Philosophy for Beginners

[@_jared]

What area of philosophy interests you the most?

[@letsdjent1416]

I am not well versed in philosophy as a student in bachelor's of computer science. I have recently been looking into stoicism finished meditations, soliloquies and currently self-studying and learning philosopher's toolkit as referred by park notes KZbin channel as beginner in philosophy. I have only recently stepped my foot into philosophy. The amount of info is mesmerizing but since, I have just begun my journey in learning philosophy as hobby recently. I will slow look into other parts of philosophy as per now I am better of exploring stoicism.

[@lexreason258]

All of them, I want to understand all. 😂

[@jortmaas5873]

Epistemology (in my case, as applied to archaeology), which is why it surprises me that you didn't mention Popper.

[@ornleifs]

I have a BA in Philosophy so I've been through all of these fields you mention but these days I'm mostly interested in things that are unclear and vague and paradoxical and fuzzy - when I started studying Philosophy I was much more interested in clarity and ultimate answers but Philosophy cured me of that and made me much more comfortable with not knowing so books on the opacity of it all are what fascinates me most these days.

[@cskellum4]

All of it, since I have little background in it. I’m interested in how philosophy and worldviews change during periods like the enlightenment and scientific revolution.

[@MrFredstt]

One thing I like philosophy but also what makes it difficult or sometimes even scary is that makes you really take a deep dive into your own mind. Many people may think they know themselves and their own mind intimately until they start getting into philosophy. Then you really start getting a look at the landscape of your mind and realize that you didn't know yourself as well as you thought and some things about yourself may be hard to look at or realize. Philosophy also leads you to, imo, one of the hardest things in life which is to change yourself and how you think. Philosophy also has its outside and world view aspects of it but it's the personal that's always spoken to me

[@mattmazur6317]

I agree. Philosophy changed my life by forcing me to examine myself and my beliefs

[@stay1277]

I'm sixteen watching this video and I honestly didn't understand much, but I did understand the general ideas presented in this video and it's so enlightening and heavy at the same time, so thank you for boggling my mind. Truly enjoyable.

[@CarlosSainz-fm8wy]

I am 16 too and yes the same actually i was searching for philosophy books for beginners i thought that's all i needed then i am coming acrosss these videos and i realize that's theirs a lot i need to know before i move onto reading

[@Itz_clayyy08]

I’m 16 as well and let me tell you, philosophy makes me feel like an idiot 😂.

[@Susan-vm3br]

I’m 56 and feel the same!! So much to learn😅

[@dmnair3621]

if you were guys i would date you

[@venuslee2085]

Great video Jared! It would be nice if you could delve into the different disciplines of philosophy, namely one video for Metaphysics, one for Episdemology and their respective development. I think lots of people would find that super helpful!

[@chrise2175]

Hi Jared! I first encountered your channel while looking for books similar to Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. But I've come to love all your content! I haven't seen much but this year my new years resolution has been to read 6 books (1 every 2 months), in the spirit of some advice I heard you give about becoming a better reader, which was to not expect too much of yourself all at once. Reading deeply is a skill which takes practice and develops over time. I studied theology in undergrad and did a lot of reading, but honestly felt a lot of shame about how I would often fall behind or feel lost. As a result I've really wanted to keep up my reading yet have felt often discouraged when it gets hard. Your advice was really encouraging and as I said played a key role in my resolution to commit to six books even though I thought with my background I "should" do more. So thank you for your awesome content! It is a perfect fit for a lot of what I am doing right now in walking towards more wholeness as a man. I'm doing a lot of personal work and even considering becoming a classical teacher one day. I've even thought about making a channel in the same spirit as yours blended with others like Horses, Struthless, Dry Creek Wrangler School, and Called to More to name a few. Thanks again and I am excited for more content!

[@ZackarySmigel]

Congrats on 200k subs! Also this is super neat and very in depth. Great job man!

[@VeraGolosovaArt]

I will definitely need to re-watch it a few times

[@christvpherx]

my comment doesn’t really have anything to do with the video; i simply want to share with the creator - and all the community of course - that in september i’ ll go to university and i have decided to enroll in philosophy. i have only studied it briefly in high school and i know i lack some basic skills such as a good text comprehension, excellent writing skill and logical thinking which is why i am scared as have never been before; i feel like i won’ t be good or smart enough for this faculty and i’ ll fail pretty soon still i know this is want to do and i’ ll try my best. thank you to the creator for making such good videos that inspire me and reassure me whenever i doubt myself or my decision.

