by Scott Hughes
Almost anyone can philosophize with no formal training or experience. It simply consists of questioning and wondering about the foundational aspects of the universe and ourselves, including metaphysics, knowledge, morality, and religion. Nonetheless, if philosophy interests you, you may want to study it and learn more about it, which in turn will improve your philosophical abilities. Let me suggest some ways to study philosophy.
School - You can go to school for philosophy. That will give you a very formal education in philosophy. Additionally, you will get a degree which can help you in life. However, school usually costs a lot. If you plan to go to school, you may want to go for something more practical than philosophy. A philosophy degree will not open up as much career paths as other degrees. In addition to costing a lot, going to school can take a lot of your time. If you have a tight schedule, you may not have time to go to school.
Library - If you want to study philosophy, you can just go to the library instead of going to school. Without the cost, you can find and read books just the same, and you can get the same research done. Of course, you will not get a degree from just going to the library. But you will have the chance to read as many philosophy books as you can for practically no cost.
The Internet - Nowadays, the internet has put all the information you can get from a school or library right at your fingertips. You can use online encyclopedias, search engines, and other websites to find all sorts of free information. In fact, you may find yourself learning more at home in front of your computer than you would in a classroom. You can find biographies of major philosophers in an instant, for example.
Discussing Philosophy - Perhaps, you can best develop your knowledge of philosophy by discussing it. Unlike just reading books by philosophers, you can interact with other people when actually having discussions. So you can ask questions to other people, and your can propose your own ideas. Getting feedback on your own explanations of your own philosophical ideas will probably help you learn philosophy better than any formal education could. You can discuss philosophy in real life or on the internet.
As you can see, you have many options for learning about philosophy and developing your philosophical abilities. You may find other ways too.
Whatever you do, good luck and have fun!
About the author: Scott Hughes maintains a philosophy club at OnlinePhilosophyClub.com with free information about philosophy. You can discuss philosophy at the Philosophy Forums. It's completely free, and it's a great way to learn more about philosophy.
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"The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master."
I believe spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline) manifests as bravery, confidence, grace, honesty, love, and inner peace.