Teaching You How to “Do” Philosophy

Can you learn how to speak a foreign language, drive a car, make a meal, or tie your shoes just by reading about it in a book? Obviously not.

You have to do it, and the more you practise, the better you will become.

So, too, with philosophy.

Before you start reading the various chapters in this book, you should have some familiarity with “doing” philosophy, which includes information on reading the original texts, as well. Please go and review the following sections as appropriate!

Attribution

Unless otherwise noted, “How to Do Philosophy” in The Originals: Classic Readings in Western Philosophy by Jeff McLaughlin (2017) is adapted and used under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.