Doing Philosophy: A Practical Guide for Students

by Clare Saunders, David Mossley, George MacDonald Ross

Doing Philosophy provides a practical guide to studying philosophy for students. The book offers guidance

• Reading and analyzing philosophical texts
• Preparing for and participating in seminars
• Choosing essay topics
• Constructing arguments and avoiding plagiarism
• Using libraries, the internet and other resources
• Technical terms, forms of expression and logical notation
Doing Philosophy outlines the difficulties and challenges faced by students and the exciting scope of the subject as a consequence. The book uses examples of philosophical texts from a wide range of authors to explore strategies that enable the student to develop critical reading skills. The book also offers advice on taking notes, analyzing arguments, using resources effectively, and writing philosophical essays.

Concise and accessible, this book equips the student with the tools needed to succeed at undergraduate level, presenting a variety of practical strategies for tackling tasks that a first-year student will inevitably encounter.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2008

Reviews

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review in English • en Français • en Español
Good book. In general, I find it relevant for any first year university students in social sciences. And personally, there are a lot of good insights and practical tips, especially for reading and writing better.
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Un bon livre. En général, je le trouve pertinent pour n’importe quel élève universitaire de première année en sciences humaines ou sociales. Personnellement, j’y ai lu plusieurs bons conseils pratiques, particulièrement pour mieux lire et écrire.
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Un buen libro. Generalmente, lo encuentre muy pertinente para cualquier alumno en primer año de universidad en ciencias humanas o sociales. Personalmente leí muchos buenos y prácticos consejos, particularmente para leer y escribir mejor.

[Mdk]

Doing Philosophy is a great introduction to the study of, or doing of philosophy, which includes reading, taking notes, discussing and writing essays. It is aimed toward university undergraduates beginning their study of philosophy, but it can be applicable to anyone wanting to study philosophy, of which I belong to the latter.

I really enjoyed the section on Reading Philosophy as I found it more applicable for my immediate needs, and is in fact, the cornerstone to doing philosophy. Different kinds of texts are discussed. If that journal article has you stumped, it's okay; the authors claim that even professional philosophers sometimes need to read an article several times to understand it. They say that when reading about a subject, it is essential to review arguments both for and against an idea. When reading philosophy, you must be careful to read thoroughly, and not skim. No speed reading! They offer a "structured reading" guide which will enhance your experience. Reading philosophy poses many challenges, such as technical language and translation issues, just to name a few. The authors cover this adequately.

Applicable to university students, they explain how plagiarism can take many forms, and how to avoid it.

Included in the "Writing Philosophy" section are four types of sample questions that one may need to write essays about. They discuss how you should think about the issue or question.

I believe my having read this book will benefit me in my self-study of philosophy and can do the same for you, whether a university student or on your own.

[Karlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know absolutely nothing about philosophy, as in you are starting from absolute ground zero, this is a fabulous book.

[Faris Toyyib · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's a very useful practical guide to doing philosophy in academia.

[Keely · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally finished this. Although it had a lot of information and helpful tips in it, a lot of it seemed like common sense and stuff that by now you should know anyway, otherwise how would you have got through A levels.

To me, it seems rather dull and I don't think I will be reading it again. I may look at bits if I need guidance on, say, approaching a type of essay question.

This book is okay to read once... but once is enough.

[Tracy Poff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, but much more focused on the 'student' aspect than the 'philosophy' aspect, in many places. Where it gave guidance specific to philosophy, it was interesting. Where it acted as a general guide for how to be a student, it was very dull.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful for people considering a degree in Philosophy but have never had formal education in the subject. A great how-to, but empty of the content of philosophy.

[Ietrio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite a dull read. It prepares you to the silly activity of brown nosing philosophy professors. That is about it. It is okay. But it won't start a love of knowledge.