How to Think Like a Philosopher: Essential Principles for Clearer Thinking

by Julian Baggini

As politics slides toward impulsivity, and outrage bests rationality, how can philosophy help us critically engage with the world?

How to Think Like A Philosopher is a revelatory exploration of the methods, tenets and attitudes of thought that guide philosophy, and how they can be applied to our own lives.

Drawing on decades of enquiry and a huge range of interviews, Julian Baggini identifies twelve key principles that promote incisive thinking. Pay attention; question everything; seek clarity, not these are just a few of philosophy's guiding maxims which can be applied to everything from understanding the impact of climate change to correctly appraising our own temperaments.

Both a fresh introduction to philosophy covering canonical and contemporary philosophers, and an essential, practical guide to good thinking, How to Think Like a Philosopher shows us the way to a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking, to politics, and to life.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Unfinished, Audiobook

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Julian Baggini is a British philosopher and the author of several books about philosophy written for a general audience. He is the author of The Pig that Wants to be Eaten and 99 other thought experiments (2005) and is co-founder and editor of The Philosophers' Magazine. He was awarded his Ph.D. in 1996 from University College London for a thesis on the philosophy of personal identity. In addition to his popular philosophy books, Baggini contributes to The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, and the BBC. He has been a regular guest on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time.

Reviews

[Joshua Bertolotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read!

This book is a fantastic read! Anyone interested in philosophy or living the good life will love it. The author delivers an extremely thought-provoking guide to thinking well!

[LPosse1 Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5 Stars — A Friendly (and Brain-Sharpening) Guide to Clear Thinking

How to Think Like a Philosopher by Julian Baggini was a wonderful and surprisingly fun discovery. I grabbed this book on a sunny afternoon at the Printer’s Row Book Fest in August — the University of Chicago booth was offering irresistible discounts, so I took a chance. Turned out to be a bargain and a great read!

Going in, I didn’t know much about Baggini. Most of my recent philosophy reading has been more historical or rooted in ancient traditions — from Buddha to Socrates to the Stoics. This book is doing something a bit different. It’s not a history of philosophical schools or a tour of the ancient greats. Instead, Baggini focuses on the how of philosophy — how to recognize faulty arguments, how to reason more clearly, and how to question assumptions without getting lost in the clouds.

I’ll admit, after a few chapters I started to feel like I was back in my undergraduate logic class (a slight sweat included). But Baggini’s tone is engaging, even playful at times, and the structure is user-friendly enough that I never felt left behind. He really does hand the reader the tools to think more rationally and carefully.

One minor quibble: Baggini drops a lot of names — modern philosophers, contemporary writers, various thinkers. Sometimes that pulls attention away from his main thesis and sends your mind wandering toward those other books instead. Still, it’s clear that he’s drawing on a wide range of influences, and that enthusiasm is part of his charm.

By the end, I not only learned a lot — I also found myself wanting to seek out more of the author’s work. Baggini clearly has an entire bookshelf of ideas to explore.

In a world where sloppy reasoning is everywhere, this book is a refreshing reminder that thinking well is both a skill and a lifelong pursuit. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to strengthen their mental toolkit — and have some fun along the way.

[Phil Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great book.
I decided to read it before having a bit of a dive into some philosophy, and I'm glad I did. It's not only going to help me to read some philosophy, but it's going to help me be a better thinker all round. I suspect I'll end up re-reading it a few times over the coming years, because even by making notes, I don't believe I've got anywhere near the most from it on a single reading.
As well as having excellent content, it's very well written, very clear, and with just enough humour to break it up, although at no point did it approach any level of tedium.
I'll be looking out for other books from Mr Baggini!

[Jeff Przybylo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really the first book on philosophy I’ve ever read. It was an excellent review of the general concepts. I thought the organization of the book was good. I think there might’ve been two or three too many chapters. As I got towards the end of the book, it tended to drag quite a bit. I did like the conclusion chapter as well as the glossary. This is a good read, and I learned quite a bit from it.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a philosophy book it is a darn good "how to" book. As a "how to" book it is a darn good philosophy book. There are quite a few practical suggestions as to how to live and think as a philosopher would. Speaking as one who thinks philosophy much of the time I found this appealing.

[Desollado · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third book by the author, and he continues to impress me with his clear prose and balanced perspective. While many of the subjects and cited authors are familiar to me, his ability to weave years of philosophical thought into a cohesive, engaging narrative is remarkable.

