Should I study philosophy one subject at a time?

Question

I want to start getting into philosophy and I was wondering should I start off studying philosophy as a whole or should I start off studying it subject by subject? Like starting with epistemology first and then moving to ethics, metaphsyics, politics, etc. I would really like your opinions.

Answer 1

i think you should take philosphy 101 before taking subjects. so you can learn the basic skills of thinking critical.use this knowledge to analaze things will help you on professors essay topics for sub subjects

Answer 2

I think philosophy is more about peoples individual views on the branches rather than the branches themselves. Once you have an understanding of what exactly ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, politics, and aesthetics are, then you should pick a philosopher and start reading his or her work. You'll find that people have quite different views when it comes to all the branches, and that is where it gets interesting.

Answer 3

This is my first year in college and my first time ever studying philosophy. I'm taking three philosophy courses in all, the basic intro class, contemporary philosophy, and epistemology. Many people warned me about getting my subjects mixed in with each other thus resulting in confusion. I have to say though, its pretty relaxing. The subjects often refer to each other, and what you learned in one class you can use in another. You'll probably be learning of the same philosophers in the each class, just their views won't be the same, so you won't have as many names and dates to remember.

Answer 4

My education of philosophy was meaningless. I could not get a handle on what it was about. It was only later, when I read William Durant's 'Story of Philosophy' that I felt I got it, and I wished so much that I had read it prior to taking any course on philosophy. Get that book, read it. It is available on audio as well. My experience is that there are so many directions in philosophy that the teacher will lose you quick if you don't get some prior orientation.

Answer 5

Yes, you should start out with epistemology and metaphysics first. These are the most fundamental branches of philosophy. From that you can start thinking about ethics (how one should act) and then politics (how society should act).

Answer 6

What I have done is to diverge into the various interpretations, as in schools. I have learned so far of Existentialism, Phenomenology, Ontology, and etc. It is best to choose school A, then go on to school B, and then compare the ideas and see what works for you.

Of course it is good to know the basics, but from the get go, there is already an interpretation. By the way, those subjects are very reminiscent of Aristotle's treatises...lol.

Answer 7

This is the best book to start on philosophy.

Atlas Shrugged

Answer 8

yeah. get this book- philo. made simple. it breaks down schools of thought by time and era. also by subject.

Answer 9

Thaat might be a way of going about it. I would do it work by work.