Doing Philosophy by George MacDonald Ross et al. is a great introduction to the study of, or doing of
philosophy, which includes reading, taking notes, discussing and writing
essays. It is aimed toward university undergraduates beginning their
study of philosophy, but it can be applicable to anyone wanting to study
philosophy, of which I belong to the latter.
I really enjoyed
the section on Reading Philosophy as I found it more applicable for my
immediate needs, and is in fact, the cornerstone to doing philosophy.
Different kinds of texts are discussed. If that journal article has you
stumped, it's okay; the authors claim that even professional
philosophers sometimes need to read an article several times to
understand it. They say that when reading about a subject, it is
essential to review arguments both for and against an idea. When reading
philosophy, you must be careful to read thoroughly, and not skim. No
speed reading! They offer a "structured reading" guide which will
enhance your experience. Reading philosophy poses many challenges, such
as technical language and translation issues, just to name a few. The
authors cover this adequately.
Applicable to university students, they explain how plagiarism can take many forms, and how to avoid it.
Included
in the "Writing Philosophy" section are four types of sample questions
that one may need to write essays about. They discuss how you should
think about the issue or question.
I believe my having read this
book will benefit me in my self-study of philosophy and can do the same
for you, whether a university student or on your own.