[@jawa.fighter]

congrats! just do your best, work hard, and understand that it's a process. you aren't supposed to be "good" at it, you're supposed to just try and get better:) proud of you.

[@LiquidsQ34]

How are you doing now, kind mister?

[@simondostal7219]

how are you now man??

[@JustSomeGuyExistin]

How is it going ?

[@chrjstvpher]

@@jawa.fighterthank you so much 🫂 i am trying my best and despite the difficulties i have to deal with (and hopefully overcome soon enough) i don’ t regret my choice

[@shawnbrewer7]

This is a FANTASTIC video! Thank you, Dr. Henderson!

[@nualafaolin7129]

Great video! I’m mostly interested in ethics, but fascinating to hear about other branches. Would love an overview of each one you mentioned in separate videos with some resources to delve deeper!

[@psychonaut689]

When a builder uses the term "true" it means that something is accurate or straight, and will mean that the building is stronger.

[@shatabdinath4844]

I find your voice uniquely soothing 😌

[@folkert8122]

Thanks!

[@Bdarling14]

Not early to the video but glad it showed up in my recommended. I’m glad that the way you introduce philosophy introduces the core part of all arguments had. Without a firm basis for an argument you can’t hope to change someone’s mind about anything, and understanding how to convey a belief starting out with a good basis really helps when conversing philosophical beliefs. Love the videos

[@_emh]

Fantastic video, Jared, like the others from you that I've enjoyed! I was hoping for a couple more minutes at the end when you mentioned anarchism, if only to mention Michael Huemer's work, "The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey." If ever you decide to delve into anarchist thought (or ethical intuitionism, one of Huemer's other areas of work) on this channel, an interview or conversation between you and Professor Huemer would be very interesting! Thank you!

[@_jared]

That Huemer book is very good.

[@jessicaz6919]

Thank you for your work, Dr. Henderson, as always! This is a fascinating video and hugely helpful!

[@Guidedoggo]

I’m 18, dropped out of high school at 15 due to paralyzing anxiety and for the past couple months have been having constant existential dread. Heard learning about philosophy might help me, really hoping they where right now

[@mycommentmyopinion]

Hey man, I was in basically the exact same situation. Learning about philosophy in general definitely helps, but the philosophies that helped me the most were Absurdism & Stoicism (Not the weird modern internet version, but the original). Absurdism for accepting life & Stoicism for dealing with life. Hope this helps you a little bit, don't give up on dealing with your issues. The comment above me is so right, we have so much time ahead of us, so we need to start living.

[@Т1000-м1и]

It will help but only if you know how to take a step back and think above yourself, above extremely important issues while also not taking yourself too seriously and at the same time keep on track of what role it all takes in your individual life

[@TreeAthene]

Hey that’s actually pretty cool…not that you had anxiety ok moving on.. I actually dropped out of school because of how bad my anxiety was aswell. I’m really struggling with my anxiety still and am 17 now, ive always been intrested in philosophy…..now I just gotta see if my really bad memory will let me learn it lol

[@leroyhayes3251]

To overcome anxiety, you need confidence. Confidence is forged through success, which is born from failure. Failure only comes from taking risks, and taking risks demands courage. Start with heroic idealism and Stoicism-foundations for personal empowerment. After all, the purpose of studying philosophy should always be to strengthen and elevate yourself, not to endlessly philosophize. Philosophical waxing is a waste of valuable time and a nasty habit of so-called “intellectuals” who often mistake talk for action. True philosophy serves as a guide for living, not an escape from doing. Don’t waste your time on absurdism, I mean unless you want your depression and anxiety to worsen.

[@MarijaVujkov]

It will help you

[@Johanna_reads]

Excellent video! Now that I've finished The Dispossessed, I'd like to learn more about anarchist theory. I can see how that book played with political philosophy and why it impacted you!

