Plan ahead. Since you usually won’t understand everything the first time through, leave time for reading philosophy texts more than once or twice, preferably with some time for reflection between readings. You often need to know where the author ends up before you can appreciate what she is doing early in the piece.
Get the lay of the land. Try skimming the text to find out what it’s about: read the introductory paragraph(s) to get an overview of the author’s aim and position; note chapter or section headings and transitional paragraphs for a sense of the structure of the piece; and find out whether a conclusion is explicitly stated. If you spot unfamiliar words, look them up now; if the book has a glossary, as many translated texts do, check that for the meanings of special terms.
Read actively and critically. It’s a good sign if your preview of the text suggests questions and problems such as, She’ll never make me believe that? —or, This is completely different from the last text we read! —and, Why should I care about this? When you begin reading the text systematically, challenge the text and ask more questions as you go along. Later, you can ask yourself whether the author met your challenges or answered your questions. You might also note whether the author’s style aids or hinders her argument.
Writing is rethinking. It can be helpful (when the text belongs to you, not the library) to note your challenges and questions, as well as the author’s main arguments and claims, in the margin. This will give you guidelines for rereading the text later. Active reading implies writing. Try these exercises:
- lay the book aside and summarize what you’ve read in a few sentences;
- using the book, outline the main steps of a central argument;
- note your objections to the author’s thesis.
Such writing, and the thinking that goes into it, can help you figure out which parts of the text you need especially to study again, and can even help you formulate a position on the assigned reading. Ask yourself whether thr’s premisses are true, and whether they sufficiently establish the conclusion.
Aim to be thorough. Try the above exercises for the text as a whole to be sure you see why the author has brought up each point along the way. You may decide that some parts are more important than others, or that there is something missing. An apparent repetition may be the development of another point; or an apparently separate point may turn out to be a repetition.
Discuss the arguments and ideas. Ask questions or raise issues in class. Talk to your classmates or others and compare your reactions. Philosophical dictionaries and other secondary sources can help you see whether you have grasped a particular idea or argument. Don’t assume you’re wrong just because someone disagrees with you: there are serious disputes among scholars about the meaning of most philosophical texts.
Draw warranted conclusions. Understanding a text isn't a neutral process: you will probably develop a perspective on the arguments and positions you encounter. Make these explicit and test them against the text. If you aren't sure what you think, try figuring out the implications of assuming the argument is unsound. Then try assuming the argument is sound and applying it to another example. Are there difficulties? In any case, while it is important to draw conclusions about what you are reading, in philosophy, as in science, we learn time and again that we need to be ready to rethink our ideas in the light of new arguments and experiences.
