Nietzsche Came to Kyoto and Taught Me, a 17-Year-Old, About Philosophy.
The cover might be a bit hard for an older person to pick up.I was reading it on the train without a book cover and even taking notes on my smartphone, so I might have been mistaken for a pervert (lol).
You can learn so much that you won't even care about those kinds of looks.
What is "philosophy"?
I've always wanted to learn it, but I never could bring myself to start. It's always the noters who give me that push.
Anpanda-san included this book as one of their top 3 books of 2022 while sharing their reading output.
Huh? Is it that interesting? Then I'll learn it!
Philosophy seems kind of difficult...
That was not the case. On the contrary, it makes you think, "This is exactly why I want to learn it in today's era of VUCA and AI.".
Let's learn together!💪
It's a novel.
The story goes something like this.
A story about Alisa, a 17-year-old high school girl, who meets great philosophers like Nietzsche who have appeared in the modern world, and learns what it means to "do philosophy."
The philosophers who appear are Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Sartre, Heidegger, Jaspers. They are borrowing the bodies of modern people.
Also, the composer Wagner makes a guest appearance (?). What is the relationship between Nietzsche and Wagner that isn't discussed in depth in this book?
It's a story that naturally sinks into your mind, making it easy to read. Pay attention to Alisa's attitude toward learning, how she listens to people, and how she gives feedback.
What is philosophy?
Let's have the philosophers explain it.
Instead of blindly accepting what is already there, have doubts and try thinking for yourself.That is what it means to do philosophy.
Philosophy is having doubts about various things and asking, 'Is this really true?'.
Philosophy does not have results that satisfy everyone, such as 'This is the truth!'
You can think about philosophy even if you don't have much knowledge about it (omitted) Anyone can pursue it, even without knowledge or qualifications
There are three triggers for doing philosophy (omitted) The first is
'wonder', the second is 'doubt', and the third is 'loss'
I am interested in many things, skeptical, and introspection is also a strength, so I realized that I was actually doing philosophy (laughs)
Philosophy I want to learn precisely because it is this era
How did you feel after reading the 'what is philosophy' explanations by the philosophers?
The current era is said to be a VUCA era of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. It is important to think, think, and face challenges that have no answers.
On the other hand, what about the recently popular ChatGPT? I feel a sense of crisis that humans are increasingly becoming an 'era of not thinking' to make things easier for themselves. That is why,
I want to learn philosophy precisely because it is this era
I thought.
Now, let's learn from each philosopher!
Nietzsche
Dominated by morality
Nietzsche offers many provocative words. But when you think about it, don't you agree that it's true?
Nietzsche makes us think about the idea that “You are the one who creates your own life!”
Kierkegaard
“Making a choice” is not just about selecting something; it also means you can choose the action of doing nothing.
Kierkegaard teaches us about “choosing.”Are you making choices that make you happy, rather than choices to escape from anxiety?
Schopenhauer
Rather than the objective half, which is pursuing wealth and fame and living according to others' values, the subjective half, which is refining the sensibilities within yourself, allows you to feel happiness more efficiently.
Schopenhauer makes us think about “what happiness is.” I felt this also connects to the previous book, 'Scientific Ways to Attract Money and Good Luck.'
Sartre
In the first place, there is no pre-ordained reason for living; you can live in any way you choose,
, which means people can create themselves.
People tend to look for a reason for living. But Sartre teaches us that you can create your own reason.
Heidegger
What your existence was like, and what your life was like, is understood through death, right before you die
Nietzsche, who was there, also says, "Life is something you don't understand until you die."
Heidegger makes us think about death, something we tend to avoid thinking about. Life is not complete until you die.
I want to look forward to dying with a smile, saying, "It was a fun life." To do that, I will just do what I can now.
Jaspers
People already know many things. Re-understanding them is awakening, and that is philosophy.
Jaspers, who appears at the end of the story, teaches us again "what philosophy is after all".
Summary
Interesting. I want to recommend it. However, it is difficult to output. It was that kind of book. It is fun to challenge yourself to output various books.
Now is the time to do philosophy!
I want to convey that.
Oh,
Just as I was reading this book, Takeshi Tarui was talking about Kierkegaard in connection with it.
This book was published in 2016, so it is surprisingly old. It is amazing how such coincidences happen. That is why connections on note are so interesting!
That is all for today's lesson. Please come back again. 👋
Reading period: 2023/02/18-2023/02/26
First edition published: 2016/09/26
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<Who is 'Hiroaki Takahashi' who writes these articles?>
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
最後までお読みいただき、本当にありがとうございます！
楽しく、読みやすいnoteになるように今後もがんばっていきます。