Why philosophy works and self-help books sometimes feel so similar?
This is because both philosophical works and self-help have the intention of "teaching" one how to live a good life. The aim is similar but the values and definition of a good life are different:
Philosophy generally tries to find virtues and values which can be generalized on almost all humans regardless of time and place. Self-help, on the other hand, has the values of the here-and-now. They are made only for our age. This also explains the difference in durability; a good philosophical works stands against the test of time because it relates to humans regardless of the age or place they live in, while a self-help book will usually only be relevant for a few years (decades at the most).
A self-help book claims to teach you how to get what you desire: money, high social status, or the lover you want. It promises you a hold of whatever is fashionable today. Philosophy, on the other hand, first examines whether what you desire so strongly is actually worth the strife. It's a dose of wisdom and rationality; an antidote for the frenzy of the treding and fashionable. Philosophy challenges your assumptions, expectations, and desires, rather than simply complying to them as self-help does.
A good rule-of-thumb: if a book complies to your presupposed views of the world and your desires, it's self-help. "Commit it to the fire" as Hume would say. If the books bashes your assumptions and expectations of the world with a hammer and tries to convinces you that not all desires are worth pursuing, and that you ought not to follow your heart blindly, then it's a philosophy book.Why philosophy works and self-help books sometimes feel so similar?
This is because both philosophical works and self-help have the intention of "teaching" one how to live a good life. The aim is similar but the values and definition of a good life are different:
Philosophy generally tries to find virtues and values which can be generalized on almost all humans regardless of time and place. Self-help, on the other hand, has the values of the here-and-now. They are made only for our age. This also explains the difference in durability; a good philosophical works stands against the test of time because it relates to humans regardless of the age or place they live in, while a self-help book will usually only be relevant for a few years (decades at the most).
A self-help book claims to teach you how to get what you desire: money, high social status, or the lover you want. It promises you a hold of whatever is fashionable today. Philosophy, on the other hand, first examines whether what you desire so strongly is actually worth the strife. It's a dose of wisdom and rationality; an antidote for the frenzy of the treding and fashionable. Philosophy challenges your assumptions, expectations, and desires, rather than simply complying to them as self-help does.
A good rule-of-thumb: if a book complies to your presupposed views of the world and your desires, it's self-help. "Commit it to the fire" as Hume would say. If the books bashes your assumptions and expectations of the world with a hammer and tries to convinces you that not all desires are worth pursuing, and that you ought not to follow your heart blindly, then it's a philosophy book.