PhilReading

In the midst of an age of 'work', that is to say, of hurry, of indecent and perspiring haste, which wants to 'get everything done' at once, including every old or new book: -this art [philosophy] does not so easily get anything done, it teaches to read well, that is to say, to read slowly, deeply, looking cautiously before and aft, with reservations, with doors left open, with delicate eyes and fingers.
--Nietzsche, Dawn

Reading for Our Class

Do the assigned reading before class, not afterwards. Not only will this make the class discussions much more interesting, but it will help your participation grade. When you participate without proper preparation, the fact that you have not done the reading is generally obvious to those who have done the reading.
Always bring the book or article we are reading to class so that we can refer to the text. This is part of proper preparation for and participation in our class.

A Few Helpful Hints for Reading Philosophy

Read Carefully. Philosophy, like most things worth reading, demands close and careful attention to the text. Read slowly. The works we are addressing will frequently take two or more careful readings in order to achieve even a basic understanding of the main issues. You cannot expect to read philosophical works in the same manner that you read a light novel, textbook, magazine, or newspaper. If you find that your eyes are merely passing over the text without your brain absorbing or reflecting on any of the ideas, you need to read more slowly.
Think about what you are reading. You must get in the habit of thinking, seriously thinking, about what you are reading. Too often, students read with the intent of gaining a surface familiarity (not even a surface understanding) with the text--just enough to ask a coherent question for the sake of the participation grade--and wait to receive the deeper meaning of the text pre-digested and organized by the professor. This is a very bad practice. A liberal education is supposed to free you, not make you dependent. Although it is my job, and my desire, to help you to come to an understanding of the philosophers we read, you owe it to yourself to try to encounter Plato himself rather than Treanor's understanding of Plato. Of course your professors are, in one sense, more expert than you--they are farther along in their studies. Of course you should listen to what more experienced people have to say. Nevertheless, you are entirely capable of engaging these texts on your own.
Write in your books. Remember everything your parents and elementary school teachers told you about writing in your books? Forget it. Underline, mark, and annotate your books--anything that will help you to keep in mind the main issues, follow the steps in an argument, or note interesting correlations. Jotting down notes in the margins is generally more helpful than underlining or highlighting. The physical text in front of you is not sacred, except insofar as it represents a tree sacrificed so you could address philosophical issues. The ideas in the text are what is important. That being said, only write in books that you own. If I catch you marking up one of the library books that I place on reserve for your convenience, you will be very, very sorry. If you do not own the book, make a personal copy and mark that up.
Use a dictionary. You must get in the habit of looking up unfamiliar words. Do not assume that the meaning of a single word is unimportant or that you will glean the meaning of the word from the context in which it appears. Although a particular author may use a word in a manner other than, even contrary to, its dictionary definition, a dictionary is the logical place to begin if you are completely unaware of a word's meaning.
Write down questions. If reading more slowly and rereading problematic passages still leaves you at a loss, mark the troubling passage and move on. Sometimes the meaning of a difficult passage will become clear from what follows. Barring such illumination, you can always discuss your difficulties with your classmates and with me to help discover or interpret what a given passage means.
Summarize what you have read. You will find that your comprehension of a text will be greatly enhanced if you take the time to summarize, in writing, what you have read. Depending on the length and difficulty of the reading, you might summarize each paragraph (with a sentence or two), each section (with a paragraph) or each chapter (with several paragraphs).
Read Charitably. Although you (or I) may agree or disagree with them, the authors that we are reading are all intelligent persons. It is very unlikely that you will find something in their work that is obviously stupid or false. If you find yourself thinking, "That's insane" or "That makes no sense at all," chances are that you have failed to understand the argument. It is exceedingly arrogant to think that you have everything figured out at 18 or 20 years of age (or, indeed, at 40 years of age). This is, unfortunately, an easy vice to fall into, particularly for the sort of intelligent person one hopes to find in a university-level philosophy course. You owe it to yourself to leave open the possibility that new information or new argumentation might reveal errors in your current positions, or that alternative positions might be superior to those you currently hold. People who do not read or listen to other possibilities in a charitable way suffer from the vice of close-mindedness. If you are bound and determined to remain close-minded, you should demonstrate your ‘intelligence’ by dropping out of college and saving yourself $160,000. After all, if you already have the answers and are not going to be affected by anything you read or discuss, why pay $40,000 per year to read and discuss things?
Read Critically. The preceding comment about charitable reading does not mean that you should accept as true things you read or hear just because they are presented by an authority (author, professor, etc.). Therefore, while you should first read charitably, you should also read critically. Things that are true are not true simply because they are held to be so by an authority figure. It is important to come to your own reasoned opinion about the merits of any given argument or idea. The authors we read may be wrong. I may be wrong. Do not be shy about challenging a point that you think demands challenge; just be sure that you have understood the point before you challenge it. The Brando approach--Q: "What are you rebelling against?", A: "Whattya got?"--is not particularly helpful.