/lit/ - Literature

>>13647098
It improves metaphysics of human being for sure. It helped me in taking joy out of everything that is harmful on many levels. Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, generally socrates's philosophy benefits psychological life. At least I think it does.

>>13647098
It helped me with motivation, mental wellbeing and overall living happily. As well as not giving af about jerkish people. But I suppose with it not being a = a science, results may vary person to person.

Yes of course, it allows you to examine and change your own mindset which is the first and most important step in changing your life.

>>13647098
It really depends on you and what you're reading. Is your employer the federal government? Then extensive reading on political philosophy and ethics would probably be very beneficial for you. Are you an artist? Then philosophy of aesthetics will be invaluable reading material for you. And so on.

As far as Nietzsche is concerned since you posted him, I don't think there's any "practical benefit" to reading him unless you consider yourself a visionary, or psychologically ill (in a Poe or Proust sense), or find yourself in a position of social power. In any of those three cases, you will find practical value in reading him. Otherwise, you're kind of setting yourself up to become deeply estranged from society and unable to take care of yourself (reason for believing this: my diary desu).

People don't realize, but Nietzsche himself even talked about this to some extent—the dangers of spreading literacy to the masses and how the masses won't know how to handle what they read. Philosophy was always for the privileged until recently, and it's why it was solely governed by socially and financially well-off white men for millennia. People forget and ignore that there is an element to classic philosophy (i.e., all of it not in the "self help" or "new age" categories) that can be dangerous to their well-being if they aren't themselves highly privileged members of society. If you have any personal problems, be it financial or psychological or whatever, you shouldn't really be engaging much with philosophy, because it'll likely make those problems bigger for you over time. What you need, if you have those problems, is to focus on working hard, and possibly some kind of religion in your life, like Buddhism if you can't get with Western monotheistic religions.

>>13647098
Enjoyment is practical.

>>13647098
Yeah at the very least you'll learn how to formulate and support better arguments.

>>13647098
Yes, philosophers use axioms to come to conclusions subjects outside the sciences or histories. A good example of philosophy being used practically is the ten commandments. Another good example is Plato's Republic where he talks about how to educate people.

>>13647098
How do I get started with philosophy. Non-meme anwsers only pls.

>>13647098
you can't HANDLE these aphorisms

>>13647098
Reading philosophy will help you do philosophy. Just as communication helps in relationships, contemplation helps in self-knowledge, and choosing helps in decision-making.

My point is, the only way to learn something is to do it.

Pierre Hadot, classical philosopher and historian of philosophy, is best known for his conception of ancient philosophy as a bios or way of life (manière de vivre). His work has been widely influential in classical studies and on thinkers, including Michel Foucault. According to Hadot, twentieth- and twenty-first-century academic philosophy has largely lost sight of its ancient origin in a set of spiritual practices that range from forms of dialogue, via species of meditative reflection, to theoretical contemplation. These philosophical practices, as well as the philosophical discourses the different ancient schools developed in conjunction with them, aimed primarily to form, rather than only to inform, the philosophical student. The goal of the ancient philosophies, Hadot argued, was to cultivate a specific, constant attitude toward existence, by way of the rational comprehension of the nature of humanity and its place in the cosmos. This cultivation required, specifically, that students learn to combat their passions and the illusory evaluative beliefs instilled by their passions, habits, and upbringing. To cultivate philosophical discourse or writing without connection to such a transformed ethical comportment was, for the ancients, to be as a rhetorician or a sophist, not a philosopher.

>>13649216
However, according to Hadot, with the advent of the Christian era and the eventual outlawing, in 529 C.E., of the ancient philosophical schools, philosophy conceived of as a bios largely disappeared from the West. Its spiritual practices were integrated into, and adapted by, forms of Christian monasticism. The philosophers’ dialectical techniques and metaphysical views were integrated into, and subordinated, first to revealed theology and then, later, to the modern natural sciences. However, Hadot maintained that the conception of philosophy as a bios has never completely disappeared from the West, resurfacing in Montaigne, Rousseau, Goethe, Thoreau, Nietzsche, and Schopenhauer, and even in the works of Descartes, Spinoza, Kant, and Heidegger.