Easily one of the most accessible and compelling introductions to philosophy I’ve encountered.

[Chris Boutté · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a 5-star book until the very end. It’s honestly an amazing book, and I binged it, but the issue I have with it is one that I think warrants a point reduction. Overall, this is another phenomenal book from Julian Baggini about various aspects of philosophy to help the reader become a better thinker.

I honestly thought I was going to get super bored with this book, but even the boring topics were super interesting. Each chapter discusses different topics, like the important of following the facts, why it’s important to use the right language, and a ton more. Not only does he relate these types of thinking to real-world scenarios, but he also discusses various philosophers and their thoughts on these different subjects.

The issue I have with this book comes towards the end. He starts critiquing different philosophers, and that’s fine; I do enjoy hearing debates about these topics. The problem is that he reduces their arguments to a single sentence, which I don’t think is fair. For example, he states that Sam Harris’s view on morality is that neuroscience will find an answer for it. It’s not necessarily incorrect, but Sam’s book The Moral Landscape is one of the first philosophical books I read. It’s pretty reductive to simplify someone’s book to a single sentence.

I barely feel justified in writing reviews about books because I like to keep them pretty short, and I don’t think I could ever properly summarize the author’s views and intent in just a few paragraphs. But to take multiple philosophers/thinkers and distill their views to a sentence or two, saying their wrong, just doesn’t sit well with me.

Overall, this is an excellent book. I just didn’t like this one aspect of it.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Algemene beginselen van de fundamentele wijsbegeerte in actie. Een opfrissend, nuchter, algemeen-vormend en propaedeutisch trakaat, want “zo goed mogelijk gebruikmaken van de rede is niet alleen maar een praktisch middel tot een doel, het is een morele plicht.” Een memento van Baggini aan zichzelf (en de lezer): “Mijn scepsis was de zoveelste overwinning van de sceptische filosoof op de kritiekloze kudde. Maar in zekere zin was ik juist niet sceptisch genoeg: ik stelde te weinig vragen bij mijn eigen vragen.” En de essentie, in de geest van Simone Weil, is dat alles begint bij aandacht.

[Niklas Kervinen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ihan ok, mut ootko kattonu...

[Abiyyu Ismunandar · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the start of reading this book I actually thought that Julian Baggini is a woman but after flipping through the back I saw that he is actually a man. Which has nothing to do with the quality, how insightful, and useful the book is after I have finished reading it.

Baggini’s writing may seem hard sometimes because of the vocabularies that are used which causes difficulty in understanding the ideas he presented. This can be seen in the chapter “Watch Your Language” where he explains that philosophers tend to think and pay attention to the words that they use. During his explanations he presents examples and ideas using some pretty hard vocabularies which caused my first read through of this book to be quite difficult. However, this does not mean that the whole book is filled with hard to understand vocabularies that requires the reader to have a mega brain to understand and appreciate this book. Baggini is very careful with the way he writes so that most of his writing is able to be appreciated by anyone who reads his book. But sometimes there are just some concepts that are too hard to simplify without misinterpreting the knowledge he presented. Which highlights the quality that Baggini strives to keep when he wrote this book.

Baggini’s book highlights 12 ways of thinking that philosophers should adopt. These 12 ways of thinking are as follows:

1. Pay attention
2. Question everything
3. Watch your steps
4. Follow the facts
5. Watch Your Language
6. Be eclectic
7. Be a psychologist
8. Know what matters
9. Lose your ego
10. Thinking for yourself, not by yourself
11. Only Connect
12. Don’t give up

From these 12 ideas Baggini then introduces the reader to familiar concepts like logical fallacies. This is the part that I found the most insightful because he provides great examples whenever he introduces one of the fallacies. I feel like this helps the reader to better grasp the logical falacy and will then help in spotting fallacies whenever there are arguments. Other than the 12 ways of thinking and the crash course in some common logical falacies, Baggini also introduces the reader to a variety of philosophers ranging from many backgrounds. His background of being a co-creator of the *Philosopher’s Magazine* provides the reader to be introduced to a variety of philosophers from the current day and age. Baggini’s knowledge of philosophical thinking and his wide array of philosophical ideas provides an insightful experience when reading his book.

