I'm writing a book

[Nilsi]

51 minutes ago, Someone here said:

You aren't helping me dude . You are putting me down even though you don't know me personally or how much I know about these subjects . 

Why do people at school think I'm smart, but I don't?

Real smart people are so smart, they doubt their own intelligence.

Dumb people brag about being so smart.

You’re probably smart if you think you’re dumb.

I you expressing “Why am I not very smart”, it all distinctively relates to the “Dunning Kruger effect”. This study has evidently shown that people with less intelligence are prone to having higher interests than average people. 

Am I smart or do I just think I am?

I’m going to be kind of mean here , you sound a lot like me  when I was twelve, and this is some of the stuff I wish I could have told myself.

“As third parties, I would like to ask any of you..based on what I say above, am I intelligent? Super intelligent? Or just knowledgeable? Or just average and got lucky? Or just dumb and thinking I am?”

Now, you sound pretty intelligent. …you’ve got a good resume there. I don’t think you’re dumb, and considering the things you say about yourself, I wouldn’t call you just knowledgeable, either.

Here’s the thing, though. I’m still unsure about the word ‘smart’, but to my mind it implies problem solving (from your grades and self-teaching I assume you have that), and maturity.

You are intelligent, and you know that already. You are not smart, because you are immature.

You asked how mature you’d sound, and how old people would think you were. If you hadn’t told me your age, I would have assumed you were twelve. Maybe thirteen, but not much older. Why?

If you dont want to see it, it would be a very serious mistake.

Edited January 25, 2023 by Ulax
Inflammatory remarks

[Someone here]

23 minutes ago, zurew said:

When it comes to philosophy, its really easy to bullshit yourself that you know stuff, because in most cases there is no way to test your ideas. You should have definitely asked for feedback from qualified people before you started writing your book.

How many people have you talked to (about your critcisms and ideas), who has a phd in philosophy ? 

None .I have contacted publishers and bookstore owners. People with phd in philosophy can't help me publish my book. 

I refuse the academic route  .i don't want to become a philosophy Professor in a university.  I want to become an Independent  thinker. to have a graduate level knowledge of philosophy (and probably any subject), you will need to do a lot of reading in the secondary literature of philosophy, which is mostly professional philosophy journals that discuss the specific problems, interpretations, and analysis of the famous philosophical texts.

It can be downright boring. But I decided to take the red pill and read dozens of highly complicated philosophy texts from the most genius philosophers ever.

I would just read the philosophers themselves.

here are the texts that still resonate with me years after reading and reflecting upon them:

-Plato. The Republic

-Aristotle. Nichomachean Ethics and The Politics (They’re really part of the same work.)

-Marcus Aurelius. Meditations.

-Augustine. Confessions.

-Descartes. Meditations on First Philosophy.

-Pascal. Pensees.

-David Hume. Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding.

-Spinoza. Ethics.

-Kant. Critique of Pure Reason. Critique of Practical Reason. Critique of Judgement.

-Hegel. Philosophy of Right.

-Kierkegaard. Fear and Trembling and The Sickness Unto Death.

-Nietzsche. The Genealogy of Morals. Beyond Good and Evil. Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

-Ludwig Wittgenstein. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.

-Martin Heidegger. Being and Time.

-Jean Paul Sartre. Being and Nothingness.

-Emmanual Levinas. Totality and Infinity.

-Simone DeBeauvoir. The Second Sex.

-Luce Irigaray. Speculum of the Other : Woman.

-Michel Foucault. Discipline and Punish. History of Sexuality.

I read ALL that . Word by word . And again I'm starting from zero . I want to be creative . Most people who are Interested in philosophy go the academic route .but that's not what I'm aspiring to . I want to become a worldwide well known philosopher . Not just a dude with A phd in philosophy and teaches the history of philosophy (which is not real philosophy, but that's how its done in academia ).

[Carl-Richard]

Can I have one snippet of the part of the book that you're the most proud of?  

[LastThursday]

20 hours ago, Nilsi said:

I think that its a delusional idea to think you are in the position to write such a book.

If we listened to the naysayers then nothing would ever get done. @Someone here do your thing mate, there's a market for nearly everything nowadays, you'll work out your niche in due course. Master your craft.

[zurew]

20 hours ago, Someone here said:

None .I have contacted publishers and bookstore owners. People with phd in philosophy can't help me publish my book.

My point was to challenge your ideas before you write a book about it, because it might be the case that without getting feedback from people who understand really well the people and the ideas that you want to critisize - you will regret your book in a few years down the road.

