Why You Should Read Self-help Books

Summary

This script challenges the disdain for self-help books, arguing they are unfairly maligned due to a romanticized view that dismisses emotional education. It posits that in ancient Greece and Rome, self-help was a literary pinnacle, with works by esteemed thinkers like Plato and Seneca. The script suggests that many acclaimed works, such as Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' and Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time,' are unrecognized self-help books, aiming to guide us towards more authentic living. It envisions a future where self-help is recognized as a prestigious genre, housing some of the world's most distinguished literature.

Takeaways

• 😅 Self-help books are often ridiculed and dismissed by intellectuals.
• 🎓 Prestigious institutions and highbrow journals typically overlook self-help literature.
• 🏛️ In ancient Greece and Rome, self-help was a central genre, aiming for emotional education and fulfillment.
• 📚 Historically, great thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and Seneca wrote self-help books to guide living and dying well.
• 📈 The current disdain for self-help books may deter top writers and thinkers from contributing to the genre.
• 🌟 Works like Seneca’s 'On Anger' and Marcus Aurelius’s 'Meditations' are both literary masterpieces and self-help books.
• 📚 Tolstoy’s 'War and Peace' and Proust’s 'In Search of Lost Time' are examples of self-help books in disguise.
• 💡 Self-help books aim to guide us towards more compassionate, calm, and authentic lives.
• 🌈 The script suggests a reevaluation of self-help as a prestigious genre in a utopian bookstore setting.
• 🔔 The video encourages viewers to subscribe and enable notifications for more content.

Q & A

Why are self-help books often ridiculed and looked down upon?

Self-help books are often ridiculed due to a Romantic prejudice that regards offering explicit emotional education as beneath the dignity of any serious writer, implying that intelligent people should already know how to live.

What is the impact of this disdain on the quality of self-help books?

The disdain for self-help books has led to a degradation in their quality, as the most accomplished writers and thinkers feel ashamed to associate their names with a genre that is often relegated to the least prestigious sections of bookstores.

How did ancient Greek and Roman cultures view self-help literature?

In ancient Greece and Rome, self-help literature was highly regarded, with the highest ambition of authors being to provide emotional education to guide readers towards fulfillment (Eudaimonia).

Which renowned philosophers from classical culture wrote self-help books?

Philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, Plutarch, and Marcus Aurelius wrote self-help books aimed at teaching how to live and die well, using their intelligence, wit, and style.

Why are Seneca’s 'On Anger' and Marcus Aurelius’s 'Meditations' considered both great literature and self-help books?

These works are considered both great literature and self-help books because they are written with high literary quality and also serve the purpose of guiding readers towards better emotional and intellectual lives.

How does the script challenge the modern perception of self-help books?

The script challenges the modern perception by suggesting that many esteemed works of literature, such as 'War and Peace' by Tolstoy and 'In Search of Lost Time' by Proust, should be recognized as self-help books due to their educational and guiding nature.

What is the script's view on the role of culture in emotional education?

The script views culture as a tool for emotional education, suggesting that many works of culture, when seen through this lens, are in fact self-help books that aim to guide us towards more authentic lives.

Why does the script suggest that self-help books should not be considered low-grade?

The script argues that the desire to guide and teach wisdom is central to all ambitious writing, and thus self-help books, which aim to do just that, should not be marginalized but recognized for their importance.

What is the utopian vision for self-help books presented in the script?

In a utopian vision, self-help books would be the most prestigious section in bookstores, housing many of the most distinguished works of world literature, returned to their rightful place of honor.

How does the script redefine the term 'self-help book' in the context of great literature?

The script redefines 'self-help book' not as a derogatory term but as a descriptor of works that aim to guide us away from folly and towards more sincere and authentic lives, thus recognizing the educational ambitions of great literature.