As previously mentioned, Baggini’s explanation of some of the common logical fallacies is not only insightful but also very useful. His explanations are usually paired with examples that are not too far from the present. He takes examples from events that are not so far from us such as what happened during the pandemic. Baggini also uses some current and topical issues such as the ethics of eating animals, believing in conspiracy theories, and many others. This book is also quite useful for the current political climate in Indonesia (this review is written in Jan 25 2024) because by being aware of logical fallacies readers of this book can better his/herself in understanding arguments that are being presented by the upcoming candidates. From both the presidential and legislative candidates. Being aware of possible logical fallacies in the arguments that the candidates or their supporters present, readers of this book can traverse the political climate in a more nuanced way. One of the most useful advice the book has provided to me is that being a philosopher is not only focusing on possible holes of an argument but also finding the counter argument of the topic’s strongest argument. By finding the counter argument to the strongest argument, we can then become closer to the truth. Baggini has not only provide useful examples that current but he also provides many useful advices for readers to then implement in her or his daily lives.

In conclusion, Julian Baggini's book offers a rich exploration of philosophical thinking through 12 essential ways of approaching ideas. Despite initial challenges with vocabulary, the book's quality and accessibility shine through. Baggini's insightful explanations of logical fallacies, accompanied by pertinent examples, provide readers with valuable tools for critical thinking. The diverse range of philosophers introduced and Baggini's background as a co-creator of *Philosopher's Magazine* enhance the reader's experience. The practical application of philosophical concepts to contemporary issues, such as the pandemic and ethical dilemmas, underscores the relevance of Baggini's work. As Indonesia grapples with its political climate, the book's guidance on recognizing logical fallacies proves especially beneficial, urging readers to approach arguments with nuance and seek counterarguments for a more profound understanding of truth. Overall, Baggini not only imparts philosophical wisdom but also equips readers with practical tools for navigating the complexities of everyday life.

[Tiago Massoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely read something so insightful.

[Outdoors Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will need to reread and make more notes. A glorious and deeply educational read from the people's philosopher.

[Thomasina Jordan-Rhodes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging principles, I do recommend this book. It may take a while to get through but overall enjoyed the process.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siitä asti, kun luin Sofian maailman 12 vuotiaana, olen pitänyt filosofiaa kummallisena hiusten halkomisena ja mahdottomien kysymysten vatulointina. Pakolliset filosofian kurssit koulussa ja yliopistossa eivät juuri muuttaneet käsitystäni. Baggini muutti, ainakin osittain. Tämä Bagginin Filosofisen ajattelun opas sai niin kiinnostavan arvion (muistaakseni) Hesarissa, että valitsin sen kesälomalukemistooni. Oiva valinta. Bagginin kirja tarjosi juuri sopivia aivopähkinöitä lomailevalle pääkopalleni olematta kuitenkaan masentava tai pitkästyttävä.

Moni kohta Bagginin oppaasta oli tuttu mediakriittisyyden ja tiedonhallinnan taitojen oppikirjoista: tilastoharhat, ennakko-oletukset, päättelyvirheet, vahvistusharha (nimetty uudelleen “minun puoleni vääristymäksi”), lähdekritiikki. Hän kuitenkin syventää näitä paitsi ajankohtaisin tai filosofiasta nousevin esimerkein, myös osoittamalla, kuinka niissä voidaan mennä ojasta allikkoon. Esimerkiksi skeptikko voi asettaa todisteille niin korkeat vaatimukset, ettei usko enää mihinkään. Kunnolliseen lähdekritiikkiin kuuluu kuitenkin myös vahvuuksien ja etujen etsintä, ja lopulta myös pieni epävarmuuden sieto. Tärkeää on lisäksi muistaa tunnistaa omat motiivinsa ja puolueellisuutensa, sekä tietysti oman osaamisen ja tietämyksen rajat.

Kirjan luvut alkavat mainioilla lainauksilla Dostojevskin romaaneista. Tällä Baggini haluaa alleviivata taiteen ja fiktion arvoa ajattelun syventäjänä sekä uusien näkökulmien ja kokemusten avaajana. Yhtä lailla tärkeänä hän pitää avointa mieltä, erilaisiin näkemyksiin tutustumista, eri osapuolten kunnioittamista, siis kaikenlaista yhteistyötä ja parviälyn hyödyntämistä. Omaa alaansa (ja muitakin) hän kritisoi ajoittaisesta hyödyttömien intellektuaalisten pelien pelaamisesta, poteroihin kaivautumisesta, älyllisestä itseriittoisuudesta sekä tarkoituksellisesta vaikeaselkoisuudesta. Samalla hän antaa esimerkkejä filosofeista, jotka eivät ole toimineet näin.

