【beBiter's Select】Content For Those New to Philosophy, Recommended by a Former Philosophy Researcher / Market Development's Yokoyama-san
“beBiter’s Select” is a series in which we have beBit members recommend 3 contents of their choosing according to a theme. The medium of the content can be anything from books, music, movies, tv shows, podcasts, to anything of their choosing!
Our theme for the second installment is “Content for those new to philosophy, recommended by a former philosophy researcher.” We had Yokoyama-san from the Market Development team, who studied philosophy in graduate school, make his recommendations!
日本語の記事はこちらから
Yokoyama-san
Department: Market Development
Year Joined: 2022
■Self Introduction
Hello everyone, I’m Yokoyama from the Market Development Team.
I compose and script videos and seminars introducing our services and plan our web articles and white papers.
I achieved my Masters in Philosophy a few years ago, and have continued to study philosophy as a hobby ever since.
I often blabber about philosophy on the company Slack, and it seems to have caught the attention of the open newsletter team… I hope to take this chance to inspire as many people as I can to take an interest in philosophy!
Content 1:
Online Encyclopedia: 『The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy』
Reason:
A “reliable source of information” is imperative for those just starting out in philosophy.
There are numerous introductory books on philosophy in bookstores. Unfortunately, there are times when popular books are poorly received by those who have studied philosophy professionally.
But, reading the original text or research book can be a heavy load for beginners.
That’s where I’d like to introduce the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP).
The SEP is an online encyclopedia of philosophy (just as the name suggests) that anyone can access for free. In March of 2018 there were already around 1600 entries, and more entries have been updated almost daily.
While the amount of entries is impressive by itself, the quality of each entry is the real catch. The authors are experts in their fields and each entry is peer-reviewed by the editorial board. The opportunity to witness the most up to date knowledge in the industry is something to appreciate!
Content 2:
Book:『An Introduction to Metaphilosophy』
Reason:
Some of you reading this newspaper may be thinking “what’s the point of philosophy?” or “why would I need to study philosophy?” These are extremely valid points.
If you feel this way, I recommend “Metaphilosophy.” The three main questions addressed in this field are <What is philosophy> <How to philosophize> and <Why we should philosophize>.
These are radical questions that could bring an end to philosophy. Ultimately, you may come to the conclusion that philosophy is meaningless and pointless to study.
However, this conclusion, if accompanied by rational reasoning, is far better than facing philosophy half-heartedly.
Unfortunately there are currently no books on the introduction to Metaphilosophy in Japanese. The world’s first introductory Metaphilosophy book is “An Introduction to Metaphilosophy” published by Cambridge University Press.
Therefore, if anyone out there feels that “studying philosophy is meaningless” and “philosophy is dead,” I would love to hear your thoughts! Let’s put an end to philosophy together!
Content 3:
Book『How to Read a Book』
Reason:
Some of you out there may already be interested in Philosophy and passionately feel that you want to read a philosophy book ASAP (I haven’t met any, but if there’s a colony of philosophy lovers out there, please tell me where I can find it!)
But, there are certain ‘techniques’ necessary in order to read philosophy books.
When I first read a business book, I was amazed at how reader-friendly it was! Every word was well defined, a wide variety of examples were available, and the message was extremely clear.
When it comes to Philosophy books, phrases that you’d never face in your daily life such as “A Priori Synthetic Judgements” and “Being-in-the-World” are scattered throughout. There are little to no familiar examples (since many of the examples are from ancient Greece…), so oftentimes you would be left wondering what you just read.
My final recommendation is “How to Read a Book.” This book will grant you the skills necessary to read the heftiest of philosophy books.
One of the authors, Adler, is a renowned philosopher who once taught at Columbia University and the University of Chicago. Through this book, you can acquire the practical reading skills necessary to read philosophy books.
Maybe someday I can host a philosophy book reading session with the people at beBit! Since they’re willing to publish an open newsletter like this, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for an opportunity to make it happen.
Bonus Question
■Lastly, we asked for a single most recommended content regardless of the theme!
Content:
YouTube Channel『大喜る人たち〈大喜利動画〉』（Improv Response Comedy Channel）(Available only in Japanese)
Reason:
This is a Japanese “Improv Response Comedy” YouTube channel. It’s a bit less orthodox than other shows like “IPPON Grand Prix.” Occasionally the rules will be ignored and the primary focus becomes making people laugh. You’ll start to forget what’s right and what’s wrong, and what’s funny and what’s not!