[@Alex-fu3mi]

ifff you're looking for anarchist political theory, and you wanted to start with the "golden age" thinkers (1800-1939) I'd recommend: The Method of Freedom by Errico Malatesta, it's an anthology, his "Anarchy" pamphlet is an excellent introduction. Anarchy, Anarchist-Communism, and The State by Peter Kropotkin, three essays by the anarchist formerly known as prince. :D aaaand I would tell you to check out Means and Ends by Zoe Baker who is not from the 19th century but is a very alive anarchist historian whose book *covers* the golden age of anarchism and their ideas. I have to plug her book b/c it's excellent, and it's her youtube videos that informed my own understanding of anarchism in the first place.

[@slurplace]

This is so much nicely wrapped information. Really liked it.

[@misterkefir]

As a philosophy non-beginner I must say that I still really enjoyed this video nonetheless. Thank You :)

[@priestshibe]

should i start with logic then metaphysics and so on as showed in the video? im a beginner and would like some book recommendations to get started😅

[@szymonsobiepanek384]

Thanks

[@MissAprilMarie]

That is so kind!

[@typoholic]

This is a topic that I’ve been waiting for. Thank you!

[@socialswine3656]

The king is back!

[@liljordy7357]

You ever come across a video and think “wow I didn’t know I was that stupid” 💀💀💀

[@Maarriioommaa]

Yeah, that's me almost all the time

[@mryan4719]

Your lucky day! 🎉❤

[@VampiraVonGhoulscout]

Well, ya gotta start by admitting you know nothing, innit? 😂

[@TheActiveMind1]

Thorough guide and introduction to all the branches of philosophy! Well done as always Jared (my new favorite conspiracy is that Nixon did indeed walk on the moon)

[@angtxsun4460]

Yeah I remember philosophy at first felt like hiking through waist high mud uphill. A college professor gave us five life questions that come up on the minds of middle school students- and linked each question to an area of philosophy. As a person with degrees in the sciences, who grew up in church- philosophy is paramount to finding reconciliation. Thank you

[@dantanskymonsterhunter]

Amazing work.. The concepts you described made me a good attorney.

[@zoebarragan7541]

I want to start studying philosophy. Great video! thank you very much!

[@ChrisHolly]

Glad to see a new video! Having a new baby is such a lot of work, so I hope the baby will let you record more frequently in the future! :)

[@dorianphilotheates3769]

Excellent introduction- just subscribed to your channel. Greetings from Delphi, Greece! 🏛🌿🇬🇷

[@ved.shankar]

This video blew my mind. I think it will need a rewatch. Thank you Jared :)

[@ParkerNotes]

Let's go!

[@mohammedarmanulhaq]

I'm eagerly anticipating videos on philosophical sci-fi books also soon from u continuing the series of videos u made. Lately, my interest has been piqued in Informal Logic, and I'm excited to hear your book recommendations on that topic as well!

[@Gmx92]

This is much better than slugging through 400 pages of that dreadful joke of a novel Sophie's world

[@Theinfinite-8]

this provides a lot of value once you're familiar with a bit of philosophy .

[@josiahdesarro-raynal3361]

Wonderful guide, facilitating true ponderings!

[@shafeequllahsatari2094]

Thank you for the fantastic video. Philosophy is not my field, but I think understanding of the basics of philosophy is quite necessary for people. I do not know if dialectic of freedom and determinism somehow forms the frame of people way of thinking and logic.

[@geor5500]

Hey Jared! I couldn't take my eyes off you ❤

[@Mnnwer]

Great video. Ideas very clearly and justly expressed, despite the time limitation. Also I really like the the editing.

[@prodlilrasta]

man, what a great video! thank u so much for this

[@TeaGamingYT]

hey man! I'm currently a philosophy major, planning on pursuing firefighting after getting my degree (pretty unrelated fields I know). Was wondering how you went from a philosophy PHD to working for tech companies? Not sure if you've talked about your career path before but I'd be interested in hearing about the options I might have available.

[@Rahul_Rao_001]

This video is really too much to take for the first time as an absolute beginner . but provides a lot of value once you're familiar with a bit of philosophy .

[@MaxCuberful]

Your second cat's name is hilarious! There is actually a number of Soviet tales and a cartoon called "A Kitten Named Woof."

