Learn to do philosophy

Introduction

One of the best ways to learn how to do philosophy is to read philosophy. Find philosophical works that interest you and read them critically. While you read them, you should try to ask, "How is what they are saying wrong?" Almost every philosophical work has shortcomings, even those that are written by great and famous philosophers. That is why people still argue about them. A good philosophical work will make you feel persuaded when you first read it, but with a critical and enough time, you can have a better judgement about whether it is true.

Consuming and creating philosophy are two different skills. We usually learn how to consume before we learn how to create. If you want to improve at creating philosophy, you will benefit greatly from receiving feedback from other people also interested in philosophy. It is helpful to discuss philosophy with other students, teachers, and professors.

Resources

• Encyclopedias such as the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy are good places to start when you are wondering about a topic, but it is best to read primary sources to get the full nuance of each view. I try to avoid Wikipedia because it does not capture the full nuance of each subject.
• Your local or school libraries probably has many philosophy books
• Many philosophy books are available at Library Genesis