FAQs on my favorite genre of books

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I read a lot of books, all types and sizes. So the first question I am asked is what kind of books I like the most. I take a pause to quickly re evaluate my interests and since last couple of years the answer has been the same: Philosophy.

Then, in most occasions, I am asked few FAQs, which I shall be listing here. In the future I can just forward them this post to save some time.

0: I too like philosophy. Especially the structure, logic and meaning of language.

You mean linguistics. 

1: What do you mean by philosophy?

For me it deals with anything which helps me develop and evolve my fundamental framework which I see is comprising of 4 components:
1: Values, helping me in deciding objectives and prioritizing activities in life
2: Ethics (what I consider right and wrong), which determine methods, and reactions to a piece of news or an activity done by a third person
3: Choices, that given absolute freedom what things I choose over others
4: Cushions, ie how to deal when things don't go as planned or per one's values

2: Are you into Eastern philosophy or western philosophy?

My take is that eastern philosophy mainly deals with defining or acknowledging a macro system that exists as an abstract entity and how an individual should grow wiser to get in sync with that system. Western philosophy deals with the existence of no absolute system and it is up to an individual to either submit or oppose one that exists at that given point of time and society. The former is very boring and useless imo.

3: What kind of philosophy books have you read?

I have read/studied Socrates/Plato/Aristotle, Aurelius, Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu, Hagel, Kierkegaard, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Voltaire, Foucault, Nietzsche, Albert Camus, Derrida, Roland Bethes and Zizek. 

4: I also love philosophy. I loved Ayn Rand.

Oh shit.

5: Do you believe in God?

No

6: What is your greatest lesson ever in philosophy?

Lame question. What is your greatest lesson ever in Maths or Physics? What is the greatest story you have ever read? If you have an answer then: Oh shit.

7: What is the use of philosophy?

It's up to you. For me, I don't care on what rules rest of the world functions. I tried learning about it and frankly I didn't quite like the way it does from my own understandings. Also for me the fundamental intentions and consequences matter. And not knowing the abstractions behind anything looks like lame-ass stupidity to me. So I tend to use philosophy in everything.

8: How do you learn them?

With time. It took me close to 5 years since I wanted to read Nietzsche and when I actually read it. Despite the simple words of the translations I couldn't really understand it back then. I tend to avoid blogs and summaries since they are more about a populist reader's interpretations than a translation. Also if I find a book which I can't read critically then instead of agreeing to the laid down arguments I tend to postpone it. So I started with Plato and it took me quite a while. 

Apart from that, I also take online courses, discuss things which bother me with my close friends and kind of stay obsessed with the topics until I fully can grasp and extrapolate them into real life applications around me. That's why imho there are philosophies in the everyday topics of economics, public policy, a news piece on court judgement, a break through invention in science or a bizarre idea getting macro funding.

9: What do you recommend me?

I have observed that people who have read philosophy don't ask for recommendations. They just know what they have to read next. Philosophy is kind of one big whole chapter. It is a continuation of arguments and ideas. So I will suggest to start with Plato. 

10: What is your school of philosophy?

Absurdism since 2012. Before that I was briefly an atheist and a strong religious believer of Hinduism preceding it.

And please don't insist it to be same (or to be more diplomatic: "similar") to existentialism or nihilism. I have met this kid 8 years younger to me who has used all these three terms interchangeably for herself. Philosophy is not that difficult if you are brave enough to be honest and critical about everything with yourself. But stop trying hard to grasp only a couple of names and terms. It may look fashionable but it makes you an idiot in the end.

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