[@lantan8022]

I think that good way to start philosophy is to question your most basic beliefs, for example: why killing people is bad, why do I feel special as a human in universe, etc.

[@osi92til]

as a beginner to philosophy, i thought this is something people kind of do anyway

[@pwnedshift1]

Great video. I was reading Plato's Republic and his idea of the Forms left a bad taste in my mouth, but I couldn't quite articulate what my problem was. Based on your description, I think I should check out nominalism. It sounds most like my conception of abstractions like mathematical objects.

[@davidwilson410]

I am addicted to all of your videos

[@zuinno]

im doing something else rn but just clicked the video, liked and subscribe bc i already know the content is gonna be great.

[@TheNeuralist]

Best thing that happened to me in undergrad was being exposed to Russel's History of Philosophy. It's the absolute best piece for newcomers. Also Sophie's World is good too.

[@RoshOceanic]

Hey thanks for trying, I’m going to go ahead and order my copy of Philosophy for Dummies though. I’m not quite yet even a beginner apparently.

[@matthathaway5015]

Thanks for this video! I appreciate the fact that you can cover such a broad topic in a way that is both informative and digestible.

[@beebeebees]

Wonderful video 🎉

[@zixdude1595]

Yer a philosopher, Harry.

[@ornleifs]

This video is a good intro to what Philosophy is all about but holy moly , those two books you bought to start with - Ha Ha 🤣 they would have scared me away from it if I had started with those.

[@_jared]

I got very lucky that it didn’t scare me off, but I still don’t understand that Heidegger book.

[@ornleifs]

@@_jared I've read some Heidegger and watched quite a few documentaries but I'm like you - I still don't really know what he's on about.

[@joshuaabe4832]

Nobody understands Heidegger. Even the Heidegger specialists

[@Squigsnwiggs]

@@joshuaabe4832 as a person who’s extensively studied Heidegger for over a year, I would have to agree. There’s various degrees of understanding, and some scholars have gotten a good grip-eg, Thomson, Young, Wrathall-but many cannot escape the obscurity of Heidegger’s thought, nor his “Heideggerisms” (which is understandable in some sense, as Heidegger himself makes it difficult to escape his obtuse language)

[@kulgeek.]

This would be very useful for beginners like me with book recommendations for each section

[@Clounlamer1]

This was fantastic!! I want to jest with you though, I wouldn’t entirely say this is a video for “beginners “ lol

[@Rico-Suave_]

Great video, thank you very much , note to self(nts) watched all in it 31:46

[@TempleBrianna]

Brilliant video - thank you!!

[@redsky6625]

All I can say is wow! I had no idea philosophy involved so much. It’s interesting and overwhelming at the same time. I don’t know where to start, any suggestions?

[@nosferatu.97]

Hey! My fellow beginners of Philosophy, I've suggetion for you all. Please stop, don't get into philosophy if you are Happy in your Life.

[@r.s.fletcher7066]

😂What if you're not happy in your life prior to philosophy and crave meaning in your life for exactly this reason

[@epicdog69]

Well it’s okay! Cuz I’m already fucking miserable! ❤❤❤

[@De_Selby]

Happy? What does that mean?

[@MissAprilMarie]

Wait- crap, I’m happy lol… may I ask why you are advising me on this?

[@r.s.fletcher7066]

@@MissAprilMarie Existential dread, is what he's suggesting. Questioning every fiber of your life can be mentally demanding. Just don't touch anything with the word nihilism, absurdism, existentialism or fatalism/predeterminism on it, and you'll lead a happy life :)

[@petr9568]

Well, in a way I envy educated people at the same time ,I feel sorry for them, there’s so much talk and so little practical help to the society. but I’m here to deepen the knowledge of my English, which is my fourth language, even though I am uneducated person, born in Soviet Union struggled in my primary school because Russian was not my native language. But I gave this video like because the guy speaks so well, so soft and easy to understand

[@laurenskyewhite]

This helped a lot, thank you!

[@pierrecolin7856]

Thanks . I started with Nietzsche, and tried littérature with Dostoievsky and well I clearly overestimated my skills in reading

[@pierrecolin7856]

Maybe you could give us a list of philosopher for level 1 beginner , easier to read etc ..