So my point isn't to never write a book, but to first challenge yourself: make sure that you are not making surface level arguments, and after getting sufficient feedback and after you contemplate a lot about the feedback - you can start to write your book with confidence (with earned confidence) and you will be much more equipped in general , because you will know a bunch of counter arguments and pushback that are targeted at your work and ideas.

Edited January 26, 2023 by zurew

[Someone here]

14 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

Can I have one snippet of the part of the book that you're the most proud of?  

Sure .I am writing on Google Docs, so its functions are quite perfect for me. I can give you a free full copy of it as soon as I finish it .just PM me via gmail, and ensure me you will only view but without edit, so therefore you  can’t even copy and paste.

I will quote two paragraphs about Descartes' famous skeptic argument of distinguishing dreams From "reality ".

It's from the first chapter:

 

Philosophy is based on axioms. Axioms are self-evident facets of reason that allow you to construct the rest of philosophy on them. Descartes basically argued that all of the axioms that had previously been used were wrong because they were not self-evident. In the same sense that you don't know you are in a dream when you are dreaming, how do you know that anything around you is as it truly is? So he started his philosophy with doubting EVERYTHING. 

At first, he couldn't figure out where to go from there. How are you supposed to know anything if you doubt everything? Eventually, he discovers his first axiom: I think therefore I am. In order for him to doubt everything, HE must exist. He can't assume anything about who or what he really is but he can safely assume that he exists, otherwise, he would not be thinking about the fact that he exists.



So about the difference between the waking reality and dreams...

First of all... It's not possible to distinguish the two.. Unless you go lucid on a dream. But for now.. You can't tell which is which. That is.. You don't know if you are dreaming or awake right now. You might have just woke up from one dream to enter another dream. And this might go on endlessly. Which is interesting because it kinda show that there is absolutely no difference between dream and "reality" in terms of phenomenonal experience. The same thing.. Sights, sounds, and different kinds of perception are identical. Except maybe in the dream state its kinda unstable and dark.. And there is a huge lack of consistency. All of which are the opposite in the waking state. It's pretty solid and consistent. But dreams only seem inconsistent after you wake up and compare them to the waking world. So it's not highly unlikely that this world too might be highly inconsistent relative to a higher order of reality that you might wake up to.  

The dream argument (similar to simulation theory argument) is that  the act of dreaming provides preliminary evidence that the senses we trust to distinguish reality from illusion should not be fully trusted.. and therefore.. any state that is dependent on our senses should at the very least be carefully examined and rigorously tested to determine whether it is in fact reality.

But my answer to that is that dreams are all there is. Who said that dreams aren't real?  They are 100 %real since we experience them. They are just different kinds of reality. As in they come about (generated) differently than the waking world (as assumed) but they are phenomenally identical as I said. Which means there is no such thing as illusion vs reality. It's all just different kinds of reality.

 

[Someone here]

@LastThursday thanks dude 

6 hours ago, zurew said:

My point was to challenge your ideas before you write a book about it, because it might be the case that without getting feedback from people who understand really well the people and the ideas that you want to critisize - you will regret your book in a few years down the road.

So my point isn't to never write a book, but to first challenge yourself: make sure that you are not making surface level arguments, and after getting sufficient feedback and after you contemplate a lot about the feedback - you can start to write your book with confidence (with earned confidence) and you will be much more equipped in general , because you will know a bunch of counter arguments and pushback that are targeted at your work and ideas.

I this really a concern?  I can publish the book online and not make it public. Amazon allows you to do this and still provide copies for people who you will give the right to see the book. This still provides proof of  my authorship. I could also do this on a blog which i publish privately, and only permit certain people to see.

So is your advice is that I should want to make sure that i do not allow the book to be viewed by the general public until it is good enough?

[zurew]

9 minutes ago, Someone here said:

So is your advice is that I should want to make sure that i do not allow the book to be viewed by the general public until it is good enough?

Yes, but thats just my personal suggestion/bias. If you are okay with risking it, without getting quality feedback first, then do it.

14 minutes ago, Someone here said:

I this really a concern?  I can publish the book online and not make it public. Amazon allows you to do this and still provide copies for people who you will give the right to see the book. This still provides proof of  my authorship. I could also do this on a blog which i publish privately, and only permit certain people to see.

I thought your original intention was, to publish it to the general public, if thats not the case, then forget what I said.

[Thought Art]

@Someone here Write your books my brother. Gain the experience. Do the work and research. 
 

Maybe a good idea is to become an expert and a strong writer over the next 10-15 years. Writing books can be a good project. So could just writing some strong articles and sharing them here. 
 

