How to Study the History of Philosophy?

A person who wanted to grasp the philosophy of a given philosopher must know the history of his philosophy. In Fredrick Copleston's book "A History of Philosophy", he stated three points on how to study the history of Philosophy.

First, he stated that a person who wanted to grasp the mind of a given philosopher must know the historical situation the philosopher is in. This means that the person should know the era or the time wherein the philosopher had worked on the philosophy. The philosopher's situation may have an effect on the way of thinking and on the thoughts of the philosopher. In this way, the person would understand better the kind of thinking the philosopher has, thus understanding better the philosophy.

Second, the person must know something about the philosopher as a person. This means that the person must know the background of the philosopher. Backgrounds such as the kind of family he had, how he was brought up, the kind of relationships he had and etc. These backgrounds may determine the kind of thinking the philosopher has, thus affecting his philosophy. 

Lastly, to be able to understand the philosopher's idea, one must learn the history of the philosophy and thoroughly learning the history of the philosophy means being a specialist on the history of the philosophy of the philosopher. Which means that one must dedicate his scholarly life in acquainting himself in the different aspects that influences the philosophy of the given philosopher. This includes studying the things the philosopher has studied, the kind of language he used, the kind of environment the philosopher had and etc. 

Knowing the historical situation of the philosopher, knowing the philosopher as a person, and being a specialist on his philosophy are the points on how to study the history of Philosophy. 


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Source
Copleston, F. 1993. A History of Philosophy Vol. 1. New York; Doubleday.