That's a tough one.

First, I wouldn't try learn philosophical ideas from audio books. You often need to re-read a single sentence many times over, then trackback and re-read the preceding paragraph, then flick back a few pages and read an extract from a previous chapter, then get a philosophical dictionary out, then rummage through a stack of other texts to check if something you read once can be brought to bear on what you are reading now, etc. etc. It is not a linear process.

As for simplifications. That's tough too. I started out reading simplifications of arguments and later discovered that they are only really good for sparing practice. Think of music compression except where you have to reduce the file size to only 1% of the original. You'd be left with only a very basic approximation of the original music and would think 'this is shit'. It is the same with the simplifications of complex philosophical arguments, you end up thinking 'if that's what x said why does everyone suck his balls, it is fundamentally, and screamingly obviously, flawed'. Of course when you come to read the full formulation you discover that the argument is complex, detailed and meaty like a person. Whereas in studying the simplified version what you were studying and criticising was in fact merely a shadow cast by the simplifier's light shone upon the true form of the argument.

A bright cat like yourself is better off going for the real deal, accompanied by some shorter reviews, explanatory texts and critiques and finding others to discuss it with.

You have to treat it like a research project.

I've got some great books with selections of very excellent shorter papers in them that are good for getting your philosophical muscle pumping.


Peace,

kowalski