The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi

This book is about forming and maintaining relationships with lateral instead of vertical power structures. It is told in a series of dialogues, like something from Socrates. Was it useful to me? I don't know. It's possible. I'm generally not afraid of being disliked because very few people have the power to make my life better or worse, as it things are. But I was looking for some information to aid me in feeling better about myself, and less anxious in general. What I got was a lot about Adlerian philosophy, suggesting most things that hold us back in life come from our own doing. I'm skeptical, but I'm sure this can't apply to all people. Maybe you should read this book and let me know what you think, and if it does much to enhance your life. 

Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

Regarding Sartre, I really don't have anything more profound to say than people who actually Study him. I think I Got this book, but maybe not. It's a somewhat poetic novel about a guy who's very busy observing others and their inane existence, struggling to cope with the fact that he himself exists as well while many of the 'good' things in his life pass him by. If I find myself digging into the deep deep depths of existentialism, I might return to this book with a Deeper understanding. As for now, my interest is limited. 

The Last Days of Socrates by Plato

Sometimes in life I have a hard time solving for Y.* You too? Suppose there is a certain wisdom to admitting you don’t know the answers. Suppose there is evidence of the afterlife in our inherent human forms? The Last Days of Socrates is a collection of Socrates’s most notable and important dialogues. As you might expect, he was a next-level thinker. Thinking was what he was passionate about and why not? If you are really good at thinking, then you can likely rationalize your way out of all suffering.

I probably could have read more about this book before diving in, but philosophy seems like a tough thing to summarize. In his Phaedo argument, Socrates tries to prove reincarnation with the same logic of why two can never be three at the same time. Aside from this last (near death) dialogue, I think the rest of his arguments are quite nice.

Of course I would like to learn some more modern philosophies but it seemed logos to start at the beginning if I am going to co-opt any preexisting worldviews. Should you read The Last Days of Socrates? Sure. Especially if you are pretending to know about philosophy.

*Solving for Y is a reference to an episode Pete and Pete in which Ellen boycotts math because she can’t use algebra to solve for Why.