Originally Posted by
YesNo
I generally look for a book in the "A Very Short Introduction" series published by Oxford University Press. They happen to be at my local library and they are short (about 120 pages). If I like an author, I might read something else they wrote. I don't like all the authors I have read, but even reading someone I ultimately disagree with, I feel I have got the best arguments from an opposing viewpoint. That is useful information.
Why read philosophy? The main reason is not to have to reinvent the wheel. The second main reason is to get one's mind nudged out of the obvious and taken for granted reality that is not likely true.
Where should one start? Start with the questions that bother you enough to spend time reading 120 pages on the topic. If your questions are similar to mine you might enjoy Stephen Mumford and Rani Lill Anjum's "Causation".