Sadler's Quick Takes Number 1 | Feeling Intimidated About Reading Works of Philosophy | A Pep Talk

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This is the first in a new series of shorter videos in which I give a "quick take" on some matter that I consider important to address, for at least some of my viewers, readers, listeners, followers, or students.
In this Quick Take, I address a common concern or worry that I've seen many times on the part of students or lifelong learners, feeling intimidated, worried, anxious, or having other negative emotions provoked by the idea of reading works of philosophy. Sometimes, this can interfere with a person feeling such emotions from even attempting to read philosophical texts. Examining this common issue, I discuss what sort of worries would-be readers express, provide some useful perspective about these concerns, give some pointers for dealing with this problem, and end with a "pep talk" for students and lifelong learners.
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#philosophy #worries #reading

[@jrgjdjdj968]

"If u have a book in your shelf you haven't open" Me: Starts sweeting "For example the phenomenology of the spirit" Me: Starts sweeting like crazy

[@GregoryBSadler]

There's always time

[@rzLl_pz5]

My guitar teacher was also a philosophy teacher. I approached him telling him I felt dumb about being so uncultured, and that I felt like I had to read myriad encyclopaedias in their entirety before even drawing near a work of philosophy. Previous experiences with teachers, namely most of my high school teachers, had given me the kind of shame you mention in the video of not grasping the text in its entirety on the first go. His advice was to read the thing, flip the last page, and to look at that as the beginning of my engagement with the text, rather than the conclusion. I think that's the best advice I've been given in terms of "how to open the cursed book without getting an anxiety attack"

[@GregoryBSadler]

That is an interesting approach - and I'm glad it works for you. You might be interested to know that shortly before I shot the video, I was chatting my my friend and colleague, Scott Tarulli - who is a guitar professor - about his experiences along these lines

[@dhruv1106]

As someone who's just getting into Philosophy, I felt this video was very helpful.

[@jordanoconnor4954]

Same here, before reading Nietzsche I was really worried I would miss out on a lot because I don't have much knowledge about history (especially the Greeks). But it was actually fine & although I am missing out on buts here & there it really isn't nearly as much as a concern as I had expected

[@dhruv1106]

@@jordanoconnor4954 Thats awesome ! i am currently reading Plato's dialogues

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad it’s useful for you!

[@krishthakkar2610]

@@dhruv1106 What a coincidence man i just completed republic 2 days before and reading euthyphro just right now

[@scriptea]

Timely. I just finished the translator's intro to Being and Nothingness, lol.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Good!

[@bigsuz]

I read the first part fifteen years ago. Never got to the second (I guess the nothingness part) nbd!

[@CromCruachTheElderK]

True. I discovered a similar thinking about it on my own. Just persevere, nobody will be capable of fully penetrating some of these authors on their first try. As long as you're getting something out of it, that's good! All the knowledge just builds up, every little bit helps and at some point strong synergy effects come into play too.

[@GregoryBSadler]

I think you can change it from "almost nobody" to just 'nobody"

[@CromCruachTheElderK]

@@GregoryBSadler yep

[@jackcreagh5156]

This video came to me at the perfect time. Thank you for getting me to read that book thats haunting me today!

[@GregoryBSadler]

Indeed, pick it up and read!

[@wasabi1drful]

I really appreciate your straight talk on these subjects and your passion for teaching! I have a bachelors in philosophy, but I have learned so much by listening to your lines of reasoning and your approach to analyzing philosophical texts.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad you enjoy the videos!

[@KushKussh]

Amen to that man

[@jalalazizi1069]

Thank you Dr Sadler, this is exactly what I needed.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad it was helpful for you

[@michaelagazadeh1388]

I want to start by thanking you for the work you do to bring philosophy to a wider audience. I'm currently reading Epictetus' Discourses because I find the ideas and psychological techniques of the Stoics useful in my day to day life. I'm also reading Homers Iliad and a book about Greek mythology by Edith Hamilton both because it's fascinating and shows up several times in the Discourses. Again thank you! :)

[@GregoryBSadler]

You're welcome!

[@martincristian4567]

I like these Quick Takes and Intro to Philosophy videos and I hope they will become a steady series like Core Concepts Videos or Sadler Stories. I remember when I was in my early 20s and I picked up Schopenhauer and Nietzsche from the used bookstore. I did not understand anything back then and it took me almost 20 years to open another philosophy book.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Boy, that's a long time to leave that field fallow!

