How To Think Like a Philosopher: By Julian Baggini

 

“There is indeed an urgent need to think better right now, but only because it is always necessary to think better and it is always now.”

Philosophy, philosophizing, and philosophers .. 

No decent human being has the audacity to say I’m not into philosophical talks and discussions. For how can you even live your life with the absent of such topics and questions that keep you busy and acquainted all along throughout your day and night? That’s not a possibility or even a reality. If you’re trying to convince yourself that philosophy is far away from real life, then you might as well want to dig deeper into those topics to see for yourself, because life is a philosophical journey on its own. It teaches you things you were blinded of and from. It drags you to the light when all you wanted was to stay in the darkness of your cocoon, it guides you to be and see when all you wanted was to follow the shadow of others. 

This is philosophy, the purest form of love, the love of wisdom ..

How to think like a philosopher? .

I don’t have an answer for that, but I sure do have a book that includes all the answers you need !

This question has made some people fear the outcome of what they might end up with and read, and that’s normal. We have all been there, at that situation where our mind was never at ease. Constantly moving and working its way around in circles. 

But what if I told you that one book has all the hidden gems, of how to think like a philosopher without being confused or even feel as if you don't belong in that category of good deep-thinking .. 

 

Don’t fear philosophy and philosophers, they’re good people who could do  a ton of good explaining .. using fancy words .

How to Think Like a Philosopher, By: Julian Baggini 

Is a philosophical talk and guide by a good thinker who takes the reader into the depth of philosophical questions and analytical conclusions, that leaves one eager for more.  The author emphasized on the subject by leading us into a new world of thinking. But not any kind of  thinking, the type where one is obsessively concerned about the answers that might and will eventually alter the world prospective of thinking .

Within this enjoyable publication, the author answered all the questions that we had back then. Like, what is it to be a philosopher, is it enough to be one?, or do I need to act like one?, or how to think like one?, what should I do .. one question leading to another. But no worries at all because with every step throughout this publication, you will have a clear view of the questions locked inside your head.

 

Philosophy is not only about being brilliant in your theories and questions, it’s more of questioning the questions that have been asked back then, and assuming the ones that will be asked in the near future. 

Those who assume to know everything are not wisdom lovers. So don’t be fooled by their titles of claiming to be philosophers, when they’re nothing near it . Those who make philosophy a title to showcase themselves in public, are not thinkers. For, thinkers and true philosophers would never put themselves on the spotlight, they will allow their work to do it for them. As the author warned 

“ Beware of anyone who believes they are a brilliant thinker: true geniuses are rarely dazzled by their own reflections. “

Listening .. 

is and will always be one of the most complicated tasks to go through. It requires energy and a full mindset of actually being there. That’s the first step towards thinking like a philosopher. And no it’s not easy, because it requires you to be fully there. No distractions and no zoning out. Just you being present and giving your 100% to the topic discussed and the person talking. That’s what makes you think like a philosopher, because you see how philosophers come up with different theories from different point of views? That work did not happen on its own. It took the energy of being somewhere and listening to someone carefully while thinking of a good response. Good or bad, they'll listen. And even if they have opposing views, they would still listen and take it all in. All to draw further conclusions in regards to the topics and analyze it philosophically. It is a complicated task, but to get the perfect outcome, one shall always take in the challenge.

With listening also comes honesty, and honesty in that sphere is based on being true to yourself and what you have in mind. Without honesty, no answer shall and will ever be reached. With that, the author have guided the reader into dissecting the word honesty, leading one to know the full meaning and purpose of it, all the way to the core and peak of the word. And it is the whole idea of Questioning. 

Now this is the part that some might skip, for the fear of the word itself. Questioning, as asking more questions and digging deeper into the word and its meaning, brings in fear on the table. And in order to secure themselves, they would stay away from such an action that might shift their mindsets and make them have a brand new way of thinking, personality or even beliefs. With that, would people start building false assumptions in regards to it, making their mind flow all over the place, generating consequences that might not even happen. 

The world have grown in fear of questioning their surroundings, that even the sole purpose of the action is abandoned and forbidden sometimes. 

But hey !

There’s nothing to fear about the process, as long as you know where you stand, having more questions and clarifications shall never be an obstacle or a complication. In fact, this has to be a motivation, influencing you to use that rationality of yours and act upon it. Sometimes those questions of yours provide more clarifications and understanding to what have been told to you. As the author have stated in that regards 

“ Questioning may not so much destroy faith as change how we understand it. “

But hang on a second .. !

Having all your answers ready and piled for you to enjoy your surrounding more clearly is not an indicator that you have fully consumed the intellect of a philosopher. A philosopher is a lover of wisdom who describes the simplest things using fancy words, that’s true. But the fancy words we tend to make fun of at times are true authentic words, that acts as a strong base for the meaning to be taken. It’s like adding a sun to your drawing when you were a kid. Every word counts, and every choice of word you make, adds to the meaning on its own way. As stated by the author

“ Words have to come before definitions because definitions are made up of multiple words. Meaning comes from elsewhere. “

The author have spent a good amount of time and space pinpointing the importance of making the right choices of words when analyzing and making some conclusions of your own. Due to generated websites and applications that are based on drawing word choices of their own, human intellect is missing in the indicated sphere. And I believe that it is our duty to bring it back, simply because we’re capable of it, but our laziness has stopped us from doing so.

As explained

“ The language matters because when we choose which words to use, with what meanings, we are identifying what we think matters. “.

The book does not end on those kind of explanations only. Rather, it has a far more directory topics, branching on to many more philosophical questions and answers. That you as a reader, will come to realize and even have conclusions of your own. This is an entertaining learning journey of exploring the once forbidden doors of wisdom. So allow yourself to unlock those doors and devour the wisdom that rests within.

I will not say enjoy in advance , because I sure know you will !

Favorite quotes from the Book ! 

• ''If you think you’re not thinking, that only proves you’re thinking after all.''

• '' Philosophy should not be about opinions, but reasons.''

• ''So to think like a philosopher is continually to be becoming a philosopher. It requires never giving up, never ceasing to ask questions, never settling. For some this might sound like a a cause of despair. But we all know what it means to rest in peace. To be restless is to be alive.''

• ''Things don’t become philosophical questions if they can be answered pretty easily.''

• '' Philosophical problems arise when language goes on a holiday.''