“We don’t want the books, just the quotes.” I want to talk about this further not to dunk on this person, but to highlight an issue I see today on social media regarding Chinese Philosophy, Japanese Philosophy, etc. Wisdom *isn’t* for social clout. - ThreadSky

christinedaae.bsky.social • 10 days ago

“We don’t want the books, just the quotes.”

I want to talk about this further not to dunk on this person, but to highlight an issue I see today on social media regarding Chinese Philosophy, Japanese Philosophy, etc.

Wisdom *isn’t* for social clout.

Comments

nancymittens.bsky.social•9 days ago

Read the books, and pick out your own darn quotes. You (not really you, generic person addressed) might get something out of it!

stephens.website•9 days ago

In an episode of "The West Wing", Josh criticizes the GOP presidential candidate for running on slogans. He says we should be embracing candidates who reach for whole ideas and "not just the McNuggets". He even calls him a fortune cookie candidate. It's all some people allow room for in their lives.

dargondarkfire.bsky.social•10 days ago

My comment to that person eould be.
"Well i have no bite sized wisdom for you today. And tomorrow only full sized wisdom will be available.

christinedaae.bsky.social•10 days ago

carolvitti.bsky.social•9 days ago

📌

pdthorn.bsky.social•9 days ago

This is a new orientalism. Turning entire philosophies into single serving platitudes.

jhgoforth.bsky.social•10 days ago

i suspect this intellectual laziness is why LLM AI is become prevalent whether we like it or not. a large chunk of people can't be bothered to actually read in depth studies of topics anymore.

davidjayindie.bsky.social•9 days ago

I'd like to respond, that kind of wisdom doesn't help you in any way, shape or form, but I'm happy for your follower count on Instagram.

emonychan.bsky.social•10 days ago

It's such a ridiculous modernism that wisdom is served up in pithy sayings. These people wouldn't last a moment reading a Tibetan treatise.

scottbaculovirus.bsky.social•9 days ago

I don't trust people who are into quotes. Like damn just read a book and think about it, I've had enough of the posturing online to look wise or deep

islandofreil.bsky.social•10 days ago

@shengokai.bsky.social

christinedaae.bsky.social•10 days ago

Whether it’s trying to sell Ikigai as some deep Japanese philosophical concept or misattributing Confucius, we are truly *losing* something valuable by trying to make wisdom as “bite-sized, feel-good”content without any real engagement with the actual ideas

ruthnineke.bsky.social•9 days ago

We are definitely losing something. And it could even be argued we have been losing it for decades. Only the internet makes everything seem to have happened faster and more alarming.

If the majority of human beings valued wisdom over a fleeting awareness, we might live in different times.

christinedaae.bsky.social•10 days ago

Being mixed Japanese living in Japan + having an MA in Chinese Philosophy means I’m sitting here watching “influencers” try and treat East Asian wisdom and culture as some kind of Aesthetic Wallpaper instead of something worthy of actual respect and study.

christinedaae.bsky.social•10 days ago

These texts, these ideas, they’re not meant to be consumed as random out-of-context soundbites. Their meaning is *deeply* tied to context, historical usage, and the broader philosophical traditions that come from this part of the world.

christinedaae.bsky.social•10 days ago

Why are books trying to sell you Ikigai or Kaizen so successful? Because people feel incomplete and hollow in their daily lives, and devastating lack of critical thinking and real engagement with something longer than two or three sentences is now somehow “too much.”

christinedaae.bsky.social•10 days ago

The boom of publishing books trying to sell you Ikigai or Kaizen as “deep concepts” rooted in actual Eastern philosophical tradition (they’re not!) comes from a shallow “solution” to something far deeper, a very real problem in today’s world.

Modern existential emptiness.

christinedaae.bsky.social•10 days ago

People are grasping desperately for meaning in their lives, but instead of truly engaging with these traditions or taking time to self-reflect, they just want digestible, marketable “life hacks.”

hawaiian-jelly.bsky.social•10 days ago

I'm no where into that but the Ikigai coaching certificates have me reeling.

christinedaae.bsky.social•10 days ago

Those drive me batty

sharirvek.bsky.social•10 days ago

That last message feels to me like something dirty you shouldn't even mention in plain sight

Like yeah, let's divorce anything and everything from its original context, that really went great up until now 🤦‍♂️

bfwriter.bsky.social•9 days ago

I've been going off about mindfulness since forever. finally read Donald Purser's McMindfulness a few months ago. such a good book.

kazuma.bsky.social•10 days ago

This is such a good thread

christinedaae.bsky.social•10 days ago

Thank you so much 😭

gloriaboboria.bsky.social•9 days ago

"break it down into thousands of quotes over a period of 6 years because reading a book takes way too long!!!"

jay.unseenjapan.com•10 days ago

Lord I hate this "reduce everything to a soundbite" mentality

legandairy.bsky.social•9 days ago

I am now asking for the books partially just to be a spiteful little goblin 😄

christinedaae.bsky.social•9 days ago

I made a list here:

https://bsky.app/profile/christinedaae.bsky.social/post/3lkpqwzhris2c

legandairy.bsky.social•9 days ago

hooliet.bsky.social•10 days ago

I'm no expert in philosophy but how much wisdom can you truly get from a sentence? If you don't understand the greater context then what have you missed?

I don't understand how people aren't BOTHERED about not knowing!? 😭

manifoldobscura.bsky.social•9 days ago

Do you have any favourite philosophy books? Can be really academic ones.

kuralis.bsky.social•9 days ago

this made me genuinely upset

mari-chan.bsky.social•10 days ago

Reducing an entire body of philosophy and spirituality linked to self introspection and meditation to hustle friendly pills. Ironic missing the point so hard.

tarynm.bsky.social•9 days ago

Yes to all of this, and well articulated

carloswt.bsky.social•9 days ago

The next step after “downsized” books…

doctorsockrates.bsky.social•9 days ago

Very salient thread, I liked this a lot. I get the feeling that even if this person did get any books they'd be using it as bookshelf decor rather than being able to talk about its contents.

flower-nymph234.bsky.social•9 days ago

Gonna scream

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