5 Questions for Getting More Out of Fiction
Thinking philosophically about what you read can help you learn more and connect to the text more deeply.
Author’s note: The content of this post is derived from an online course I facilitated and co-led at Objective Standard Institute. The course was called “How to Love Literature Even More through Philosophy,” and it was taught by myself, Tim White, Luc Travers, Timothy Sandefur, and Carrie-Ann Biondi, each of whom has his/her own Substack you may enjoy.
Many people regard reading fiction as an unserious activity—something that’s primarily for fun. Though of course a good book is enjoyable, we can get a lot more out of reading by thinking about it more deeply. One method of doing this is what I do on my Substack all the time: identifying and reflecting on the key ideas expressed through the work. But there are many other methods of applying a philosophic mindset to fiction to engage with it more thoughtfully and connect with it emotionally. I’d like to share with you one question that emerged from each of the five sessions of my recent course that you can ask yourself to start getting more out of your reading today.