Reading and Understanding

I want to try to put this a little better than I did in class.  You should read more than once--yes.  Reading philosophy is always re-reading.  It's just required, the way knowing French is required for reading French literature. 

At the same time, there will be things that you don't understand.  That is absolutely no reason to feel bad.  Whenever I don't understand some bit of philosophy--and this happens every single day--I think:  "This philosopher is trying hard to say something important.  It's too bad that they couldn't put it more clearly, but after all, this is hard stuff.  I'll come back to it sometime, when I have learned more in some adjacent work."

So then I go read something related.  Or better, I get into a conversation with someone who also read it.  That always helps.  THAT's what class is for.  It really works.  (But only if you put in the re-reading time.)

Or in other words:  don't ever feel bad if you don't get it.   Feel bad if you didn't try.