Alain de Botton: How Proust Can Change Your Life

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  • čas přidán 25. 10. 2012
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Komentáře • 245

  • @ZeroSumJ1
    @ZeroSumJ1 Před 11 lety +208

    Zero filler words. I wish more people would learn to speak like this guy.

    • @herrklamm1454
      @herrklamm1454 Před rokem +10

      He says “others will look at, YOU KNOW, material..” at 18 seconds.

    • @Arareemote
      @Arareemote Před rokem +2

      @@herrklamm1454 If you go past the one-minute mark there's also a slightly extended exhale on the third syllable. When combined with the very minor deviation in his gaze. One can infer he's being distracted- ever so briefly. Perhaps a side effect of some earlier rumination or a member of the production staff doing something that prompts curiosity.
      If you play this piece backwards at 0.5 times speed you might actually be able to recognise his blinking as a sequence of communications in morse code.
      Now, take the in-between frames at 0:11 and 1:37. When paused you'll realise that the image becomes static. This is an integral part of understanding the video.
      But, I'm sure a pedant like you already noticed this. ;)

    • @joec.5442
      @joec.5442 Před rokem

      @@Arareemote I think Klamm's objection was to the use of an absolute quantifier, and not to filler words per se. Did you read the initial post? It is both hyperbolic and demonstrably flase. So, maybe try to calm down and focus a little before opening your mouth.

    • @Arareemote
      @Arareemote Před rokem +1

      @@joec.5442 Dear fellow, I was just making a joke. No animus or ill will was intended, only absurdism. I would've hoped that was obvious lol.
      If my inane jest ruffled your feathers, then I think perhaps it is you who is in need of some calmness and peace of mind.

    • @joec.5442
      @joec.5442 Před rokem

      @@Arareemote "...but I'm sure a pedant like you already noticed this. ;)"
      Naw, you're right. The tonality there definitely suggests that I'm the ruffled, unreasonable party.
      Sarcastic rebuttals aside, I also mean you no ill will. I admit: I have a sensitivity to palaver. And I'm sure you would admit that you have a penchant for it. This connects us. ...er, for better or worse.
      Be well.
      (Or punch back.)

  • @Alphathon
    @Alphathon Před 11 lety +65

    Incidentally, the learning of foreign languages has a similar effect to that described in the video: it provides another perspective on the world, as well as giving a greater understanding of one's own. (It's surprising how much language shapes one's thought processes.)

  • @matsalvatore9074
    @matsalvatore9074 Před 6 měsíci +12

    "the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes"
    And
    “Desire makes everything blossom; possession makes everything wither and fade.”
    Changed my life

  • @spot5
    @spot5 Před 11 lety +41

    Not sure about changing my life, but reading Camus has certainly articulated a lot of thoughts that I've had for a long time but didn't know how to express had I not read him.

  • @OttoVonGarfield
    @OttoVonGarfield Před 9 lety +32

    As someone with impaired empathy, I often read to improve upon it and observing it as best as I can so as to emulate it better during conversations. All to go to the goal of making more friends and seeming more likeable and thus gaining those people as sources of resource in times of need.

    • @MrDindjemek
      @MrDindjemek Před 9 lety +5

      You are a psychopath.......... I am not a doctor.

    • @octopuscollective
      @octopuscollective Před 9 lety

      +max larsen You seem like you may be quite a handful for your loved ones. Also your A.I. is rusty. Better tighten the restrictor bolt so you'll stop giving away the secrets of your behavior core.

    • @juanjolozadap4945
      @juanjolozadap4945 Před 5 lety +13

      Here you have someone who's open about some disability and you people bash him. You don't know the inner workings of the minds of others, you only have cues. Don't be so rushful to judge and condemn people, especially when they're being open about their disabilities.
      You want to know who are the real un-empathetic, thus psychopathic ones? You guys bashing this dude.

    • @mrnibelheim
      @mrnibelheim Před 4 lety +5

      Love you honesty! Most of us use social interaction for exactly this purpose, albeit mostly unconsciously. So we should be thanking you for adding another string to our survival-bow.

    • @MegaFrenzyman
      @MegaFrenzyman Před 4 lety

      mrnibelheim totally agree. That's a completely different level of self awareness

  • @mrthatguyam
    @mrthatguyam Před 8 lety +117

    This is the dude from The School of Life Channel on CZcams!

  • @sledge56BV
    @sledge56BV Před 9 lety +69

    Why does the title, of this video, give the impression that he is going to talk about Proust? He only mentions him as part of a list of writers...

    • @logandwilliams
      @logandwilliams Před 9 lety +8

      He wrote a book of same name which uses examples from Proust's life

    • @omegaman5663
      @omegaman5663 Před 5 lety

      I know dumb....

    • @bramblebop1904
      @bramblebop1904 Před 4 lety +3

      Its the title of a book of his. The book is not about Proust though it is partly about his influence.

    • @NimbulBlack
      @NimbulBlack Před 3 lety +1

      Click bait -when the source has no value you try to make it look like it has.

  • @HaploidCell
    @HaploidCell Před 11 lety +6

    I do agree with the video.
    Every time I've finished a book I just have to talk to somebody about it.
    And - while sometimes there are certain viewpoints expressed in the novel - some of the fun of discussing the novel is to intuit the author's feelings towards today's subjects:
    Would Jonathan Swift have voted Obama or Romney? Did Shakespeare buy cheeseburgers or hamburgers at McDonalds? How would Orwell fix the economy?
    Stuff like that.