[@VampiraVonGhoulscout]

I started with a vague knowledge of the "God is dead" concept because I grew up being a huge Marilyn Manson fan and he talked a bit about Nietzsche and intellectual stuff in his lyrics and interviews sometimes.

[@jackdowd1]

love the inclusion of political philosophy!!

[@robertlotzer7627]

If you are interested in beginning philosophy start with James Jacobs The Seat of Wisdom. I have been reading philosophy for 30+ years and I am biased in the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition. However, if you want a starting place you can do no better than here. Even if that is not where you land this is such an important foundational level to all philosophy that I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[@vincenzopasca7826]

Thanks for this video, I would need to rewatch multiple time 😍 Will you ever make a video about some of the living philosophers and their main ideas and philosophies? Do you know Umberto Galimberti?

[@willieboy8798]

you talk a little fast but i like your content delievery, easy to follow and good flow! txs

[@TaqwaAldabagh-v7b]

My first philosophy book is Sophie world and I am just get fascination with this thoughts and how we get all the information in the world from the ancient thoughts process and I love the way that Justein guarder write his novel with the imagination sense and in some pages I compare the philosophy thoughts with my personal believe as a religion Muslim and this make me know my thoughts deeply, in reading philosophy books, you don’t wast your time whatever the time you spend in the reading one book with every repeat for the difficult pages I find benefit (and this the first book I read imagine 😂), in the vacation I am decided to read Alice in wonderland and maybe another one, my only disappointment is I am a medical student and I need most time to understand the medical concepts, so I need less time for philosophy but I will try to find time for philosophy. Thank you for this video I will rewatch it in the vacation inshallah.

[@dimitriosnikou4636]

Such a great video!!!

[@arabian800]

Thank you so much for this video

[@psychonaut689]

This is a good overview of the current themes and trends in philosophy. Re: justified true belief I did look this up recently and it was not in the reference I was given. Can you give me the reference stated in your video please? Thaetetus?

[@nilak64]

Great video I'd like to know why Subjectivism isn't considered as a real relevant way of seeing ethics ?

[@mark4asp]

For the Enlightenment, I recommend Anthony Pagden's book "The Enlightenment: And Why It Still Matters". Strictly speacking it's not a history or summary of The Enlightenment, but it presents a unified story of such, and it is a deep book.

[@MrJoyce86]

I bought the three critiques by Kant(translated by Pluhar). Im lost. I should've taken your advice in another video about getting started with philosophy.

[@yourdad602]

Perfect video for me.

[@robsonag]

Awesome vídeo. Thank you!

[@claudialopez607]

I fell so relaxed with ur voice hahaha

[@milramas]

After finishing the Monument Mythos series, the concept of Nixon walking on the moon hits different

[@pillmuncher67]

In the German speaking world there's a great little introductory book into logic: Grundkurs im logischen Schließen (Basic Course in Logical Deduction) by Eike von Savigny.

[@thomask1424]

I started with Being and Nothingness, boy was I confused. Later, I watched a PBS series on the history of philosophy and philosophers with Thora B Hodgson (Hobson?) that gave me a better grounding when I tackled Being again.

[@rubyjardeh]

big up doc!

[@tobylangen9186]

Love the content, so much value every time. Happy to support your channel using partners/referrals. However, it would be nice to not hear fake scarcity. „The first 200 people…“ There are genuine ways to use scarcity in calls to action. The link still works the same way after 200 people registered so its essentially a lie. If im wrong about this please disregard my comment and keep up the great work. You are awesome!

[@Crazy4ketchup]

watching this as a philosophy major with 16 weeks left of undergrad

[@anwaralemseged7884]

Was up a long time # mister jared How are you doing

[@_jared]

I’m great. Glad to be back to making videos, too!