[@mohammadhoseynpoor3544]

First I'm gonna write sth intimidating for myself; it is the fact that after reading too many books you find yourself in front of a mountain of unread books ... I mean it takes a lot of work to be a "philosopher". The second thing is a suggestion to those who don't understand philosophy very well; you can read other valid books on philosophers, for example a book about Plato's republic that explains it in every detail might be helpful and of course watching some instructions on youtube or etc. And definitely philosophy is like math, first we need basic arithmetic actions and then after years we go through integral and differential equations and etc. I think a lot of pressure is due to going towards sophisticated books first without knowing the basic things in philosophy. That's only my own experience.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Philosophy isn't really like math in that way. You don't need years and years of basic studies that are pretty much the same across the discipline You can read secondary works, but that shouldn't replace actually reading primary texts. Why would reading many books produce a "mountain of unread books"? Should be the opposite, I'd think

[@gearaddictclimber2524]

I’ve been putting off starting Being and Time for some time now, but this has been very helpful in convincing me to! Just finished the Phenomenology of Spirit and feel a lot more prepared for a work of such great stature

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad it’s helpful for your resolve to read!

[@harrysean6795]

I needed this

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad you got what you needed

[@zxsw85]

Thank you so much.

[@GregoryBSadler]

You’re very welcome!

[@jonhallowell4099]

Absolute King

[@GregoryBSadler]

Thanks!

[@jonhallowell4099]

I spent a lot of my life wanting to get into philosophy, but I was finally able to when I read about your urging to read primary texts.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad to read it!

[@armindade8504]

I know you are busy with many different projects and videos in the works, but if you ever have the chance to make another pep talk I would love it. Thank you for your encouraging words

[@GregoryBSadler]

There will definitely be other similar talks!

[@charliemoll5435]

Great video and perfect timing. I just started reading the Republic by Plato and it is my first real philosophical text

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad it's helpful for you

[@julesjgreig]

Thank you

[@GregoryBSadler]

You're welcome

[@rafaelmusni5042]

Hi Dr. Sadler! Love your videos and wanted to jump in with a quick question: I really liked your videos on Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, but do you think you'll ever do The Concept of Anxiety and/or Sickness Unto Death as well? Your videos were hugely helpful to me when I first read F&T and would love to see more on those works as well!

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad you enjoy the videos. And, yes, down the line

[@aldiba.f.marbun]

Sometimes I always feel bad for myself rather is it really good to feel such enjoyment for reading philosophy to improving my own personal life. And then some people come to criticize saying things like "why should bother improving life or be happy? Philosophy is meant for the truth and it doesn't care about personal life" And then most of them will say I "misunderstanding" The work itself. Thereby always been anxious about the words "misunderstanding" because I always been this perfectionist where I try to find what's the truth or at least the closest. So I'm just very confused for what should I do after that. I'm very thankful for your video Mr Sadler 🙏🏻

[@GregoryBSadler]

You might want to ask yourself who made those people authorities on philosophy and why you think you ought to listen to them.

[@aldiba.f.marbun]

@@GregoryBSadler does the answer depends on myself or does it really depends on outer/external authorities? I'm really sorry for it, it's just that. I wish to find a kind of truthful philosophy that I can engage without ever feeling that I am not "well enough" Or misunderstood them. Right now I'm reading gilles deleuze and try my best to read and learn what does he mean by he was saying and also reading Nietzsche makes me anxious because people always said "you don't understand Nietzsche" Or "that's not Nietzsche" Etc

[@aldiba.f.marbun]

@@GregoryBSadler thank you so much for the reply Mr Sadler I really appreciate it and it really does helps me a lot throughout this time and I try to find a way to make it through to at least standing again and learn philosophy. I really appreciate it and love it thank you 🙏💕 so much

[@GregoryBSadler]

@@aldiba.f.marbun You should figure out for yourself why you care so much about what other people - who might well be full of shit - have to say

[@aldiba.f.marbun]

@@GregoryBSadler sure Mr Sadler, it's just sometimes there is this voice in my head and also my inner thoughts about this "truthfulness" Which is like "which one is the better truth" And so on. I try my best perhaps to integrate it with knowledge and experience, and trying to avoid which is full of shit lol although I'm afraid I might be the shit one lol. Thank You so much for your reply 🙏🏻

[@GD-fw6tz]

I like the gym comparison. Show up and put in the work, builds strength (and confidence) over time.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Yes - and then you can, as Epictetus says "show me your shoulders!"

[@BreezeTalk]

❤️

[@dundema]

I feel like a good translation matters too. For philosophy book,which publishers will u suggest. Oxford?

