Philosophy books that changed how I see the world

Borges is one the best writers of all literature, I remember reading that first story in Ficciones. I was not prepared, I knew him since he is very famous here in Latin America. But his vocabulary, his references to philosophy, his way of think of other universes. I read that first story like three times and each time it felt better. Appart from Ficciones I would recommend his non-fiction writing since he knows a lot about literature.

I guess the thumbnail and title of the video should be something different
May be something abour living and learning concepts of life

Much of this is pertinent to an ongoing discussion I've been having with my brother. He's an art teacher, and we've been talking about art that isn't supposed to accomplish anything. I'll bring these books up next time we talk.

Yo tambien lei Ficciones, saludos desde Colombia.

Borges is superb. As a Spaniard I'm so glad Spanish authors get some recognition in the English speaking world. Also if you can, check some interviews, the guy has a great sense of humour (as most Argentinians have)

Arguably you only ever need to read everything by Borges... and then think a lot. Like I mean A Lot. Like a seriously vast amount of A Lot. Until you "get it". IF you don't get it yet also read some Kafka. And then think about it a lot... (Great video. Thank you.)

In praise of idleness is a brilliant recommendation.

My old film editing professor sent me a copy of Ficciones in the mail earlier this year and I loved it. Thank you for these other recommendations. I’ll check them out.

So suprised that someone with a PhD in (analytic) philosophy chose Hanna Arendt over much more influential (academically at least) thinkers like Kant and Mill (or Singer).

Would highly recommend going with The Aleph next for more Borges. It contains a reasonable mix of short stories in a similar style to Ficciones, but also has a section of one page sketches that really bare down on his idea of getting to the core of a theme.

I'm not even gonna watch the video, I'm just gonna (totally legally) download them on my kindle to read.

Thank you for the video 😊

I read The Human Condition in college in the 1970s and it has been one of the cornerstone books of my life.

Thank you for these recommendations. I am going to try to read "The Right to Oblivion".

The right to privacy is such a foundational principal in how we create our sense of self, and having it taken from you can be incredibly traumatic. A few years ago I lost my house in a bushfire, an event that was captured on film and instantly shared with the world via social media, so I found at exactly the same time as everyone else. On top of the trauma from the event, I found it horrible to suddenly find myself going from a private person to being a story, and having people expect to be able to have access to me and my family. When I didn't want to share, and instead retreated to try and shelter my young kids from the ongoing disaster the media filled in blanks with anything they could find and had no respect at all, so much was wrong. I went from having an idea of the media being exploitative to really understanding how low they will go, and also had a realisation that we are all an instant away from being a person on the news, and having no control of our own narrative anymore.

Thanks

Jared~ In honor of Jaws 50th, I'm gonna finally tell you what you've probably heard a zillion times- You look SO FREAKIN MUCH like Hooper! Hoppens to be my fave character next to Bruce. teehee Have a magical and blessed Summer, I hoppreciate you!

Communal labour wages do not leave an impact on demand-supply chains across borders of a semi-continental region like Mexico, Pakistan, New Zealand and Bolivia.

Would you ever make a video about Hannah Arendt and her works? I’ve been infatuated with her as of late and her work feels eerily important right now

As an argentine follower this video makes me happy

RE: Privacy. This is a good point. Whenever one is out in public, they're exposed to loss of privacy. However, on the bright side, wouldn't it be nice for people to always act as if they're being filmed? I know my own behavior would change if I always acted as if I was being filmed. Which in my case would be pretty uninteresting. Like, I wouldn't pick my nose, or scratch my ass, something like that. But even some innocuous behavior, but kind of rude, like staring at a beautiful woman (which embarrasses me even though I still do it). OTOH, I do enjoy my anonymity.

Robert Louis Stevenson's delightful essay 'An Apology for Idlers' argues that one of our most important duties, and one we often neglect, is the duty to be happy. We should do what makes us happy because miserable people are horrible to be around. It is a positive social good to attend to your own emotional health and happiness. "A happy person is a better thing to find than a 50 pound note."

I look forward to your videos so much, and this one gave me even more fascinating books to read. First up: an Arendt book I can’t believe I have not yet read!

I read Russell’s book last year and share your views on it. The first two chapters are great.

I have been meaning to ask if you would consider tackling Henri Bergson in one of your videos. Last year I read The Physicist and the Philosopher by Jimena Canales which sent me down a Bergson rabbit hole starting with The Creative Mind. Last month I read the recent Bergson biography by Emily Herring called Herald of a Restless Mind. I know he is rarely mentioned in philosophy circles, but I find him fascinating, and if nothing else a symbolic figure of the 20th Century, and a curious study of both a philosopher for the people — particularly artists and women— and an early pre-screen “influencer.” His ideas about time and free will gave me a lot to think about.

