Full blog post: lewwaller.com/5-useful-things-ive-learned-from-the-existentialists/

I really enjoyed the part about not taking ourselves too seriously... When you're a bit of an intellectual you tend to take yourself seriously and sometimes act pretentiously while forgetting how little our certitudes are compared to the miscellany of facts that exist. Also, I guess we're just happier when we take it easy... Not my most profound commentary but this is how it feels :)

You express your ideas beautifully. Great video as always

I have a special love for existentialism. Even the most minimalist version I learned from Crash Course Philosophy with Hank Green has created for me a framework to create purpose for myself based on the values I have chosen. I have decided that I value the well-being of everyone now and as deep into the future as I can imagine. I understand that I must come as close to the truth as I possibly can by always being wary of potential flaws in my own beliefs. When I combine my values with my understanding of what causes my values to be unfulfilled, I derive a perpetual purpose, a Sisyphean task of always doing the next best action necessary to advance the well-being of everyone. Right now, that means building up to the point I can start a worker co-op. A co-op that can act as a single seed that will grow a forest rather than one tree; to create an ecosystem of businesses to usurp capitalism by empowering the worker and fighting climate change. The fire inside me is never phased by the next news item of climate catastrophe or capitalism killing people because I know the next action I should take. Of course, I need to care for myself to make this all possible. Oxygen masks and airplanes and all that.

The finding creativity in everything has gotten me through some dark times.

Nice video, is just sad that Simone is out of the list... as usual... Ethics of Ambiguity is a really fine book and often overlooked.. Her optimistic view about existentialism as humanism conforts me and I think would be a nice addition.

Fantastic video. Picked up some Kierkegaard and Camus books recently, I've been struggling to remember what I've read funnily enough. Great to see a video that underlines some key points but also gives a sense of how to learn properly.

Sartre's novel 'Nausea' amazed me and sort of saved me when I read it at age 20. I'd had some bad acid trips and was still smoking dope socially, which would sometimes bring on troubling flashbacks. More generally, though I had good friends, I felt very alone and unsure of myself and constantly plagued by a sense of not knowing who I was or how to act. I actually don't remember the book all that well now (I should re-read it), but I remember being amazed that Sartre seemed to have gone through the same experience I was having of reality feeling hallucinatory and alien, and I understood from the ending, where he's moved by a blues song and decides to write a book that could similarly make certain people feel less alone, that the way I was comforted by this was no accident. Much later, I learned that Sartre had taken mescaline as a young man and also had a bad trip and suffered from terrifying flashbacks, so that made it even clearer how he'd been able to reach into me and touch my acid-tainted soul so effectively.

You're amazing man, love your work and always share it with everyone I know. Keep up the great work!

Man im surprised you mentioned Damasio. His insight into the over looked importance of feelings is mind blowing yet such a no brainer when we look closer. That book is a treasure.

Great work Lewis. The existentialist often challenge me to look at life in new ways 👌

Existentialism is a Humanism, part of recognizing our experience is recognizing that others are having theirs as well.

Love how this one felt like an enlightening little ramble.

Well done. I appreciate the 'stop thinking' part but I'd say a lack of thinking is the bigger problem. The erroneous idea of 'certainty' is partly to blame. Certainty is impossible and searching for it is a never ending, action-stifling quest. The universe operates under the rubric of probability. Some things are more probable than others and one must think to determine probability... but there's no certainty.

The idea of epistemic humility is really interesting to me. Despite the world becomming increasingly specialised, social media requires us to be generalists and have an opinion about everything. We all know a little about a lot, when we in some ways could know less and admit that we dont know more often. You know any works that tackle humility from this or a similar lense?

I always seem to be reading subjects you then cover. Currently working my way thru Sartre's Age of Reason, for example. Anyway, great work as per.

An old saying, (paraphrased) to understand a subject learn, think and then teach, as you can only teach well if you understand what you have learned, noting; always open to have it completely wrong and having the humility/joy/laughter to go back to the beginning. Been there more times than I can remember, the old writing your philosophy in pencil. Just finished for the second time Graeber's book on Debt, usual brilliance shown through his joy of learning and passing on, sadly missed.

Hey! I love your videos so much and been a avid watcher for 2 years! I think more accessible content (top lists) is a great move for you, especially given how inaccessible some of the content can be!

I have recently binged a lot of your videos, and they’re truly amazing! Even though I suspect we’d disagree on several issues, I love how well thought out and knowledgeable your opinions are and how open minded and intellectually curious you are!

i liked this video, i find these easier to concentrate on than ones w montages and constantly changing backgrounds.

I'm impressed by your solemnity and care while reminding us of the need to laugh at ourselves.

Thank you for your videos, love them !!

The idea of feeling from your gut helping decide on options reminds me of early chess computers, and how one type would calculate all possible moves and the other would only calculate certain worthwhile moves.

