I have been considering how to approach introducing some of the philosophers that have studied to share with the community here on steemit. I considered making one huge long post listing them all out and talking about them, but that didn't feel right and seemed more like just regurgitating a bunch of information that you could likely find elsewhere. Instead, I've decided that I'll find a couple of my favorite lectures from them and share them with you in that format and discuss what I like best about them.
Alan Watts is one of my favorites and probably the best known of the more modern philosophers, so he seems like an easy introduction to most. He's wrote so many lectures and papers that I have no idea if I've even been able to take in all of them at this point, but that's not what it's about anyway. I feel that the point of any philosopher is to take in the message that they are sharing and create our own thoughts and opinions from their shared perspective. If something resonates with you, then keep it, if not then move on. There is no one 'right' philosophy after all. So let's start with that:
In this lecture Watts discusses his thoughts on how society shapes self image. We are bombarded with expectations and subjective logic and reasoning that is not naturally our own, but we adopt it from childhood and essentially have to unlearn it. The point of this whole lecture, from my perspective, is understanding that we can't look to anyone else to tell us who we are or how to figure that out. It's rather genius how he simultaneously manages to guide others into discovering for themselves on their own instead of trying to get them to follow him. This was one of my first Watts lectures that I listened to and loved it immediately. I went on a several month Watts bender after hearing it.
I know at first glance this 3.5 hour lecture seems daunting. If you would have asked me a year and a half or two years ago if I would ever listen to a 3.5 hour philosophy lecture I would have laughed in your face. Nevertheless, I share one of my absolute favorite philosophy lectures that I've listened to multiple times now. The best way that I could sum up this lecture is that we shouldn't take ourselves or life too seriously. It's a great tool for learning how to let go of a need for control. Perhaps you're laughing now thinking that you'd never make it through this lecture, but Watts speaks with a charisma that really doesn't let it get boring and you can always listen to it in pieces.
Now I'm going to share a couple bonus resources. For those that find raw philosophy lectures boring or hard to listen to, or even those that just enjoy some music with them, I'm going to link to a YouTube playlist below that is comprised of chillstep mixes of some of Alan Watts best lectures. The music and production values are top notch and I would love to get the channel owner over to steemit. I'm also going to link to some written lectures for those that would prefer to read them. Hopefully everyone enjoys this brief introduction to Alan Watts and I have several more philosophers to introduce coming up. If you're a fan or have questions, feel free to discuss below! Namaste.
Full playlist.
Free transcripts of public broadcasts.
Please note I do not own any of these YouTube videos and I'm sharing the links and my thoughts about the source speaker that they are all sharing. The first image is a dream art image of Alan Watts that I made.
Thanks for sharing. This is insight into a philosopher I really didn't know but only heard his name in mention.
Good call. Alan Watts was the first "alternative" philosopher I discovered, many many years ago. They say the teachings of the Buddha were so incredible and refreshing that they hit people like a lion's roar (and in fact this is said to be the origin of the fu dog statues and komainu statues in China and Japan)—well, that is how Watts and his teachings hit me. I think I am far from alone in this regard. His teachings have been having that same effect on people for 50 years. It's great to see some of his lectures have been put on Youtube. Thanks for the links :)
It's pretty amazing how many of them are out there on YouTube... hearing them from his own mouth is much more powerful than reading them for me at least. I can't wait to share some of the more obscure ones. :)
you take this alan watts guy too seriously clay. he was not a guru. he was not out there for to save the world. if you want to listen, then thats fine....
You should probably read the post if you're going to comment on it.
i read it. i liked it.. sigh.. you just don't get my weird sense of humor clay ;)