Minulle Bagginin kirja toimi juuri kuten hän varmasti oli toivonutkin, mielenkiinnon herättelijänä filosofiaa käsitteleviä kirjoja kohtaan. Olen yhä sitä mieltä, että moni kirjailija (ja taitava kaunokirjallisuuden kääntäjä) muotoilisi jotkin ajatukset selkeämmin, mutta Baggini ja hänen suomentajansa Tapani Kilpeläinen onnistuivat silti varsin hyvin. Filosofisen ajattelun opas on sujuvaa ja selkeää luettavaa, eikä tähän arvioon mahtunut kuin hitunen sen sisällöstä. Kannattaa siis lukea itse kirja!

[Neil Kenealy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across Julian Baggini from his philosophy articles for Prospect Magazine. Then I noticed that Baggini takes up half a shelf in the philosophy section of my favourite bookshop. A lot of tours of philosophy go from Socrates up to Marx and beyond. By the time you’ve worked through the Ancients and on up to the Enlightenment, you're worn out. It’s head-wrecking then to get into the issues of our modern age. This book goes straight to the issues of today and does it by approaches to philosophy skills that are worth learning.

It's packed with examples of bad thinking and good thinking. It helps to make sense of the world while slipping in philosophical concepts. There’s a handy glossary at the end too. He has had conversations with modern living philosophers who contribute to a philosophy magazine that he edits. The oldest dead philosopher he mentions is David Hume from 17th-century Scotland.

Here are the chapter titles
Pay attention
Question everything
Watch your steps
Follow the facts
Watch your language
Be eclectic
Be a psychological
Know what matters
Lose your ego
Think for yourself, not by yourself
Only connect
Don't give up

In follow the facts he shows how to debunked conspiracy theories, sayings, superstitions, etc.

Watch your language shows how important it is to have agreement on what words mean.
You will learn a bit of Latin in this book and also learn not to be intimidated by it. Ad hominem means you’re playing the man, not the ball – it’s a foul in football as well as philosophy. Cui bono is who benefits? Implicit bias and confirmation bias. Small pond syndrome. Get your own small pond and be a big fish in it and stick to your guns. Very seductive way of going about life. An example of someone who did this was Robert Pirsig, who was very successful with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. However, he never developed his philosophy and just stuck with his original theory. The second album was his downfall and he claimed it was his best

Know What Matters tackles the most difficult problem of how to understand why people believe things that you find to be unbelievable, e.g., not believing vaccination is a good thing or believing in a God that would send people to hell for eternity. The takeaway is don't just think about what people believe but why they believe it.
Each chapter has a summary at the end that is worth going back over. This is an invaluable reference book worth coming back to.

[Jaakko Talonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirja tarjoaa syvällisiä näkökulmia filosofiseen ajatteluun ja ihmismielen kehittämiseen. Keskeisenä teemana on todellisuuden hyväksyminen sellaisena kuin se on, korostaen, että luonnonlait ja realiteetit eivät ole ihmisen toiveiden tai uskomusten alaisia.

Kirjassa painotetaan objektiivisen totuuden etsintää ja ihmisen rajoitteiden tunnustamista, mikä vaatii luonteenlujuutta ja rehellisyyttä. Filosofinen ajattelu nähdään prosessina, jossa kriittinen itsetutkiskelu ja kysymysten asettaminen ovat olennaisia, ja jossa on tärkeää tutkia myös omia kysymyksiään syvällisemmin. Yksilöllinen ajattelu mahdollistaa luovuuden ja syvällisen analyysin, mutta kirja muistuttaa, että se on tehokkainta, kun sitä yhdistetään muiden näkökulmiin.

Lopuksi rohkaistaan itsenäiseen ajatteluun, mutta korostaa samalla yhteisöllisen vuorovaikutuksen merkitystä ajatusten rikastuttamisessa.

[Marty LaFleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that delves into how philosophers think-with the hope of improving the thinking skills of non-philosophers. This book fills the space in between a how-to book and a deep dive into a specific philosophical question. I found this at times to be effective and at other times Baggini would get bogged down or go down a path that felt both tangential and under-explored. Nevertheless, Baggini makes a lot of complex points in a digestible manner and I learned a lot about how to think about societal problems better. I especially liked that he would connect the concepts he was discussing to modern issues like eating meat, vaccines, and climate change. Overall, I liked this book, think it will improve my reasoning skills, and would recommend it.

[Nosemonkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do like Baggini. Always readable, and manages to make the complex clear - while ensuring you're always aware that he's merely scraping the surface, and you really ought to think more deeply.

This isn't as self-help booky as the title suggests, though its chapter summaries would - as crib notes - make a useful office wall chart reminder.

The basic recommendations are ultimately boiled down to four key points, rather than twelve - and I quite like them. As ever, their simplicity belies their complexity:

- Attend
- Clarify
- Deconstruct
- Connect

Or, more simply still: "Don't jump to conclusions, crawl to them..."

[Mari]

As a person who's never studied philosophy before, I was looking for an easy way to start understanding a bit more about the subject and this book seemed to be suitable for that. Well, it wasn't easy at all even though at times I got a grip of stuff here and there, and even enjoyed a bit when surprisingly succeeding, ha!

Long story short: this wasn't what I expected and because of being so unaware about the basics of philosophy, I really don't feel like giving any stars this time. It's not the fault of the book, only its uneducated audience who needs to start with some kind of a philosophy for dummies guide instead.

[Leo Stranius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loistava kirja filosofisesta ajattelusta oman ajattelun tueksi.

Tiheää ja täyteläistä tekstiä, jota pitää lukea ajatuksella. Bonusta siitä, että jokainen luku päättyy selkeään yhteenvetoon.

Yksi juttu jäi mieleeni. Julian Baggini kirjoittaa kirjassaan toivon kirouksesta. Toivo kun saattaa passivoida odottamaan jotain mitä ei koskaan tule. ”Toivo on usein olennaista. Mutta siitä tulee kirous, jos sitä ei voi koskaan tyydyttää. Jos elämme toivossa, että eräänä päivänä pystymme selvittämään kaiken, että koko elämästä tulee mielekäs ja kaikki salaperäisyys katoaa, päädymme turhautumiseen ja pettymykseen."

[Marnix Verplancke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aan de hand van twaalf principes legt Julian Baggini uit wat er specifiek is voor het filosofische denken, en dat blijkt vooral om het aannemen van de juiste houding te gaan en niet aan het volgen van een paar regeltjes. Filosofie is meer dan enge rationaliteit, toont hij, maar behelst een openheid naar de wereld en de ander toe, en het besef dat je nooit een filosoof bent, maar er alleen je hel leven lang een kunt blijven worden, of zoals Jaques Derrida zei: ‘Filosofische vragen laten zich niet makkelijk oplossen, anders was dat in het verleden al lang gebeurd.’”

[Balakrishna Chadalawada · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book, especially for someone who is not into the subject. I came across this in a museum and bought it then and there and the book was really worth the time. A bit sanctimonious at parts but still and going by how tight the topic is, the author should be completely forgiven. A great book in overall and would consider it a must read. There are some really nice things to learn from the book and use them.

[Dkettmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Baggini. This audiobook is a great presentation of actionable (in the thinking sense) advice on how to not fall into mental traps or misteps. I would love to give this a second listen sometime. It is so dense, with interesting and sound viewpoints on many different ways to leverage the lessons pilosophical thinking can teach us.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking is Hard Work

While I don't agree with everything the author wrote, he gives a good blueprint on how to think like a philosopher. Some of the material seemed to be geared toward those who had a background in philosophy. I didn't know all the names mentioned in the book. This is book that probably needs to reread a few times.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book, with many well-grounded principles with good examples, and a fair variety of philosophers. There are a few that recur throughout the book, and I may have wanted an even bigger repertoire, but it still hits the mark with me. Quite a few new philosophers to keep an eye on, and a great amount of ideas to implement into life and thought.

[Cole Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of the best philosophy books I've ever read. I highlighted so many different paragraphs that I loved, and learning so much only made me want to dive deeper into the subject. Not only that, I think it's a very important book to read, as it teaches you about critical thinking, how to make good arguments, listen well, and become a better person.

[Trương Đạt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is lovely by offering a view into the same problems that ordinary people and ‘philosophers’ would face while trying to demystify the truth. As I’m a greedy person, I just wish that the book would be richer in volume by offering more philosophical narratives.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, this should be called How to Think Better - it's a twelve-step program for cleaer reasoning. If everyone read this, and tried to put its advice into practice, the world would be a better place. Read immediately.

[Mohamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب قادر على جعلك توسّع أفاقك في التفكير، وفي الوقت ذاته قد يزيد من حيرتك في طريقة فهمك للحياة.

[Cliff Collier · Rating 2 out of 5]

It would have been a better read if he followed his own advice better.