New on philosophy

Philosophers tend to think about and discuss all sorts of stuff, but the biggie is generally existence. I'd advise starting small, and doing some reading.

Plato is one of the greatest thinkers of all time, and is the foundation of much (but not all, I caution you) modern thinking. He's also really, really readable, a characteristic not shared by many philosophers (e. g. Heidegger can be a slog).

Start with The Apology, The Crito and the Phaedo, and they all just so happen to be here.

Thank you. It is much obliged.

Jespah, as important as Plato is for the history of western philosophy, I hesitate to recommend him as a start for a beginner--for fear that he might be imprinted with the platonist bias. I would feel the same regarding the influence of Descartes. This perspective has been reinforced for me by a long discussion with Bob Wells (Dyslexia).
What I WOULD recommend as an introduction for a beginner is
The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant, a great introduction to the field in general. He can buy a used paperback copy in decent shape from Amazon for less the $2.00.

The Worldly Philosophers is a fair overview, though maybe overly concerned with economics - which is where the Worldly comes from.

Durant is an engaging writer. Great suggestion.

How things are formed can be approached epistemologically or scientifically, imo. The former deals with the conditions of possible experience, whether that be between me and the world (correspondence), me and other people (coherence), or me, other people, and the world (which combines correspondence and coherence). The latter investigates what exactly things are made up of and how they are formed (along with a good number of other things).

I do not include metaphysics because that area of philosophy, imo, will never tell you "what" things are made of. It will only tell you that things are identical, non-contradictory, and exist (which is obvious). Epistemology and scientific inquiry tell you "what" things and process are, as far as content is concerned.

Welcome to the forums, btw. Hopefully you're not here to simply post a question and leave, never to return. That happens a lot around here for whatever reason.

Thank you all very much. This is helpful and it's much obliged.

Not sure N what you mean by "formed." If you mean "created," I'd propose that creation is unnecessary since She, It, has always existed

(1) The value of philo or speculation, often dismissed as hopeless conjecture. According to the general principle that nothing is entirely anything while everything is partly something else, science and philo blend into one another

Good for you, indeed the biggest mystery of all. Based on recent suggestions that the physical constants may be interdependent, one might speculate that things are the way they are, because they can't be any other way. A change in any one would entail a contradiction, negate the Entire Production

Thus Sci Teach not a philo

Happy to chat however worthless my views considered hereabout. Please N specify any subject of especial interest

JL's suggestion re:the Will Durant book is excellent. It's better to get an understanding of what philosophy is all about and who the noted philosophers of the past are before getting involved in reading the works of any specific philosopher.

Durant's work is my first exposure to philosophy (in my early twenties). And ever since I've read philosophy recreationally because it renders life INTERESTING. I turn to Science for an understanding of how the physical world works; I turn to mystical religion (mainly zen) to see how life and death are ultimately worthwhile; I turn to literature and art for an aesthetic appreciation of the human condition.

Sounds like you and I have remarkably similar reading habits, JL, right down to the Zen.

I read the Durant book when I was a freshman at university (on my own,not as required reading). As an undergrad upper classman I actually minored in Philosophy. Today, I no longer remember why. Except for certain treatises on mysticism, I now tend to avoid books of straight philosophy and wonder why I found it so fascinating when I was young.

That declaration is surprising specially when matched to your signature and participation in this forum...but you are right nonetheless, the usefulness of formal philosophical studies is relative...philosophy should above all be a personnel commitment, not something that you go learn in a book and borrow.

And also, don't limit yourself to one type of philosophy. Try to at least understand as many philosophies as you can, for they all, probably have some aspect to the Truth. Aristotle, Nietzsche, Plato, Aurelius, etc. all have some useful and good input on their views of nature.