/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.17705733]

What are some philosophers whose philosophies are actually useful and applicable to everyday life? I'm sick of reading about abstract theories about the nature of reality, I just want to know how to live a good life.

[Anonymous No.17705739]

>>17705733
>muh usefulness
stop being a bitch!

[Anonymous No.17705744]

what is your idea of "a good life"

[Anonymous No.17705776]

>>17705733
that attitude generally gives pretty shite philosphy because putting in the effort to actually gain deeper understanding usually isnt that practical. hellenistic/roman philosophy like the stoics or epicurians were pretty obsessed with it, so go read those i guess.

[Anonymous No.17705787]

>>17705733
what you're describing are philosophies of life (as opposed to philosophies of the world). Existentialism and Greco-Roman philosophy is where most of that stuff is

[Anonymous No.17705796]

Alright listen up cause I'm only gonna say this once. Philosophy isn't necessary for you to live a good life. In fact, all the 'philosophy' that you'd ever need to live a good life can be found in novels, poems and theatre anyway. A 'philosopher' is a thinker who failed to abstract his ideas into stories.
Here's your reading list chief:
>The Bible
>The Complete Works of Shakespeare
>Walden - Thoreau
>Nature & Self-Reliance - Emerson
>Selected Poetry of Robert Frost
>Selected Poetry of Walt Whitman
>Selected Poetry of William Wordsworth
>Selected Poetry of Dylan Thomas

Everything else is just supplementary, but that doesn't mean you should discount it either, by all means go discover new works to add to your own ethos.

[Anonymous No.17705808]

>>17705733
I don't blame you for wanting to focus on this realm of philosophy anon, but you can't neglect ontology, epistemology, ect. Ideally, all of your beliefs should not only be in-alignment but reinforce each other.

[Anonymous No.17705815]

>usefulness
unbearable herd specimen

[Anonymous No.17705837]

Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle

[Anonymous No.17705881]

>>17705733
Read poetry instead. Thank me later

[Anonymous No.17705913]

No joke, this is what religion is for. Just ignore the obviously incorrect ontological stuff, and you have a pretty good road map to a decent human life.

[Anonymous No.17705922]

>>17705733

[Anonymous No.17705967]

>>17705733
Zhuang Zhi
Epiktetus
Aurelius

[Anonymous No.17705974]

>>17705733
The pragmatists, duh

[Anonymous No.17706001]

>>17705733
If you are an atheist, Nietzsche is a good start. He frames it more in terms of what isn't a good life, but there is a reason for that. Start with The Gay Science.

[Anonymous No.17706003]

>>17705796
You forgot the most important one, Montaigne's Essays.
Good list though

[Anonymous No.17706018]

I'm in a similar case, metaphysics fucked my brain up, I want out. My mind has never been filled with more bullshit than now, and none of it has brought me anything

[Anonymous No.17706021]

>>17705733
Nobody in this thread has given you a good answer, OP, but do not worry for I have arrived. The answer to your question is as follows:
Cioran.

[Anonymous No.17706044]

>>17706003
You're absolutely right, thank you anon.

[Anonymous No.17706076]

>>17705922
>Taleb
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>philosopher

[Anonymous No.17706106]

>>17705733

[Anonymous No.17706114]

>>17705733
Goodness is an abstract theory about the nature of reality

[Anonymous No.17706258]

Inb4
>antisemitism
You've only yourself and your forefathers to blame.

[Anonymous No.17706339]

>>17705796
>bad taste
Anyways, I wouldn't say failed though.
>>17705733
I'm baffled at the lacking knowledge of actual current day philosophy most people here have. I have never seen a Quine thread on this board ever, not to speak of something Brentano school or Frege, Russel etc.
Modern philosophy is all analytic, all logic, all language and all language systems. That's all any serious philosophy who doesn't suck Hegel, Artistotle or Kant cock cares about.

usefulness, as many anons have pointed out, is a pretty stupid thing to bring up in the sciences in general. What does the ability to calculate the area below a curve function give you, what does knowing that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, what does knowing that any given chameleon is of the order Squamata and that a Brookesia is a genus of chameleons, what does knowing about death, life and taxes, about how to become or spot the übermensch, earning money on the stock market, dealing with your shit life stoically etc. etc.
Useful is a term used in our society to mean : earning money, and defining something as useful or not by its ability to earn you money, advance in society, have power might be rational but surely is not the common or universial measure of usefulness.
Even if we say : useful is what makes me happy, that then makes literally everything useful because you can find happiness in all things you can exercise, which might be sucking Hegel cock posthumously in 2025 with your phd thesis.

[Anonymous No.17707256]

>>17705922
>Worshipping a run of the mill wallstreet fat cat
>Thinks nassim is cool because he criticizes the rich and powerful, when in reality, he's only doing it to elevate himself above them

[Anonymous No.17707404]

>>17705733
Anyone who recommends stoicism is gay!

[Anonymous No.17707451]

>>17705733
Thinking everything you learn or do must have some purpose or application is truly peak midwittism.

[Anonymous No.17707615]

>>17705796
>A 'philosopher' is a thinker who failed to abstract his ideas into stories.
A story is less abstract....
Notice how peer-reviewed scientific journals don’t communicate their findings in the form of dramas.

[Anonymous No.17707647]

Do you know Epictetus

[Anonymous No.17708788]

>>17707404
based

[Anonymous No.17708799]

>>17705733
Stick to the self help pipe line kid.