About the book: year / In the temple of Apollo in Delphi, one of the legendary sages left the famous inscription - “know yourself.” Plato devoted his dialogues to unraveling the meaning of the Delphic inscription. This task was taken up by his students and followers. Thus began a philosophical tradition. Thus began the “business of thinking.” Knowing ourselves, learning the meanings and goals of human life and human activity - isn’t this the main task of all our efforts and aspirations? But what is philosophy - science, art or way of life? Why is a holistic view of the world important? What does it mean to evaluate reality (facts and events) from the perspective of the whole? Why is it important to ask ultimate questions? What does it mean to think analytically? How to learn critical thinking and how to practice it? Why does philosophy form a tolerant attitude towards other cultures and contribute to the democratization of society? What do we mean when we talk about reality or actuality? What do we mean by the word “reality”? What can we learn about the fundamental structures of reality? Are there clear criteria for distinguishing between reality and illusion, reality and appearance? What is truth? What does it mean to strive to know the truth? Do we have clear and reliable criteria for distinguishing between truth and lies, truth and deception? The author invites readers to think together about these questions and try to answer them. To become experienced travelers to amazing countries of philosophical thinking. And discover yourself, other people and the world on these journeys... This book is intended as an introduction to philosophy, to the wonderful world of philosophical thinking. She invites you to travel. But philosophical journeys have their own laws and their own unique features. They open paths to special dimensions and spaces: paths inside ourselves, paths to the foundations of reality, to the foundations of scientific knowledge and our imagination. On these paths we discover the nature of values ​​and meanings, connecting the past with the present and future. In all these journeys, maps and navigational instruments serve us with special questions that can be called “fundamental” or “ultimate”. These questions help us discover new lands and stimulate new intellectual journeys. From these questions, from the experience of answering them, European culture was born in all its diversity and richness. In this sense, philosophy can rightly be called the source of European civilization. But at the same time this is the direction of all our wanderings, our way “home”».