/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.6917210]

Aye c/lit/s

What do you guy's think of Alan Watts?

I've been listening to a few of his lectures and i'm currently reading 'The Way of Zen', I think he can be a bit long winded, but nonetheless he makes good points.

[Anonymous No.6917227]

Watts is generally considered to be feel-good hippy-tier.

Upon scrupulous scrutiny many of his claims just fall apart.

[Anonymous No.6917231]

He's fun and throws a fresh perspective onto things but many people make the mistake of taking him too seriously, which is exactly what he said not to do.

[Anonymous No.6917248]

>>6917227
Do you have any examples?
Not trying to be condescending, just genuinely curious, I don't agree with everything he says either.
>>6917231
I haven't really seen anything that show the lighter side of Alan that you're referencing, he seems pretty uptight about his beliefs from what I've gotten into, but I'll take your word for it.

[Anonymous No.6917612]

>>6917210
try out his "good points" in real time and see how that works for you

[Anonymous No.6917631]

>>6917248
>I haven't really seen anything that show the lighter side of Alan that you're referencing
You haven't noticed that he's laughing throughout every lecture he gives?

[Anonymous No.6917649]

>>6917210
I only read his 'Behold the Spirit' which was his thesis from his seminary days. Interesting to see a Buddhist's attempt at Christian theology.
Overall I think he's pretty cool and accessible, and does a decent job of introducing Westerner's to Eastern religion, but I would hesitate to use him in a school paper or something.

[Anonymous No.6917722]

>>6917210

he is not rigorous in logic, as anybody being the bastard of the academia and the entertainment industry.

=>He is good for an entry into the subject, but must be abandoned quickly. You will recognize rigorous works as soon as you see them, especially if you have mediocre sources at your beginning.

[Anonymous No.6918386]

>>6917631
True I just never heard him actually say not to take him too seriously
>>6917649
I would say the same for The Way of Zen, a good introduction to certain thoughts of western philosophy.
>>6917722
Again, how is he mediocre? I am genuinely curious. Please elaborate before using ad hominems.

[Anonymous No.6919790]

So just insults?

[Anonymous No.6919871]

>>6917631
He might just be an happy person. Or Satan.

[Anonymous No.6919975]

>>6919871
He did have the facial hair for it.

[Anonymous No.6921997]

I really like that picture

[Anonymous No.6922019]

He's a dude from a rich family who was totally ignorant of the functioning of society and the duties upon its members to sacrifice a portion of their time to ensure its maintenance and success. Like many of the new agers he was just another twopenny brahmin telling people what they wanted to hear and encouraging them to do things that really only people of his background could do successfully. I'd call him a fraud but I don't think he was that smart.

[Anonymous No.6922070]

>>6918386

>Again, how is he mediocre? I am genuinely curious. Please elaborate before using ad hominems.

A lot of his interpretation on the Zen and Buddhist philosophy in general is really basic and often outright wrong or misleading.

[Anonymous No.6922250]

>>6922070
>>6922019
I'm sorry to be a stickler, but please can I get some specifics, like one example.
This entire thread has just been people calling him idiotic without ever giving any proof or backing for this claim.

[Anonymous No.6922265]

>>6922250
You're proof
shitposting here asking us about him.If you like his message fuck off and go do what he says.

[Anonymous No.6922297]

>>6922265
Yeah, because asking a follow-up question is shitposting...

There are other threads on this pristine image board of yours, you should go find them.

[Anonymous No.6922316]

>>6922265
Wow, you're salty

[Anonymous No.6922345]

>>6922297
>>6922316
no people have said already, that watts is shit.
If you like his shit and it makes u feel better go read it and fuck off.
Its obvious you want people to confirm your opinions on him like a fuckign 12 year old girl u faggot

[Anonymous No.6922400]

>>6922297
They can say whatever they want about the man, but at least he stated he's just an entertainer. "I don't want to sell you anything".

[Anonymous No.6922413]

>>6922345
no U fegget girl bby and eye bet u leik dik u conformist pig cuase ur so gay.
*throws copy of Fight Club at u*

[Anonymous No.6922452]

my friend made me listen to one of his audiobooks. His matter-of-fact way of talking made me think he was a pompous douche. Maybe it's because I always thought zen was stupid and I'm just broadcasting that onto him.
:^)

[Anonymous No.6922792]

>>6922345
OP is asking for reasons, not "Watts is shit and it's self-evident."

[Anonymous No.6922838]

>>6917210
You probably won't get any good answers on lit, when philosophy comes up it tends up in shitposting and memes. I'm not familiar with zen buddhism, by I do every now and then look into meditation. His lectures on trancendental meditation are good, but a bit drawn out. You can an article by Sam Harris and get the same same information, but less detailed. I assume he is like that when talking about zen buddhism.

He is also laughing in his lectures because he is a happy guy, the meditation seems to have worked.

[Anonymous No.6922900]

>>6922792
Thank you very much,
I'm not really sure why no one who has delved into his works can give me a single bit of context for him being "shit" "feel good bull" or 'wrong.'

>>6922838
Right? I'm finding this out the hard way I guess.
I definitely agree with Watts being verbose, but generally they are long winded for a reason, generally speaking that is.
I will most definitely be checking out Sam Harris though, thank you very much for the recommendation, I appreciate it.

[Anonymous No.6922956]

Typical New Age ideologist. Western Buddhism is the zero level of global capitalist ideology today, Yoga classes are spreading to maximize corporate profits

[Anonymous No.6923026]

>>6922900
/lit/ reads to feel smart, therefore if it's not stamped with an Intellectual Seal of Approval for Academic Rigor they dismiss it out of hand.

[Anonymous No.6923045]

>>6922297
>>6922250
you just can't expect lit to actually give you examples when posting about something even slightly controversial. The masses will always tend toward what's easiest, and in the case of debate, shitposting and cba will prevail.

If you make an oddly specific thread about phenomenology for example, you get some legitimate responses. Make one about basic, entry level philosophy and everyone shit posts or the people posting have no clue what they're talking about, because the people that do, don't want to waste their time replying to entry level threads.

don't take anything on 4chin too seriously

[Anonymous No.6923049]

>>6923045
>>6922838
damn ninjas

[Anonymous No.6923234]

>>6922956
Typical vapid criticism even accented with a south park picture, cute.

>>6923045
There really haven't been any jokes or trolls so far, and, I don't feel like i'm taking it too seriously, I just want to hear some elaborated examples instead of buzzwords like 'entry level' from all the elevated thinkers like yourself.

[Anonymous No.6923303]

>>6923234
aw you're cute

[Anonymous No.6923327]

>>6923303
Dank you fedora-chan, your intellect and funny reaction images makes me blush.
u 2 original.