Thanks for your channel!

I live in the EU. As I understand, it is illegal to take pictures of at very least persons, and perhaps also their property, without consent. Each person has a right to complete control over their public portrayal.

In the case of a minor, it is their parents who have to give that consent. That is why minors' faces are often obscured in photos. I suppose that once the minor becomes an adult, they can consent to dissemination of unobscured pictures of them, taken when they were still a minor.

It is also illegal to give anyone's private personal data to another person without the consent of the person to whom the data pertains.

Ficciones completely redrew the map of my brain - especially Three Versions of Judas. Borges is a treasure

Yessir

Appreciation for your take & the algorithm.

Am old now - remembering discovering JLB in my 20s. Have memorized hunks of 'Ragnarok' and - depending on the beauty of the translation, so vital to its understanding - still cheer the ending. (Especially in the current regime.)

Fwiw, heartily recommend J.P. Donleavy's 'A Fairy Tale of New York'.

Paz y luz

Did you mean to publish this on the World Sauntering Day :D A few books on the list are relevant.
Thanks for sharing 🙏

I am an avid reader. However at the top of my head I can think of NOT ONE book that has changed my life, mind or outlook in a significant way.
Movies and songs: yes: these have arguably altered my life and the way it goes now, but books: I can remember few and fewer. I am not abstaining from reading therefore but text alone cannot change that much in my case.

DoI understand your first explanation! Wow! That is So true. Or when one pays rent one's furniture or things moved elsewhere in house and is unknown placement to its owner. Uninformed and unasked till property owner returns a few weeks later. Thank you for bringing this up! Re-arranged and misplaced, 'missing' not right. We All carry phones. Thanks again Jared. Helpful video as often.

Not a philosophy book, but The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan has had a profound impact on me. It changed the way I look at things. I definitely recommend reading it.

honestly i used to get super caught up in this stuff. watching the news every day, arguing with people online, feeling like the world was falling apart and it was all on my shoulders somehow. and on top of that i was stressed about money, trying to stay afloat, just constantly anxious. i dont know what changed exactly, but a while ago i came across this weird book someone mentioned in a thread 22 dark truths of winning. didntt think much of it at first but something in it kinda snapped me out of the mental fog. it just made me look at things differently. now when i see news like this, i dont spiral the way i used to. i still care, but ive stopped letting it eat me alive. Dont know if anyone is going to read this or if its going to be lost in the endless sea of comments but i just wanted to give my 2 cents hah

An Apology for Idlers (1877) by Robert Louise Stevenson is a good essay on the same topic as Russell

Thank you for sharing, I went and gathered some birch saplings to weave a wreath while listening. : )

The Maker, also by Borges, is a PHENOMENAL book. "Borges and I" specifically blew my mind when I read it for the first time, since it was the first thing of his I had read.

Very nice reviews. The best is you connected the concepts with practical cases. Great video.

more videos like this 📽️

Nice video

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I read "Infinite Jest" at age 47 !!!! And my life was changed ....

Borges is pure idealism and metaphysics

I enjoy Borges in many formats--he wrote mind-bending fiction to be sure, but his critical essays, interviews, poetry, and reflections on pop cultural phenomena are also fascinating. A giant of Latin American literature.

Borges has my all-time favorite quote about another writer, and one I happen to agree with: “I have visited some literatures of the East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic anthology of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."

Yet again a great video, could you please also do a video on nonipsism?

Hi

very good

Oh boy. Just seeing this thumbnail was cause for pause for me, and I knew I had to digest this before commenting. I'm a lifelong bibliophile and a trained philosopher so, I was eager to watch this. Despite that, and despite my many attempt, I just can't stand Borges. He's one of those writers, like Marquez and Murakami, that both philosophers and literati rave about, and so of course I had to dig in. But like Marquez and Murakami, Borges just bored me. I find the whole supposed 'magical realism' mode to be exactly what the terms imply: contradictory, and thus, vapid. The stories go nowhere, the characters are superficial, and that in and of itself is fine, I love a simple piquaresque. But there's just no point being made. Or if there's an attempt at such, it's so buried in vagary that it might as well not be there. I've tried and tried with the likes of Borges, but it's just a cipher for me. Sigh . I often wish these kinds of writers had read more Russell and Arendt...

Stop adding books to my Tbr!

Great video. Also commenting to get recommendations like this😅

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