/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.16255382]

What is your opinion on this book? I've been wanting to read it as its been recommended here as a book on essentially changing your life for the better. I've read a few chapters, it seems like self improvement under heavy philosophical jargon

[Anonymous No.16255511]

>>16255382
Its an anthropology book anon. It talks about how societies came to be. It has nothing to do with self help lmao

[Anonymous No.16256052]

>>16255382
Nope. It's a cultural analysis.
This book is an analysis of human world from right-progressivist prespective .
His main claim is that we focus too much on metaphysics and don't talk enough about praxis and askesis while analysing culture and philosophy.
He also explains "why we do something instead of nothing".
Religiosity, from his perspective, is humans ability to perceive oneself as a medium. Sportsman are religious. Craftsman are religious. Artists are religious. And it has nothing to do with modern perspective of religion. Religions, in fact, do not exist.
Statement "you must change your life" is not a motivational phrase but an absolute imperative which you must follow at all costs.

(By right-progressivism I mean the belief that evolution did not stop when we took the stick in our hand)
If you have any questions I can elaborate.

[Anonymous No.16256118]

>>16255511
Well, there is some truth to is being a self-help book but only for a special breed of people. This book won't give you any answers if you haven't been looking for it your whole life (I did). I would call it a semi-enlightening experience.

[Anonymous No.16256180]

>>16255382
It's gay as fuck.

[Anonymous No.16257025]

>>16255511
This

[Anonymous No.16258410]

>>16255382
It is excellent. It is not self help. It may have some positive benefits for you in the sense that it may relieve you from some mistaken suppositions. But it is philosophy.

[Anonymous No.16258499]

I'm about halfway through it. It's pretty long and I keep thinking of abandoning it, but then he'll say something interesting that brings me back in.

[Anonymous No.16258563]

>>16258499
this kek

[Anonymous No.16259981]

>>16256052
>and don't talk enough about praxis and askesis while analysing culture and philosophy
care to elaborate?

[Anonymous No.16260071]

>>16255382
Would have been the greatest self help book ever if he used simpler language and didn't dwell on 20 topics at once.

[Anonymous No.16260095]

The guy is based in the most conventional sense of the word
The book itself is at the same time very boring and unoriginal while also being very fun and creative
You should probably read Nietzsche and Heidegger before diving into it

[Anonymous No.16260773]

>>16260071
I've read through spheres 1-3 and some other works of him and he is usually very easy to understand.
He is still a philosopher so a little bit of intellectual engagement should be ok right?

[Anonymous No.16261802]

>>16259981
He takes an analytical approach (unfortunatly without arguments) while dissecting fenomens such as religion (monotheistic and pagan), stoicism, sofism, early philosophy (Plato), indian pagan religions, communism, captialism, Heidegger, Nietzche, etc.
He comes to a conclusion that they consist of some form of practical advises or programmes how to achive a certan goal. For example, in christianity you follow the teaching of christ to be just like him, in stoicism you follow their perspective how to be a good person, in nietzche you must follow his advise to "create" an ubermench and so on.
The only difference is that every ideology has its own interpretation of world structure and human nature. Slotherdijk implicilty states that it's all semi-bullshit and doesn't actually matter. Repetition of certain activity creates metaphysics around itself.
What matters is their programmes. Askesis.
That is why he calles himself a post-humanist. The only way for preservation of life on earth is to create a science around praxis - what can be done by repeating a certain acion every day, what is the right way to repeate a certain action, how it changes the thinking process of a person, how that persons creates personal gods, how does his ego grow.

[Anonymous No.16261817]

This guy claimed the West's answer to Buddhist self annihilation is the nuke which is a shitty enough take for me to disregard him

[Anonymous No.16261912]

>>16261817
It's just that he claims that buddhist point of view is simmillar to our conteporary view of the would through logical positivism. That is why modern westerners adore buddhism in popular culture

[Anonymous No.16261946]

Peter slaughter dick hehe

[Anonymous No.16261973]

>>16261946
Bruhhhh thats litttyyy xDD

[Anonymous No.16262040]

>>16261946