A Teenager's Journey into Philosophy: A Guide for Young Minds

As a teenager myself, approaching philosophy from your perspective, I want to share a personal and practical guide to help you embark on this fascinating journey. It's not just about finding the right starting point, but understanding the process that led you to this interest in the first place.

Understanding the Starting Point: Sensory Perception

Just like how children ponder the nature of their existence from a young age, the process of philosophical thought begins way before we realize it. Every child, in every corner of the world, starts this process as early as in their first few years of life. You were already aware of the nature of your improbable existence as soon as you knew you had a mouth to taste and eyes to see. This initial contemplation, though more sensual and pragmatic, marks the beginning of philosophical thought.

The Humean Insight: Is-Ought Conundrum

As far as David Hume, a Scottish philosopher, asserted in A Treatise on Human Nature, the process of philosophical thinking evolves beyond mere sensory perception. The well-known is-ought conundrum highlights that seeing something does not inherently provide the reasoning to act in consequence. A simple example can illustrate this: when a child touches a hot stove, a mother's instinctive reaction is to save the child from injury. This action is driven not by an objective fact but by a subjective belief that preserving life is inherently valuable.

The Philosophical Path: From Existentialism to Postmodernism

As you progress in your philosophical journey, do not forget the foundational insights of Hume and the subsequent developments in existentialism, postmodernism, and beyond.

The Existentialists: Camus and Sartre

Albert Camus and John-Paul Sartre offer unique insights through their concepts of Absurdism and existential rebellion. Camus' idea that living in itself is an act of rebellion provides a meaningful framework to combat the nihilism that often accompanies an impassionate view of the world. This perspective challenges the belief that life inherently lacks meaning, proposing instead that living itself is a statement against such meaninglessness.

The Postmodernists: Foucault and Derrida

Postmodern thinkers like Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida amplify Hume's ideas, suggesting that all morality is a product of subjective interpretation. This relativistic approach to morality directly challenges the Humean notion that moral absolutes are not obtainable through empirical observation alone. While postmodernists argue that there is no single, objective moral truth, they themselves continue to engage in subjective interpretations, suggesting the complexity of philosophical discourse.

Nietzsche: A Critical Thinker

Friedrich Nietzsche further complicates these ideas. He predicted the decline of religion and the rise of a "valueless" man, a concept that aligns with the postmodernist idea of moral relativism. Nietzsche's critique of traditional values and his emphasis on creating one's own meaning in life provide a counterpoint to the despair that can arise from a nihilistic worldview.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

To navigate this journey successfully, it's essential to understand the progression of ideas from Hume to Nietzsche, recognizing that each step in philosophy both supports and challenges the previous one.

**Key Recommendations:**1. **Hume - Explore his A Treatise on Human Nature to understand the is-ought problem.2. **Camus - Read The Myth of Sisyphus to grasp Absurdism.3. **Sartre - Study Existentialism is a Humanism to delve into existential rebellion.4. **Foucault and **Derrida** - Dip into their works to explore the concepts of relative morality.5. **Nietzsche - Start with Thus Spoke Zarathustra to understand his critique of traditional values and his emphasis on self-created meaning.