Enjoying your work. Thanks!

I am a Baha'ie. Thanks to your video, I discovered how Baha'ie Faith is Existentialist. My litterature teachers never layed stress on these 5 important points. JP Sartre was meant to be boring, I guess.

wonderful. Most important concept for me was Camus and his conception of the judge-penitent... Very relevant today in public discourse and for all personal relationships.

I think the last part was the most interesting. Do we need to actively engage with material in order to get it under our skin? For it to become part of us? In that case I am spending way too much passively consuming knowledge online

Awesomesauce! Great viddie!

I love your channel and demeanor sir, I truly do. I am glad I found your channel recently. As a youtube creator myself, I have made so many videos about these topics over the years, and your mention of 'off the cuff' gave me a chuckle, as that is how I have always done my rants and discussions. I feel it allows for a more fluent discussion, and more authenticity. I would love to do a collaborative video with you someday. If you are interested, take a look at my topics and see if it is something you would consider. I don't do this for the views or revenue, and rarely do any kind of video with other people (I am actually not very experienced at it as I am used to doing them myself!) Anyhow ramble over, maybe we will cross paths one day. -Carpo from the Western US

Love you work,kudos to you from Prague.

So I'm going to have to see counseling for a recent addiction. Your videos. I like to run late night errands in San Francisco.b II like to bounce around to my favorite little neighborhood stores and say hello or just exist, in a wide diversity of people from a wide diversity of situations, backgrounds and of course multiculturalism just comes with that. Let's have the reason I don't mind paying the highest rent in the country. As we speak I'm heading home from one of these ventures and istening to your segments has a type of soundtrack I suppose, ties in nicely and sometimes not nicely but necessarily to reflecting, absorbing, interpreting curiosity about other people's interpretation filters and these things yeah. All we go through ad creative people. It's a brisk night here for usual . You have a warm voice and warm delivery . To me, a great way of speaking, it seems, from the heart. Not overly analytical, don't feel I'm being sold something and you back everything up Sisyphus or whatever pertains. It helps me put words to what I'm thinking as a creative person. Phraseology to it I suppose. Instead of just this kind of feeling you know more specificity to my process is particularly new ones with multimedia and a musician. Like the thing on Socrates as a midwife of knowledge that's already there. I'm heading home now. But I wanted to thank you 4 of these so far. And rocking my world. Peace LOVE & understanding to all.🎵🚀🧠💋🫂

I needed to hear this....thank you

Well, im going to spend some time reflecting on what you've said here!

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Thanks for this

I sympathize with your concluding comment on knowing one thing well as opposed to knowing many things poorly. Perhaps, although I think this is one of our problems with scientists, certain philosophers, our factory style jobs, etc. Where are the great polymaths today? Also, to think for yourself involves an immense commitment to learning the history of ideas, what you've internalised from your culture, etc. It is pretty hard to be original in its most general sense nevermind contributing something culturally valuable. I'll leave the creativity part alone as I'm just riffing of the top of my head.

Hi Lewis, So, did you buy the car?

Great video

Thanks a lot.

I'm surprised to find that I do or try to do all 5 of these things in my day to day life. I guess I am, in essence, an existentialist.

Thankyou

I love this video

1. Everything is pointless! 2. Consult point 1. 3. Refer to point 1 4. Go to point 1 5. Check out point 1z

You just got a subscription

Lewis, I have a question about supporting you. Are the per video memberships charged for each subsequent video made after purchasing the membership or are currently posted videos backed charged to each new membership. I think you are brilliant and want to support you. I am just looking for the best way to do it. Thanks much, David

Was hoping Shestov would be in the list, but alas. Still a good video though

23:12 Well, what timeframe are you talking about? I don't feel that it's a good idea to spend ones whole life in either of the two extremes, either super specialized or very generalist...

I have asked you before but could you please come down to Speakers corner??? 🐱🐱 Lovely channel.

You should do more bland videos like this, who needs a complex soundtrack and countless stock footage ?

rip David Graeber

If i ever go to prison then i will have the time to think maybe this thoughts well done 👍

a nice approach to look for practicalities in the abstract. not sure I would agree, though... Famously, Marx talks about all things melting into air, but this doesn't mean there is no truth, just look for truth in the mechanisms of change itself; comandeer the grounds of social and cultural experience which make us. Plus, I can't help but feel you're mixing up innovation and creativity. Liberal capitalism does that a lot: the notion that we compete for ideas, compounded by the notion of the collapse of metanarratives and the bricolage of language games. This normalizes innovation, but it leave untouched social and economic power, and cultural sensibilities.

My free book has the answer to the meaning of life...

God yes

I regret listening to this, man just said he finds Camus underwhelming. Been binging videos. Should’ve been a sign not to watch this as it’s about existentialists but there’s a photo of Camus an Absurdist