[@GregoryBSadler]

My standard response kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnTcm6BrbbOIpdU

[@dfparker2002]

Are there modern concepts to mine in the misunderstanding or rationalization of ancient ideas? Specific example: In Meno, Plato, speaking through Socrates, describes color as "an effluence of form, commensurate with sight, and sensible." Radar detection and not color is an effective application of emanations and interpretation. Are you aware of other rewarding areas of philosophy and modern science?

[@GregoryBSadler]

That's not an angle I worry about

[@theproofessayist8441]

Dr. Sadler in light of watching this video I realize what an uncharitable asshole I was in the comments of one of the FAQ. I’m really sorry. My biggest flaw when I approached philosophy and I guess other classes in college is that I am quite impatient in wanting to comprehend each text so I can enter as many different conversations as possible. With not just philosophy texts but other textbooks I find it often easy to use the excuse the author isn’t a good writer when I should be willing to give them more a try especially if they were written in cultural styles foreign to me. I’m not also not good at accepting the reality huge effort does not always guarantee good performance. I made sure to plan and write a term paper from the very day after instructions were given for 2-3 weeks on my own while some other students started theirs much later. I then went to check with my professor during office hours a few days before the deadline if there were any tweaks that need to be made and they said sorry everything needed to be redone. There was only a few days before the official deadline and I think it was an inconvenience on the professor to ask for an extension. I got upset and things just got ugly from there. The fact the paper counted for huge percentage of course grade blinded me to being humble in my analysis of the material and I will admit I did have pangs of envy when classmates were able to get good grades on papers they only wrote out in an all-nighter. Foolishly I let those bad experiences bog me down when I’ve graduated from college since 2017 and I do have many philosophy books waiting in my closet because they are fun to read and I see value in them. I need to just move on. My apologies for the rambling but I needed to let this out.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Quite all right. The biggest lesson I suppose is to treat separate matters and experiences as that - separate

[@leiyawoleng7026]

Any book suggestion for philosophy beginners?

[@GregoryBSadler]

There's an entire playlist for self-directed study

[@jacobsawyer1383]

I have just gotten through book 1 of Republic by blogging about it as writing about things helps me understand tougher texts. On a separate note im no expert on Hobbes but doesn't Glaucons views of justice in book two seem reminscient of Hobbes?

[@GregoryBSadler]

Anything can seem reminiscent of some other thing, if one is vague enough about it. You should realize as well that those aren't actually Glaucon's views

[@jacobsawyer1383]

@@GregoryBSadler thanks for responding. To be specific, i see Glaucons devil advocate views to be extremely similar to Hobbes. The way he details a society with injustices where everyone is at each others throats, and he talks of how people come together to form an agreement (social contract) where theyll practice justice and give up pursuits of injustice because giving up injustice benefits a society more. I see Glaucon as describing a state of nature and social contract before those terms were brought up by Hobbes

[@GregoryBSadler]

@@jacobsawyer1383 It could be viewed as similar to hundreds of other thinkers' views, so you'll probably want to think about 1. why you settled on Hobbes, rather than others, 2. whether their views are really "extremely similar" or whether that's more you reading that in there

[@jacobsawyer1383]

@@GregoryBSadler im not well read on historical philosophers; Im a newbie who is fairly familiar with Hobbes so reading the first few pages of book two made me think of him

[@GregoryBSadler]

@@jacobsawyer1383 I'll be writing about this issue of drawing connections/similarities later on this month in my Medium

[@TyphonTheos]

Maybe do a pep talk about the job market for philosophy students?

[@GregoryBSadler]

There's no pep to talk about with that, though

[@TyphonTheos]

@@GregoryBSadler My man!

[@ace9924]

Is it normal that I find the meditations on first philosophy more easy to comprehend than Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics?

[@GregoryBSadler]

There's no "normal" involved there, I'd say. Different people find different texts easier or more difficult. That often changes over time and as they study more

[@dfparker2002]

Why are philosophy ideas couched in obtuse syntax and inaccessible language? Kant, Marx, after a manner of speaking, Clausewitz, etc

[@GregoryBSadler]

They're really not. That's a long-silly complaint. Do the work of learning the lingo like you would any other field

[@Dhruvbala]

Imaginative thinking >> Re-inventing ideas yourself, as if you were them, is far more fruitful than studying them rote. _A clear conception of canon is only the pendant we swing around to charm the pedantic beasts._

[@GregoryBSadler]

Nah. You clearly have reductive views of what a canon is. This isn't the place for you in your present state