Is "starting with the greeks" the actual best introduction to literature and philosophy or is it just a meme? I've been lurking here a while and in the context i've seen it used it always looked a little tongue-in-cheek.
>>7402574
Why don't you read them and find out?
>>7402587
Asking here first is easier
not the best introduction to literature
but if you're reading philosophy, the greeks kinda ask all the questions everyone else is trying to answer so they provide a whole lot of context.
Yes and No. If you're a total dummy, you'll most likely be confused if you just jump right into Aristotle. It's best to start with a nice overview like Will Durant's The Story of Philosophy, or Bryan Magee's The Great Philosophers show on youtube. Anthony Kenny's A New History of Western Philosophy is also getting very popular. Or if you're in school, taking an intro to Philosophy class can help a lot. And then after you know all the main concepts philosophy attempts to grapple with, can you study the main thinkers in better depth, in chronological order, starting with the Greeks.
You should also know that for some books, it's not entirely necessary that you should know every single previous philosopher in detail. Sure it's nice to know "the whole story," but still, someone like Camus is a pretty acessible writer. Also, don't be afraid to check up on secondary sources like Stanford's Encyclopedia of Philosophy. And if you're going to youtube for a secondary source, make sure it's not one of those watered down "philosophy for hip kids" shows because they're not worth it.
>>7402608
And this is just for Philosophy though. For literature, there's a lot more variety on how you want to start. Honestly, just pick up anything that doesn't look too hard, but still sounds interesting.
We have a /lit/ starter kit, which are books that have pretty easily interpretable symbolism and themes, to help you get into the "big boy" way of reading and analysing a work of art.
Start with the Indians
R I G V E D A
I
G
V
E
D
A
>>7402574
It's a compromise to make plebs as nonpleb as is feasible. Really one should start with the Sumerians, and no, not in translation.
>>7402574
"All memes are rooted in the truth" - the Greeks
>>7402747
top kek
Greeks will take a bit of effort, but it will give you a solid foundation for further reading in many different fields.
>>7402574
I believe so. This is what I did:
Saw the pic related here when asking if I should start with greeks, decided to follow it. Before starting with the chart, I read a introduction to philosophy book (by some random ass brazilian writer), after that I read a book on the history of Helenic society, and then, started the chart. So far I've read Mithology, Theognis, Trojan War and The Iliad. So far so good, not having much trouble understanding it, and am really enjoying it.
>>7402817
forgot pic, sorry