[@deepanshu9459]

I would have loved to have seen Arthur schopenhaur's intro too in the nihilist part of the video The famous quote which was way ahead of it's time " A man can do what he will ,but he cannot will what he wills " Today's famous physicists and neurobiologists have a pretty strong beleif that free will doesn't exists

[@michaelheeks5279]

So I'm completely new to all of this, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to watch this video over a few times. I wanted to get into Philosify for two reasons. One, my life is a mess and I want to find the best way to fix it and finally get onto a self improvment journey. I'm pushing 30 and I have too many major problems holding me back. I fear what will happen if I don't finally figure it all out. Two, I recently started listening to George Orwell's 1984. Its such a harrowing, sad and anger endusing read due to just what happens within this the world, a world which I fear we might just be heading towards When working through these feeling I began to wonder if its better to live in a free democratic world or a dictatorship. It also had me wondering why such evil exists in the world and what drives people to it. I'm only about has of way through and it's leaving me with questions that I want answers to, especially now in a world thats only getting more hard to navigate. Plus if we do end up in a world a kin to 1984, I at least want to know where I stand, so that I wouldn't just fall for anything and become some mindless drone, just doing what I am told by the powers that be.

[@michaelheeks5279]

There are some typos that I couldn't do anything about due to my phone being annoying. That being said I hope my point is coherent enough.

[@waaagh3203]

I started with Plato's Republic and a companion guide.

[@AlexanderCollas666]

A question I heard a Buddhist teach ask once was "Ultimately was Hitler and his acts Evil" he contended that in Hitlers time the answer would be yes. But, if society learned from Hitlers examples and no longer allowed such horrific things to occur, was in fact Hitlers actions good since in the long run it led to less suffering than more. Therefore, can you really define what is good and what is bad since you probably will not be there to see the outcomes of those actions in full. Also, I think democracy removes the ability for the population to hold those that rule accountable because it becomes difficult to determine who is to "blame" when everyone within the ruling class can blame the "other side" or whomever. Monarchy offers the ability to hold one person accountable and if they make matters worse making them a head shorter often corrects or at least restarts the process of rulership.

[@ARYANSAXENA-qj8ii]

The paradox isn't all that paradoxical, we can add a little more structure to our argument first instead of just asking about the truth value of "This sentence is false." Let A denote a logical statement (i.e. a sentence which is EITHER true OR false) Define a logical statement B: (Truth value of A = 0) {this is the generalization of "The sentence is false"} CASE 1: when truth value of A=1 then the statement B becomes (1=0) which is not true, therefore the truth value of B in this case is 0 CASE 2: when the truth value of A=0 the statement B becomes (0=0) which verifies, therefore truth value of B=1 here

[@محمدصفاء-ي4ش]

Non contradiction is almost important one for logical thinking ,you must read aristotle logic before anything .

[@talesnevesdarocha2200]

Great video

[@squashfan9526]

Jared, I'm surprised you didn't mention Karl Popper when discussing epistemology and knowledge. Have you read David Deutsch's The Beginning Of Infinity? Would be interesting to hear your thoughts in a video about that book.

[@grub-chan9654]

I'm 16 and trying to learn something about philosophy. Not sure if I should try it at such a young age though.

[@amaradenisetuble4746]

No big deal on starting with it at a young age. Yet, just make sure you're still getting what you need and the most out of your teenage years.

[@yonathanasefaw9001]

Informative video by the way Dr. Henderson. Do you know a channel called philosophy overdose?

[@wisdomseeker3937]

Loved your videos Jared. I just enrolled for a BA in Philosophy through distant education as I have always been fascinated by the subject. I have read alot of philosophy but I want to formalise my education in the field. How can I philosophise everyday through writing?

[@rehnumatabassum1577]

Hello!As you have mentioned earlier in many Videos that you are a philosophy phd Student,what will you do next (From Job POV)after receiving your degree???

[@muhammedmuktharjavid3269]

Currently I'm reading a book named Metaphysical foundations of objective reality..by Hassan Spiker.. it defends correspondence theory but in a much unique way vis-a-vis conventional route..quite intriguing and high rem recommended... Hence your dissertation could be a best complement

[@Nat1Games]

Very impressive Bertrand Russell speedrun.

[@Т1000-м1и]

This was what it promised to be

[@esteban7143-]

I definitely lived out the liar paradox when I was like 5. I tried to rationalize how Opposite Day can only true for an instant because as soon as it is Opposite Day, it’s no longer Opposite Day. lol

[@telquel7843]

Serious question: at what point do you have to buy circle framed glasses to let everyone know you're a philosopher? 🙃