>>13649216
>>13649220
very interesting thanks anon

>>13649679
No problem. Good luck

>>13647130
>It improves metaphysics of human being for sure
I'm not sure if you really read philosophy, or if you just skim through Wikipedia articles looking for unknown words, judging by your misusage of the word "metaphysics".

>>13647098
Never hurts to acquaint yourself with ideas that shaped society and intellectual thought, and the origins of our civilization. You learn to formulate and communicate an argument well and delve into complex texts 90% of the population will never crack open, so if you can write a decent essay on those works, you are probably a decent communicator and translator of complicated ideas into easily digestible words, which is a useful skill.

i think philosophy has harmed me incredibly. i am horrified by my existence and the more i try to treat my disease with philosophy the more condemned i feel. why cant i stop? because im desperate and out of control.

philosophy only helps if you are in the position to capitalize on your learnings. for example, learning nietzsche's master/slave morality has done little to improve my quality of life as im not in the position to be a 'master'. My chad friend however, might be able to greatly increase his position in the world if he were to 'red pill' himself.

>>13647098
There was definitely a benefit to reading Stirner. I realized I could just shit all over everything and have a blast.

>>13647098
Well, first of all, it's probably good for you to ponder something more meaningful than; "Waffles or toast for breakfast?" every once in a while. So there's that.

Philosophy, depending on the branch and purpose (philosophy covers an extremely broad range of topics, from the purpose and meaning of life to ethics in agriculture, etc.) can be useful when you're trying to figure out where you stand on a particular issue.

It's sort of like math, but with metaphysical concepts rather than values. A philosophical thesis is sort of like an equation where opposing views become the values, and through the philosophical equation you agree with the most you may find a perspective that's more agreeable than the alternative.

We all use philosophy all the time. Whenever you're for or against something without an extremely specific, technical argument in mind (don't dip your phone in a bathtub - it'll break!) we refer to metaphysical concepts like good/evil, right/wrong, etc. The more perspectives you know, the better equipped you are to formulating a stronger argument.

>>13648095
Based, and dare I say, redpilled?

>>13648095
Can confirm. Neeto dragged me into the sunlight before I was ready. Well worth it.

>>13647098
it makes you see the big picture and brings you out of wageslaverism consumerism NPC mindset

>>13647098
read Evola

>>13647098
ethics are practical

>>13650962
Or any edgy 12 year olds blog posts, same thing. Evola's a pile of shite.

>>13649220
This is just an inferior interpretation to philosophy than Spengler. Hadot is a midwit's genius.

>>13650465
That sounds like some perverse nihilism.

>>13647098
>practical benefit
I'm too detached from the normal life cycle to see what you're aiming at with these words.
My natural curiosity given goals do advance through philosophical studies. In practice it means that I get to choose the gears of my confusion engine and fly on the skies of clarity towards the unknown.
>utilitarian or practical benefit to studying philosophy.
Well, you can justify actions, such as procreation, simply by acknowledging the ongoing processes. Though we don't quite know yet where consciousness and technological development is taking us and the world at large, we can assume it's distinct phenomena similar to every prior layered structure of being.
>I figured it might help you in relationships
I find courage and patience more important.
> and it might help you to understand yourself better which MIGHT help you make better decisions in life.
I found myself disbelieving the money-god.

>>13647098

https://youtu.be/cuq8j5i4kok

>>13648627
Pick something. Any fucking thing.
I like Nietzsche.
Find out what made him construct his philosophy.
Usually, it's another philosopher. Figure out what inspired him.
Repeat until you reach the Greeks.

>>13649220
>C.E.
Opinions discarded.

>>13651906
Then, in almost every case, he begins to see that everything he does, not only in his ordinary life but also in the domain of higher values, only acts as a distraction, creating the illusion of a "purpose" and a "reason," or something that allows him not to think deeply and to go on living. Daily routines, moral codes, faiths and philosophies, intoxication of the senses, and even disciplines appear to have been created or pursued by people in order to hide from their inner darkness, to escape the anguish of the vast fundamental solititude and to elude the problem of the Self.

>>13652406
>Repeat until you reach the Greeks.

I was making progress but then I hit a Plato.