Completely agreed. I'd suggest starting with Descartes or the Pre-Socratics Heraclitus and Parmenides. It's been said "all philosophy is a footnote to Plato." Just as truthfully, imho, Plato poisoned philosophy, although the idea of forms would have emerged eventually. As Brian Eno said in a lecture of the rock band Pere Ubu, "someone has to do the dirty work."