You should be realistic that your early writings will suck. But, if you are serious about the mastery process you will do the work necessary.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Thought Art

[aurum]

On 1/25/2023 at 5:47 AM, Someone here said:

So do you suggest to publish relatively small books first that aren't the peak of my potential and then as I test out how the market responds to my books ..then I should think of publishing my main book?

No I don’t think it makes sense to purposefully limit the quality of your books. Make the book as good as you realistically can. That’s the true test.

On 1/25/2023 at 5:47 AM, Someone here said:

if a reader sees the cover of a new book by me, will they know that its one of mine ? Is the author name the same font and placement?

Yes consistency helps. That’s why brands have logos.

On 1/25/2023 at 5:47 AM, Someone here said:

Thanks aurum for the info

You’re welcome.

[Someone here]

19 hours ago, zurew said:

Yes, but thats just my personal suggestion/bias. If you are okay with risking it, without getting quality feedback first, then do it.

I thought your original intention was, to publish it to the general public, if thats not the case, then forget what I said.

Yes my original intention was to publish it directly in written form in a big bookstore in the main city . But you made me think twice about it . That I should first make sure that it's quality is captivating enough to attract readers who will buy my book . So then I thought of publishing it online on a blog for free for a minority of people and get feedback. And if it did generate positive responses then I can sell it In written form with more confidence.  So which one you suggest to go about doing ?

[Someone here]

11 hours ago, Thought Art said:

@Someone here Write your books my brother. Gain the experience. Do the work and research. 
 

Maybe a good idea is to become an expert and a strong writer over the next 10-15 years. Writing books can be a good project. So could just writing some strong articles and sharing them here. 
 

You should be realistic that your early writings will suck. But, if you are serious about the mastery process you will do the work necessary.

Thanks dude for the support .

I'm writing my first book, and i hope it will leave an impact on the largest chunk of audience.

I'm writing my first book . And to be honest im still not satisfied with the quality of my writing.  That's why I go back and erase some sentences and sometimes even entire paragraphs and edit them .

what I do when I read it feels boring and badly written, and I find myself using the same few words more often without creating selecting the right  words.

How do I make sure to fix these? Is it just me holding myself to a higher standard than others? Or am I seriously doing something wrong here? I've already written over 9 thousand words, So I don't want to keep writing anymore if I'm doing something wrong. It would just make fixing it that much more painful. I

 There is a reason I want to write. Video games and reading my favorite books always helped me out with my severe lack of attention span, And writing a book .. It really Does make me happy and takes my attention away. 

[Someone here]

10 hours ago, aurum said:

No I don’t think it makes sense to purposefully limit the quality of your books. Make the book as good as you realistically can. That’s the true test.

Yes consistency helps. That’s why brands have logos.

You’re welcome.

Thank you for saying this! I actually wrote my first "book" in first grade and was so proud of it, wanted to be a writer all growing up until around 8th grade my dad "gently informed" me it was a dead-end aspiration that would leave me destitute.

Now I'm close to achieving my dream and so many ideas never get finished because it just feels like re-doing something else, and you know, gotta pay the bills.etc . So I really hope I can make good chunck of money selling this book.  That would be a huge financial success for me to start such project (writing) in a very young age .

 

 

[Sincerity]

3 hours ago, Someone here said:

I'm writing my first book . And to be honest im still not satisfied with the quality of my writing.  That's why I go back and erase some sentences and sometimes even entire paragraphs and edit them .

what I do when I read it feels boring and badly written, and I find myself using the same few words more often without creating selecting the right  words.

How do I make sure to fix these? Is it just me holding myself to a higher standard than others? Or am I seriously doing something wrong here? I've already written over 9 thousand words, So I don't want to keep writing anymore if I'm doing something wrong. It would just make fixing it that much more painful.

You know, Nilsi had a point in his responses.

Quote

Focus on honing your skills: take writing classes, do some copywriting gigs, start a blog etc.

Writing is a specific skill You have to develop. You fix your writing by learning how to write properly, getting feedback from those who know how to do it, etc.

You can do it and I encourage You to write your book. But I don't think You can rely on your own "writing intuition" very much yet simply because You haven't learned how to write well. But You can learn it!

I really like to write things but I know a book written by me (with my current insufficient skills) would be terrible.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Sincerity

[zurew]

3 hours ago, Someone here said:

So which one you suggest to go about doing ?

this:

3 hours ago, Someone here said:

publishing it online on a blog for free for a minority of people and get feedback

Or just simply give a copy to people who you think are qualified enough to give a quality analysis or response.

