Tips for Understanding Reading .
Philosophy needs to be re-read.
Unlike most fiction and some nonfiction, philosophy needs to be read slowly and deliberately. Don't rush through it - think about issues as they are raised, going back and forth if necessary. And if you're burning out, take a break. You will find that a text can seem quite different the second time through. Summing up a paragraph in the margins makes studying much easier because you already have the bullet points of a crib sheet written.