficult question – which philosophical texts are best for beginners? But it’s also one that I get asked pretty regularly. I typically suggest starting with Plato, and occasionally delve a bit deeper into the topic, but admittedly haven’t devoted the thought and attention it really deserves to give a proper answer. So when Leah brought it up as a matter that might be addressed, and suggested we record a conversation on her YouTube channel about it – which you can watch here – I thought writing a bit first might help me sort out my thoughts on the topic.
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Recently, a reader commented on my post How To Get Rid of the Need to Be Right asking for recommendations on critical thinking books for kids. Given my three roles as a children's librarian, amateur philosopher, and parent, I thought I should write up a helpful post on the subject.
Critical thinking seems to be a buzzword when used in the context of contemporary education, yet the skill is sorely lacking in society at large. Poor reasoning often dominates public discourse. When I say critical thinking, strictly, I'm referring to logic, or the science of how arguments need to be formed in order to be reasonable or correct. I'm also referring more generally to skills like separating truth from falsehood, being able to accurately evaluate other's arguments, being open-minded, and thinking with greater distance (rather than from a dogmatic or emotionally driven mindset). I have published a new guest post at Brainfodder.org. Philosophy can often be really hard to read, so here is some practical advice to make teaching yourself philosophy a bit easier. It's extremely rewarding to expand your philosophical knowledge and hopefully grow in wisdom as well.
Brain Fodder has some consistently great content that you may want to check out. Enjoy! You May Also Like: Understanding and Applying Stoic Ethics In Modern Life Critical Thinking: The Basics 21 Traits of A Good Character |
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