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by zurew

[Thought Art]

You can make a collection in your commmon place listing all the things you can do to become a great writer and a great work

[Someone here]

44 minutes ago, Sincerity said:

You know, Nilsi had a point in his responses.

Writing is a specific skill You have to develop. You fix your writing by learning how to write properly, getting feedback from those who know how to do it, etc.

You can do it and I encourage You to write your book. But I don't think You can rely on your own "writing intuition" very much yet simply because You haven't learned how to write well. But You can learn it!

I really like to write things but I know a book written by me (with my current insufficient skills) would be terrible.

The way I learned how to write well was by reading as much as possible and trying to pay attention to sentences or paragraphs that are really good to me as a reader and consider how the author constructed those. Then try and duplicate it in my own writing. 

Up until now I'm filling my book with jargony technical language that I literally have  "stolen "  from other authors/philosophers I'm reading . I think this is what a good book in philosophy should be bulked with . But sometimes I try to make it more simple for the average reader to make it easier to understand.  I shared two paragraphs to @Carl-Richard above.  That's the style I'm using to write . What are your thoughts on it ? (I obviously can't share more of the book which is really close to be over for copyright purposes lol).

[Someone here]

33 minutes ago, zurew said:

this:

Or just simply give a copy to people who you think are qualified enough to give a quality analysis or response.

 

Ok .Im thinking of giving free copies to friends and family. 

But i wanted to send it as e-book  to friends and family (not professional reviewers). 

I could of course just compile as pdf and send the file to friends and family... or send them the epub doc...  

 

22 minutes ago, Thought Art said:

You can make a collection in your commmon place listing all the things you can do to become a great writer and a great work

 

 is writing a habit or a skill?  I would say a mixture of both. 

I Write every day  it is a good mantra and a difficult one,i  write as much as i can, This is a habit. It requires a trigger, such as setting the alarm for 4, get up and write for an hour. Once established, anywhere from 30 to 60 days, this can be as natural as breathing. I write therefore I am.

However, where i don’t necessarily know *how* to write *well*, then this is a skill. I can write, but a story, a novel, that is something else. And i need to learn how to do it first. But a skill is made up of habits, write, read, practice story structure, develop vocab, subject familiarity. Secondly, and importantly, obtain feedback on how well I'm performing, beta readers, critique partners, even a friend who could be coerced into reading a chapter/ a page.

[Sincerity]

4 hours ago, Someone here said:

Up until now I'm filling my book with jargony technical language that I literally have  "stolen "  from other authors/philosophers I'm reading . I think this is what a good book in philosophy should be bulked with . But sometimes I try to make it more simple for the average reader to make it easier to understand.

Bro what? 

Write as clearly as possible so that a child could understand You.

See, that's the trap of writing a "good philosophy book". You think You need to sound smart. Why not just write a good book instead? 

4 hours ago, Someone here said:

What are your thoughts on it ? (I obviously can't share more of the book which is really close to be over for copyright purposes lol).

I don't feel qualified to give any writing advice. Also I haven't studied history of philosophy. And I'm tired.

I liked the first 2 paragraphs. 

But I'll say that without direct awakenings You will always lack in clarity with this philosophy stuff.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Sincerity

[Thought Art]

I asked ChatGPT how to write a really good philosophy book:

"Writing a good philosophy book requires a combination of several elements, including a clear and well-defined thesis, a solid understanding of the relevant literature and philosophical concepts, and a well-structured and well-written narrative. Here are some steps that can help you write a strong philosophy book:

Develop a clear and well-defined thesis: Your thesis should be a specific and original argument that you will be making throughout the book. It should be something that is supported by existing literature and is of interest to both scholars and general readers.

Research extensively: Read widely in the relevant literature and familiarize yourself with the key concepts and arguments in the field. It is important to be familiar with the existing literature and to be able to engage with it in your writing.

Organize your thoughts: Plan the structure of your book, and break it down into chapters or sections that logically support your thesis. Make sure that the organization is clear, logical and easy to follow for readers.

Write clearly and persuasively: Use clear and concise language, avoid jargon, and make sure that your writing is accessible to a general audience. Your writing should be persuasive, convincing and should be able to hold the reader's attention throughout the book.

Revise and Edit: After the first draft, revise and edit your work multiple times. This step is crucial to make sure that the book is polished and polished, and ready for publishing.

Get feedback: Share your manuscript with peers, professors, or other experts in the field, and get feedback on what works and what doesn’t.

Find a publisher: Once you have a completed manuscript, you can look for publishers who are interested in publishing your work.

Writing a philosophy book can be a challenging and time-consuming process, but by following these steps, you can increase your chances of producing a well-written and well-received book."