My thinking is muddled. Developing ideas and arguments in text isn’t one of my strengths. I have noticed that my writing often turns abstract and philosophical. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the intent is not to be philosophical from the outset and as a result the writing often lacks clarity and rigor.
A study of philosophy should help me think better. You only are as good a writer as you are a reader and reading philosophy should help me learn how ideas are developed throughout a text. Perhaps this is another form of procrastination and only writing more would help with the skill. But I think philosophy is a discipline where you play with ideas and that in itself appears to be something with general benefits.
That said, a risk of being too abstract and academic exists. But that’s like worrying about crashing out in a high-speed chase before learning how to drive. I’ll only know if philosophy is useful for me if I get into it.
Learning a new discipline adds stimulus to life. Trying out new things is a well-known cure for boredom. I can be like a very intelligent dog that can turn self-destructive if you don’t challenge it enough.
So it begins, a journey into philosophy. I intend to start with Bertrand Russell’s history of western philosophy and we’ll see where to go from there.
white ants 