Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Educating a Philosopher
• Method 2 of 4: Reading Philosophical Works
• Method 3 of 4: Researching and Writing Philosophy
• Method 4 of 4: Engaging in Philosophical Dialogue

The study of philosophy is the knowledge of life's truths, ideas, principles of all that exists. You can study philosophy both formally and informally; and no matter which way of learning you choose, you must know how to read, express, discuss philosophical ideas.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Educating a Philosopher

1. 1 Get an associate or bachelor's degree. At the university level, the study of philosophy, as a rule, looks like a mixture of philosophical disciplines of different directions with historical or even creative disciplines.
   • Two-year programs of study in philosophy are the exception rather than the rule, since the study of philosophy implies many different fields of study. As such, four-year undergraduate programs are more common.
   • Most likely, you will study both the "continental" philosophy of ancient Greek and European philosophers, and "analytical" philosophy, which includes logic, mathematics and theoretical physics.
   • Common areas of study include ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, and aesthetics.
2. 2 Get your master's degree. If you would like to continue your studies in philosophy after completing your bachelor's degree, you can complete the Master of Philosophy degree.
   • It usually takes about two years to complete a master's degree in philosophy.
   • For the most part, you will be doing the same types of work as you would for a doctoral program. The main difference is that you don't have to write a dissertation.
3. 3 Take a doctoral program. The process of obtaining a Ph.D. can be quite challenging, as research in very different fields can be awarded the title of "Doctorate in Philosophy". You will have to work a little harder when looking for a doctoral doctoral program that focuses solely on philosophy.
   • Most of the PhD theses in philosophy are awarded the degrees of "social philosophy" or "applied philosophy".

Method 2 of 4: Reading Philosophical Works

1. 1 Read the text of the work several times. Most students of philosophy will have to re-read the work several times before a full understanding of it comes. As you study, you will be able to develop your own system for studying other people's work. The first time it will be useful to read four times.
   • On your first reading, review the table of contents, key indexes, and / or glossary, then start reading and quickly skim through the body text. Move quickly, it should take you 30 to 60 seconds to read one page. Use pencil to underline terms and ideas that catch your eye. Also mark any unfamiliar terms.
   • During the second reading, read the text at a similar pace, but stop at terms and phrases that you cannot understand from the context. At the same time, part of your attention should be tracking the disclosure of key terms and ideas. Mark with a pencil the points / paragraphs that you understand with a checkmark, and which do not - with a question mark or a cross
   • During the third reading, explore in more depth the places where you previously put an X or a question mark. If you do not understand them again, then duplicate the sign, if you do, check the box.
   • In the fourth reading, quickly review the text again to remind yourself of the key messages and arguments. If you read all of this as part of your homework, then ask your school questions regarding those items where you still have question marks or crosses.
2. 2 Read as much as you can. The only way to learn philosophy is to read other people's works. If you have not read other people's works, you simply will have nothing to write or talk about.
   • When studying philosophy in a class or graduate program, you should always read whatever is asked to you. Listening to other people's interpretations of works in class is a bad idea. You should research and interpret this or that idea of ​​the author at your own discretion, instead of blindly following others.
   • Reading on your own will also be beneficial to you. As you become more aware of the various branches of philosophy, you can gradually synthesize your own opinions on a particular issue.
3. 3 Explore the context of the job. All philosophical works were written within the framework of specific historical events and cultures. While most of the writings offer a number of truths that can be applied to our time, yet each has its own cultural biases that need to be taken into account.
   • Think about who wrote, when, where, what the original target audience was, what goals the work originally followed. Also ask yourself how the work was perceived then, and how it is perceived now.
4. 4 Determine the meaning of the thesis. Some messages will be clear and obvious, and some will not. You will need to consider key approaches and ideas that you did not understand during your first and second readings in order to understand what the author is relying on in his reasoning.
   • Theses are affirmative and negative, which means that he clearly rejects some ideas or, on the contrary, accepts them. First of all, it is necessary to determine what kind of idea we are talking about. Then determine if the thesis supports or denies the current idea.
5. 5 Look for accompanying arguments. They run into some basic thesis. You may already know some of them, if you have worked backwards to find a thesis, you should also re-examine the key ideas so as not to miss anything.
   • Philosophers usually use logical reasoning to support their theses. The main ideas and certain patterns will run like a red thread throughout the work, and pour out into certain theses.
6. 6 Evaluate each argument. Not all arguments will be correct. Look at the truth of the argument in the context of the original data and the particular inference for which it is used.
   • Determine if the background and problematics are correct as the author envisions. Try to come up with a counterexample to refute.
   • If the premises are correct, ask yourself the question: is the conclusion drawn from these premises valid? Apply this conclusion to a different situation. If it also worked there, this conclusion is correct.
7. 7 Evaluate the whole argument. After you have studied all the premises and conclusions in the dissertation, you will need to assess how successful and correct its idea as a whole.
   • If all the premises are true, the inferences are correct, and you cannot come up with a rebuttal, then you must officially accept the author's conclusion as true, even if you do not fully believe in them.
   • If any argument or premise is not correct, you can reject the author's conclusions.

