Are You Reading Too Much? | The Philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer

We typically have a positive perception about reading, and this in itself isn’t wrong. Reading helps us encounter new ideas and unique theories. However, while we can agree that this is good, this is not the only part of a learning process. The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer believes that thinking for yourself is also an important part of learning and being scholarly. Reading introduces us to new ideas, sure, but in order to truly interact and play with that idea, we need to take a step away from the book and simply reflect. Thinking on our own for ourselves allows us to take these new ideas and deconstruct them, interpret them, and compare them to our other ideas. Schopenhauer also believes that thinking through ideas or even thinking up your own ideas is better for memory retention. The idea becomes personalized by you and thus more memorable. To bring it all home, Schopenhauer compares reading to researching a travel destination while thinking for yourself is actually going to the country and experiencing it.
#philosophy #schopenhauer #reading

[@dosiieun]

This made me think of one of Haruki Murakami's quotes saying “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”

[@MC-ix4zo]

I wish I could read more xddd it's extremely hard for people to be reading too much nowadays... Reading requires one's full attention, but now with RUclips, Netflix, social media and etc people just can't focus!

[@jordanthornton]

Taking time away from the books to foster reflection is a MUST - great point & video structure, nice progression!

[@sammysliver]

I read for several hours every day. Currently reading " The Magic Mountain " by Thomas Mann.

[@JamesSouthwood]

Great idea, lovely angle to take. Deserves more views!

[@PhilPhysics]

I think I needed more, but this IS from his "Essays and Aphorisms", so maybe there wasn't much of a developed, air-tight argument being made: imma still read a lot.

[@michaelk150]

This is great!

[@ThesaurusDinosaurus]

I haven't read a sentence of literature since high school.

[@EM-it9ju]

Berserk is goated 👌

[@psychmaestro8528]

"Reading too much" is definitely rarer than "reading too little" in my opinion but I agree that it is an absolute necessity too think for yourself over just mindlessly absorbing information like a robot.
I think reading is great IF constantly coupled with reflection, analysis, critical thinking and drawing conclusions independently.
As I recall, another philosopy RUclipsr (Weltgeist), also talked about this topic from Schopenhaur's and Nietzsche's perspective.
I'll leave this here for those wanna check these out:
Nietzsche's perspective of reading too much
ruclips.net/video/IZeMERGDwKg/видео.html
Schopenhauer's perspective
ruclips.net/video/LCTHrBC2zSw/видео.html

[@lking6705]

Is being told to think for yourself and then doing it ,really thinking for yourself?

[@ravin6771]

Now that's thinking for yourself

[@aidenbijloo9447]

Talking about reading, what are some books you can recommend?

[@sammysliver]

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.

[@PhilPhysics]

I read er'rydayyyy

[@PhilPhysics]

Nice depiction of Toon Schopenhauer.

[@amirullahyusa3786]

hello

[@jayyyen]

Once a month

[@senpaixd1346]

Don't read