/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.15527783]

brainlet here, how do you develop your own opinion about something?

everytime i finish reading a book i look at reviews and posts to see other peoples opinions/interpretations without having one myself.

How do i be articulate and have interesting points like anons on lit and to some extent pol

[Anonymous No.15527793]

>>15527783
Do you have opinions but struggle to articulate them or do you just not have any opinions of your own in the first place and have to see which opinions you agree with?

[Anonymous No.15527799]

>>15527783
>and to some extent pol
This might be your problem. Can you cross board link to an example that's on there now?

[Anonymous No.15527801]

>>15527783
See? This is why you Start with the Greeks™

[Anonymous No.15527811]

>>15527801
This unironically

[Anonymous No.15527814]

>>15527783
Take notes. Read a chapter. Summarize what you noticed, what you think is happening. Do so every chapter, then make a judgement before you interact with anyone else.

Start a discussion on the book with what you gleaned from it, and then wait for responses.

[Anonymous No.15527816]

>>15527783
Do you have an inner monologue?
Are you capable of making decisions and judging things at face?
Have you built your own self identity, or do you just follow a group of people online?

[Anonymous No.15527818]

>>15527783
read On the Sublime by Longinus

[Anonymous No.15527822]

YOU FUCKING IDIOT

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, OP...why do you think it's so difficult or complicated a process? Just open a google doc and type a page or two about the book. Depending on if you are a reader or a writer, you'll likely look at the text differently, but that's it, OP. Just type your thoughts, read them over, and if a particular thought you've written interests you, then just expand on it.

[Anonymous No.15527824]

I have the same issue.
Honestly I stopped caring about having a point of view and I just read to learn more and develop my experience of the world, and because I enjoy it. If someone asks me a question, or something comes up in conversation, than sure I can bring up what I've read or heard on podcasts or whatever, but in the absence of some external perturbation, I really just read and think because I want to live a better life and I don't worry about having some iron-clad ideological view.

[Anonymous No.15527826]

start with basic annotation while you read. Point out things you like or disliked to start out with, and then try to articulate that into analysis. Pretty soon your brain will start naturally analyzing while you read. Avoid the internet and reviews and interpretations too

[Anonymous No.15527940]

like i just seem to take everything at face value. i'm don't know how to connect the dots and whats really being said.

>>15527816
i dont have self identity and im interested to hear how you build your own self identity. All of my beliefs come from random internet people.

>>15527822
i think its a difficult process because i genuinely believe i am a brainlet. i started reading to change but i still cant have arguments of my own and hold an intelligent debate with anyone.

>>15527826
I use to write in a blog but then i stopped after a while, but even then my analysis was really shallow. Ill try taking notes and writing summaries to see how i go.
Im currently reading Sun and steel and pretty much have no idea what the fuck mishima is saying. All i get from it is that
>literature or " words" is bad
>physical body is the only truth
>the author wants to off himself to see if he really exists
i dont understand anything else he says

[Anonymous No.15527941]

>>15527826
This, basically sit down and gather your own thoughts on paper.

[Anonymous No.15528007]

>>15527940
Believe me, OP, most of the people you know irl who you hear give their opinions about society/politics/etc don't know shit, so they either parrot what they've heard their parents or somebody on tv say, or they just have their uninformed opinion. Any 'public intellectual' that you may respect and see as intelligent most certainly (I'll say with 100% confidence) reads a lot, and not just any ole trendy trash, but they are familiar with the great works of history. To really even BEGIN to have an informed opinion/stance on a topic, let's say a topic dealing with politics or government, it would be a mandatory reading to read the most influential thinkers, those people who invented such concepts which our modern societies were built upon. You could probably make a little list of 10-20 people, all philosophers, economists, historians, etc., who, if you were to read their major works, would greatly inform you about the origins of many of these key concepts, and their subsequent effects in and on society.

Most of the political commentators and public figures you hear speaking today are really not that well-read at all, and their understanding of something such as economics or socialism is really their reading of one professor's interpretation of another person's interpretation of another etc etc of the original work. If you read the source material, then you are that much more prepared and informed than these pseuds who just have their talking points which are based on faulty readings.

Even so, having said all of this, if you are capable of critical thinking, then that is enough to start. Read, and think about what you read. Read the best stuff you can get your hands on, because that will stimulate your mind much more than some contemporary slop written by a token minority. That's the purpose of the canon. Great books are written by intelligent writers, and simply by reading them, you are exposing yourself to a very high level of thought which in turn can 'water' your mind and allow your own thoughts and associations bloom. Don't overthink this stuff, my friend. Just read things that have withstood the test of time and that interest you, and you will be on your way...

[Anonymous No.15528211]

>>15527822
Kek

[Anonymous No.15528216]

>>15527783
Do not resent being this way. One of my struggles getting my bachelors was that I'd be told to read book and then write on them, when I honestly felt the book had said enough, and properly. And if you feel that way, continue to feel that way, and try something else. Maybe try relating it to another book rather than developing a new opinion, or, maybe you'll develop one in the process of doing so.

[Anonymous No.15528246]

>>15527783
I am exactly like you, OP. I hope that us brainlets will one day see the light

[Anonymous No.15528273]

>>15527783
Honestly.
Look for the Truth. And not just with measuring up facts with reality, but also with emotions and spiritually like with moral truths.
You have both physical and metaphysical senses, you have logical and reason (I assume), you can sense good and bad, the compass of right and wrong, dignified and undignified, truth and falsehood. Use them to discover truth and thus assemble a truthful worldview.

[Anonymous No.15528437]

>>15527940
>cant have arguments of my own and hold an intelligent debate with anyone
Join a local debate club - you'll learn about important issues in politics, public policy, philosophy, and gain a better appreciation for the diverse perspectives that make up the public sphere.

[Anonymous No.15528485]

>>15527783
Contact your game dev and beg him to add some new lines to your NPC code

[Anonymous No.15528536]

>>15527783
Don't feel obliged to, anon. A lot of people are making a game of coming up with opinions. Focus only on understanding and reflecting, let yourself be struck with opinion, but don't make much of it if you're not. It's a tendency of everyone to fixate on whatever other people seem to do that you don't and worry that it must be an important thing. In this case, it isn't. Just enjoy yourself

[Anonymous No.15528862]

>>15527783
Don't worry, OP. The majority of people who have opinions usually have shitty ones anyway. Read the Greeks to develop a solid foundation for good opinions.

[Anonymous No.15528887]

>>15528437
Nah, he should first learn from the masters of rhetoric aka ancient Athenians. Study how they did it and then maybe consider to join a debate club to put it into practise. I recommend to read about Demosthenes for inspiration, the guy started as a fucking loser but ended up being one of the best ever orators.

[Anonymous No.15528888]

>>15527783
How old are you?
I used to be like you when I was 16. Almost no opinions about anything. Now I'm 21 and have an opinion almost about everything. I think it's just a natural part of growing up.

[Anonymous No.15529422]

Im scared that people like this exist.

[Anonymous No.15529443]

>>15528888
mfw im 21

>>15529422
hey atleast im aware of it and trying to do something about it

[Anonymous No.15529508]

Sometimes I'm in the same boat, sometimes I'm not. It has to do with being prepared. Nto necessarily knowing 100% what you're going to say, but at least having some key sentences around which you can make your argument or your thoughts. How to get original insight? Probably by just going on a tangent with your thoughts; start with saying the basics (or typing 'em out, perhaps creating a small essay of sorts), and then letting your thoughts take over. Just say whatever you think, with no filter. Are you saying stupid shit? Whatever, you won't make the mistake next time. Are you saying good shit? Nice, that'll get stored in your brain for next time. This way you expand (by some kind of trial and error) your reasoning into 'one' coherent thought. It's all about reflecting: say/write stuff with no filter, then look back on it.

[Anonymous No.15529522]

>>15527940
>i dont have self identity and im interested to hear how you build your own self identity. All of my beliefs come from random internet people.
Quite sad desu lad not gonna lie. At least you're trying to change that. It does make me wonder how many people are exactly like this but have no desire to change.

[Anonymous No.15529523]

>>15527783
Your brain is a sponge, your soul is not. You need to acquire a soul or just wait for your next life.

[Anonymous No.15529541]

>>15527783
Having ideas is just as much a learnable skill as an innate ability (though it is still partially an innate ability, of course). You want to practice. Every morning, get out a piece of paper and write down 5 ideas. They can be ideas about anything, books you're reading, your job/studies, news and current events, family/friends, history, music, etc., just try to make them as original as possible. Try to write an idea that not many other people have had before.

[Anonymous No.15529557]

>>15529443
At least you are aware. It's just still crazy to me. Also >>15529541 Don't want to brag but im doing it (having ideas everyday about everything) not on purpose since childhood. I thought that everyone does it. If i have no ideas ill do something that will make my mind work to produce it aka changing environment or doing something new for me. OP you should try that maybe you just stuck in one place with same people and stopped developing?

[Anonymous No.15530747]

I was wondering, do you keep a notebook /Dropbox file with all your thought about the book? Why / why not?

[Anonymous No.15530782]

>>15527940
Read a book and think if you liked it. If yes, try to think why. It doesn't have to be smart. It can be because it sounded deep or had cool action scenes. Now read another book. Maybe you don't like it, even though it has action scenes. Why? Try to articulate the difference. Over time you will formulate opinions on your own.
You don't have to look for all the social commentary and high brow shit. Just read and think if you liked it

[Anonymous No.15530824]

99.99 % of people’s are like you, OP. Only the 0.01 % can or will propose something new from the existing frameworks.

Oh, /lit/ definitely falls into 99.99%. Their memes are funny, but I haven’t seen any interesting ideas from here.

[Anonymous No.15531130]

>>15527783
If you don't feel strongly about something, then you shouldn't have an opinion on it. A strong feeling would be one where you are forced to act to either change or preserve said thing. Acting should not be going down the path of least resistance, since others would have already walked it, and walking in the footsteps of others will not affect anything and is equivalent to having no strong feelings at all. Take the protests happening in the United States for example. Even if these protesters think they feel strongly about the issue, their actions speak louder than their words. They are all following the lead of someone else, who in turn is following someone else, ad infinitum. There is no terminating point; no single individual they can say represents the sum of all of their beliefs, like with MLK or Gandhi. All of them are reacting dynamically without a focal point. It'd be the same as the body of a giant without a brain that is flailing and convulsing on the ground. Without a mind to control it, all of the energy spent moving it is wasted, since it ends up going nowhere.