Method 3 of 4: Researching and Writing Philosophy

1. 1 Decide on a goal. Each work you write will have a specific purpose. If you are writing an essay for a class, then you have already been given a topic to cover. If you were not asked a specific topic, you must yourself, clearly define with it before you start writing.
   • Make sure you have a clear answer to your main question. This answer will be your main thesis.
   • Your main question will probably be split into multiple branches, with each branch needing a different answer. Once you've lined up these branches, the structure of your essay will begin to take shape.
2. 2 Support your thesis. As noted earlier, your thesis will be derived from the answer you developed for the main question in the essay. This thesis must be supported by something more than a simple answer. You need to show a series of reasoning that shows the truth of your judgments.
3. 3 Identify possible vulnerabilities in your beliefs. Anticipate counterarguments that might apply to your point of view. Demonstrate counterarguments in your essay to show that they are not valid.
   • Only a small part should be devoted to counterarguments, while the main part should reveal and develop your idea.
4. 4 Organize your ideas. Before you implement a piece of work, you must organize all your ideas that you plan to present. You can do this by writing or drawing them in advance, but diagrams and diagrams are often more useful and visual.
   • Define your thesis at the top of the diagram or diagram. Each main argument should be in its own cell, be it a graph or a diagram. Secondary, auxiliary arguments should be attached to the main arguments, thereby expanding them.
5. 5 Write clearly. The essay should be short, written in clear language and in active voice.
   • Avoid unnecessary phrases and words to create the effect of your work, use only as many words as necessary to reveal the essence.
   • Discard the excess. Unnecessary and repetitive material should be omitted.
   • Define key terms and use them throughout your essay.
6. 6 Review your work. After writing your first work, go back and double-check the correctness of all your reasoning and the text itself.
   • Weak arguments should be strengthened or discarded.
   • Places with poor grammar or confusion should be rewritten.

Method 4 of 4: Engaging in Philosophical Dialogue

1. 1 Get ready. It is impossible to be 100% ready for all the nuances of the upcoming dialogue for you, but, as a rule, philosophical discussions during studies are planned in advance during studies.
   • Review the discussion material and draw your conclusions like a common sane person.
   • For an unscheduled discussion, check out related concepts to your topic.
2. 2 Be respectful, but expect conflict. Philosophical dialogue will have no interest if everyone adheres to the same idea. You will face disagreements; respect your opponent even when you prove him wrong.
   • Show respect, listen to others, and try to understand other people's points of view.
   • When the conversation is about an extremely urgent problem, expect an ardent conflict. However, you should always end the conversation on a respectful, positive note.
3. 3 Provide the quality of the idea. If you are not very knowledgeable about the idea at stake, be a good listener rather than a bad speaker. Speak as much as necessary. If you know that your arguments on the current issue are rather shaky, then you better keep silent.Conversely, if you are confident in the worth of your ideas, do everything to support them.
   • Conversely, if you are confident in the worth of your ideas, do everything to support them.
4. 4 Ask a lot of questions. Good questions are just as important as strong arguments.
   • Ask the person to clarify points that seemed vague to you.
   • If you have a point that no one has touched upon before you, implement it as a question.