It's one of the reason I always tell people that the last book they should read from start to finish when studying philosophy is the Bible.
I always get askew glances and responses from this, especially after suggesting a bunch of other philosophical works that pose fascinating and thought-provoking questions.
But the reason for that is because after you read the basics (Aristotle, Epictetus, Plato), the greats (Paine, Descartes, Swami), and the mind-benders (Kant, Heidegger, Wittgenstein), a lot of people are still left with burning questions about some of the basics. So when they ask "Why?" they should read the Bible, I always say..."Because it's the only philosophical book that doesn't focus on the questions, but instead provides answers."
You're quite right. My philosophy courses included a class focused in religion, having us read through both the Bible and the Koran as well as studying some of the ancient European pantheons.
This is such a great comment.
It's one of the reason I always tell people that the last book they should read from start to finish when studying philosophy is the Bible.
I always get askew glances and responses from this, especially after suggesting a bunch of other philosophical works that pose fascinating and thought-provoking questions.
But the reason for that is because after you read the basics (Aristotle, Epictetus, Plato), the greats (Paine, Descartes, Swami), and the mind-benders (Kant, Heidegger, Wittgenstein), a lot of people are still left with burning questions about some of the basics. So when they ask "Why?" they should read the Bible, I always say..."Because it's the only philosophical book that doesn't focus on the questions, but instead provides answers."
You're quite right. My philosophy courses included a class focused in religion, having us read through both the Bible and the Koran as well as studying some of the ancient European pantheons.