Philosophy Is Not About Books

There is a misconception that philosophy is largely about the study of past and contemporary authors who have written about ideological matters.  While the discipline of philosophy can certainly involve the reading, assessment, and acknowledgement of authorship, these things are scarcely the core of philosophy, and they have absolutely nothing to do with whether or not one is an intelligent, sound person [1].  Books are useful for philosophy only if two conditions are met: 1) the author transmits truths in the text and 2) the audience independently verifies each claim of the author using logic and other means as necessary.  In many cases, neither of these criteria are met!

The reading of literature, historical and contemporary, is not necessary in any way for the development of intelligence and the comprehension of concepts.  It can aid in these pursuits, but it is not necessary for any of them.  In fact, some of the most important truths about miscellaneous issues, from the metaphysics of logic to the epistemology of dreams to the nature of sexuality, have gone completely unacknowledged by almost all deceased and living philosophers and theologians [2].  Most authors are shallow, inconsistent, and fallacious because they are human, as most humans are shallow and irrational.

Looking to books for epistemological salvation is a futile endeavor, for it is reason that grounds all knowledge, not the writings of others.  Writings--whether they take the form of ancient books or modern blog posts--are beneficial only when held up against logic itself.  My own writings only have significance because they are aligned with reality.  There are those who might think I am deeming literature and writing irrelevant to all of philosophy, when that is certainly not the case--I would not devote time to my blog if that was true!

Philosophy as a discipline is about concepts and how they relate to reality; thus, it cannot directly be about either people or books.  It is instead about truth and one's pursuit of truth, and nothing more, regardless of what bibliophiles or delusional sophists claim.  Just like other myths about philosophy--like the myths that it has no relevance to everyday life and that it is the study of "wisdom"--the idea that philosophy is about literature has no correspondence to reality whatsoever.  Philosophy is not about books or academia.  Books, like conversations, are add-ons that are useful if used in a certain way.  Outside of that context, they bring philosophical myopia, not enlightenment.

Logic, people.  It is very fucking helpful.

[1].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-usefulness-of-books.html

[2].  See here:
  A.  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/07/unique-discoveries-part-1.html
  B.  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/07/unique-discoveries-part-2.html
  C.  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/07/intellectual-originality.html