I find philosophy has been very useful toward getting a good night's sleep.

'm asking you : has any of your reasoning/reading made a big difference in your life ? — Skalidris

Yes. Mostly in my dealings with people. The rationality has a lot to do with it.

Mostly in my dealings with people. — L'éléphant

I find the very opposite. My dealings with other people cause me a lot of stress, and keep me awake at night. Then I need to deal with myself, so I pick up some good philosophy to read and I fall asleep almost immediately. So philosophy is really good for dealing with myself, by allowing me to ignore my dealings with others.

I find the very opposite. My dealings with other people cause me a lot of stress, and keep me awake at night. Then I need to deal with myself, so I pick up some good philosophy to read and I fall asleep almost immediately. So philosophy is really good for dealing with myself, by allowing me to ignore my dealings with others. — Metaphysician Undercover

We're not in disagreement. Trust me, I've met all kinds of people because of my work. If I did not use self-control and command of my emotion while sitting in front of them, I'd fall apart, too. I've walked away from a couple of jobs because the bullshit was just not worth my time.

And since this is a philosophy forum, I'm asking you : has any of your reasoning/reading made a big difference in your life — Skalidris

For better and worse, all of it of has.

I've walked away from a couple of jobs because the bullshit was just not worth my time. — L'éléphant

And after a while you start to ignore the bullshit and just do the job.

Nice ! So what kind of philosophy helped you with that self control ? Was that something you read or something you learned over time by yourself ?

You mentioned rationality, but to me, you could be rational without caring about philosophy at all.

I haven't yet reached the stage to answer the OP's question. Like has always been the case, I'm a walking teetering, tottering mess of a human being...I'll post when and if I stumble upon the truth! :grin:

I am intoxicated and yet I haven't taken any intoxicants!

And after a while you start to ignore the bullshit and just do the job. — Metaphysician Undercover

It can be learned, yes. I reserve the special treatment of just quitting to a very few instances. The fight is not worth it. I pick my battle.

So what kind of philosophy helped you with that self control ? Was that something you read or something you learned over time by yourself ? — Skalidris

Would you believe Ethics and Metaphysics?

Ethics I don't need to explain further. But metaphysics -- well, appearances can be deceiving. I have treated "what's real" at the very moment with "this is my brain telling me what's in front of me, but there are other things going on that are hidden from me. I need to, also, assume the presence of certain things that's hidden from me." So far it hasn't hurt me, and it only helped me.

You mentioned rationality, but to me, you could be rational without caring about philosophy at all. — Skalidris

If you want to be a robot and be transparent, yes. That's to your own defeat, though. Rationality without philosophy will suck your soul. And I need to hold down a job. So, what's keeping me sane is my soul. When I abandon something, pangs of guilty feeling would creep up on me, but philosophical rationality would get me back from falling.

I have definitely found that philosophy has been important in life, in providing the essential tools and basis for thinking. Of course, everyone thinks but philosophy provides a way of navigating thought, based on the history of those who have done so in the fullest possible ways.

Some of what I've found in philosophizing that's been "useful in my life" more or less ...

Is it worth it to study unwisdom – philosophy, after all, means 'loving (seeking) wisdom' by those who recognize that they are unwise (e.g. Socrates) – in order to learn how to limit the frequency and scope of (to begin with) one's own judging and acting unwisely? — 180 Proof

'To unlearn habits which make me miserable (foolery), and don't be an asshole.'
— A fool's 'self-overcoming' mantra — 180 Proof

Escape?" – or recovery? – from foolery ... — 180 Proof

:death: :flower: