Most philosoph is bad philosophy. The biggest errors philosophers make are
- over speculation
- extreme skepticism
- logical fallacies
If I were recommending a reading list or introduction to philosophy, it would include just 3 books!
- Begin with a general instroduction. Something like Bertrand Russell: "History of Western Philosophy", or A.C. Grayling "History of Philosophy". To get the lay of the land. Other good instroductions are available.
- Next I'd recommend Madsen Pirie "How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic" - Which catalogs logical fallacies and shows how they're used to argue badly. Most thinking and debating seems to consist of logical fallacies - so being able to identify bad arguments is the first step on the road to philosophizing. Philosopher or not - this is a book everyone can benefit from. Because bad arguments are often used to persuade us and we need to know how to identify them.
- I have little respect for philosophy outside the Enlightenment. It is wholesale speculation and moralizing. The Enlightenment was a peculiar phase in Western thought lasting about 150 years prior to the French Revolution. Of course The Enlightenment had speculation and moralization but it also had something else: mostly rampant empiricist skepticism. I'd begin with "The Enlightenment and Why It Still Matters", by Anthony Pagden. Enlightenment skepticim is very different to contemporary postmodern skepticism. Enlightenment = good skepticism. Postmodernism = skepticism for its own sake.
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