Quote:
Originally posted by deet
If you are interested in the history of philosophy, all of the previous suggestions will fill you in. if you are actually interested in philosophy, you don't need a book. Just reason it out by yourself. It sounds odd, but if you can't figure things out within your own mind, you won't really understand anything in a book.
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And while you're at it why not knit your own clothes, grow your own vegetables and build your own house? Sure, deriving several thousand years worth of thought in your spare time is a nice idea, but not everyone has time to do everything. That's one of the reasons we have society.
Thought is one of the few renewable resources we have. That means you can create as much of your own as you like and it won't wear out, but it also means you can reuse everybody else's.
Reading philosophy in books doesn't mean you have to rote learn without understanding, it just means you can get a prod in the right direction and benefit from inspiration you never had.
So go and read The Philosophy Gym by Philip Pullman. It's a good, reader-friendly, well-digested introduction to loads of philosophy (albeit largely western rational).