The most stirring reason for reading philosophy was given by Bertrand Russell at the end of his short book, The Problems of Philosophy (1912): Philosophy is to be studied, not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions, since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves because these questions enlarge our conception of what is possible, enrich our intellectual imagination, and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation but above all because, through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the mind also is rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest good. (Or, at least, one wants a better understanding of why none of these things are possible, or why none of them matter philosophy leaves no possibility unexplored.) The hope is that these so-called giants are offering us some guidance or companionship in this regard. One should read philosophy because one wants a better mind, a better spirit, and a better life. No one should read philosophy just to sound smart, or intimidate others, or have impressive books on the shelf.

īut what might that worth be? That is, why read philosophy in the first place? The chief goal is, simply, the improvement of your own soul. Don’t let their big words intimidate you we can insist that they make sense to us – or, at least, intrigue us – or are left behind in the discount book bin. The point is that each giant of philosophy was a human being trying to figure out life by doing just what you do: reading, thinking, observing, writing. Here’s Arthur Schopenhauer on his fellow German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, for instance: ‘a flat-headed, insipid, nauseating, illiterate charlatan, who reached the pinnacle of audacity in scribbling together and dishing up the craziest mystifying nonsense.’ I’m not sure whether this paints Schopenhauer or Hegel as the bigger jerk. Every one of them tripped and burped and doodled. So, if we’re going to read philosophy, we need to begin by knocking those giants down to size. We might worry that we won’t understand anything they are telling us even if we do think we understand, we still might worry that we’ll get it wrong somehow. Giants of thinking with names like Hegel, Plato, Marx, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard loom over us with imperious glares, asking if we are sure we are worthy. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.It might seem daunting to read philosophy. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

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