Introduction to Philosophy/Why Study Philosophy?
From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection
Studying philosophy means learning to continue a thought about a problem where others stop because it's not their need.
You may also call it something like "vertical" thinking.
Subjects may be perception, epistemology, (history of) political thought, language/speak etc.
Often it is beneficial to have some amount of philosophical knowledge stored away on one's mind for use in making difficult decisions. Throughout life you may be faced with existential crises. It is good to have a large knowledge base in combatting these problems. These things this writer gives from his own experience.
Of course "studying philosophy" makes it necessary, too, that you stop your drift of thinking, since at some point you have to be able to clearly formulate a problem and communicate it to others.
What/who is the other, BTW?
etc.
Then, *why* study philosophy? Because the ways and the history of thinking, ideas, figures are so rich and exciting once you get used to it. Note that philosophical language is almost never babbling. If someone is looping over a problem, then think about how the problem changes with each iteration.
Good luck, and have fun!