  • @GetOutsideYourself
    @GetOutsideYourself Před 11 lety +10

    Wow, how insightful: reading literature gives us new perspectives in our everyday lives. Thanks, Big Think. You've blown my mind.

  • @northandover
    @northandover Před 11 lety +4

    An enlightening 90 seconds. Thank you Alain.

  • @dozeofaudio
    @dozeofaudio Před 2 lety +3

    for me, I learned to be creative in having pros and cons with any information i consume. nothing is perfect, and sometimes it takes longer to realize negative aspects of something, especially when we are used to agreeing with it.
    so for this, I agree that with character driven stories, stories in first person perspective, the writer is good at focusing on what matters. But with books like Harry Potter, which focuses just as much on the plot, we see the progression of the story, and though we can't look at the world in the author's eyes, those are also worth reading because it teaches us trust and patience and that we will never know what the bigger picture has in store until much later on.

  • @MrRookitty
    @MrRookitty Před 11 lety +5

    It's pretty great seeing things through Haruki Murakami's eyes. Everything that happens in his books are so subtle kind of like when an old man recalls a fond memory that's deeply effected his life, but without being dressed up and overdone.

    • @aclark903
      @aclark903 Před 2 lety

      Murakami =overrated racist.

    • @Liliquan
      @Liliquan Před rokem +1

      The perspective of incels.

    • @Andrei_Suckoffsky
      @Andrei_Suckoffsky Před rokem

      @@Liliquanso? What’s wrong with being an incel. We all have our faults

  • @DarkKirbyBlade
    @DarkKirbyBlade Před 11 lety +7

    I agree with this perspective, I can for myself say I have taken many life lessons not just from books, but form other stories in other forms of entertainment. I fear too many people don't have this ability though, and schools themselves only concern themselves with telling students to "interpret" what the author was expressing, which I feel is stupid, especially with authors that died a long time ago, and teachers claiming there is proof of what, if anything, they were trying to express.

  • @sabiaamar8203
    @sabiaamar8203 Před 2 lety

    looking at the world through their eyes rather than looking at their world through our eyes 👏🏻

  • @Shaghayegh11
    @Shaghayegh11 Před 10 lety +7

    Applaud! Well said!

  • @bushedwizard007
    @bushedwizard007 Před 11 lety +1

    Adding this to my book of wisdom. Thanks.

  • @KiraHellhammer
    @KiraHellhammer Před 11 lety

    For me painting definitely. I have a friend, she paints, not amazing works from technique standpoint, but the emotion in them, the momen, she captures it magnificently, the good, the bad, the sad, the happy, all within the colours and shapes and eyes and smiles...and a movie is a painting in motion...so yes my friend...

  • @MsTwte
    @MsTwte Před 11 lety

    I think so, usually when I watched a great TV series I like to act and feel like if I were the main character of the series and see my world through his eyes. I find that this gives me a deeper understanding of both the series and myself.

  • @ashrafjehangirqazi1497
    @ashrafjehangirqazi1497 Před rokem +2

    I just finished reading Schwartz-Bart's magnificent The Last of The Just and have just started reading Davis' translation of Proust's Swann's Way. It's like I am reading the same book although they are utterly different. They make you see yourself as you cannot as Alain so rightly suggests. But they have to be masters of their craft, have an uncanny insight into the human mind and spirit, and utterly honest in the unfolding and display of their tapestry to have a life altering impact on anyone.

  • @TacoMighty
    @TacoMighty Před 9 lety

    Wonderful! Thank You!

  • @edwardcone6860
    @edwardcone6860 Před 3 lety

    What a wonderful exposition!

  • @Candyliz2003
    @Candyliz2003 Před 11 lety +10

    I, too, was expecting some insight about Proust.

  • @jinh9966
    @jinh9966 Před 11 lety

    His voice, language and emphasis is so cool!

  • @Spartan76092
    @Spartan76092 Před 11 lety +3

    Alain de Botton is awesome. I really like his philosophy documentaries.

  • @deafosho
    @deafosho Před 10 lety +4

    love this

  • @henriquemf9
    @henriquemf9 Před 11 lety +2

    The man published a book called "how proust can change your life", he's just giving us a hint. If you want to get to know his ideas about proust buy the book, that's the point. Then you can see the world through some de Botton glasses under your Proust glasses.

  • @LookatthatSH1T
    @LookatthatSH1T Před 10 lety +1

    Brilliant!

  • @MrRookitty
    @MrRookitty Před 11 lety

    Well yeah. There are people who make it and direct with a certain image in their head that they want to convey to the audience. When you watch that movie you pick up on the special nuances and effects that enhanced the scene and you can apply that acute awareness into daily life. It's the same with paintings you look at the color, content, shape and think about how the artist sees things and you can make up entire paintings in your head thinking about the artist's style. I do this a lot.

  • @SonofLiberty039
    @SonofLiberty039 Před 11 lety +1

    Same. I tell people that I read because I get bored of my own circuitous thoughts. By reading a great observer or poet or thinker we truly add some of them to ourselves.

  • @itsthekush
    @itsthekush Před 11 lety

    Well said, couldn't agree more.

  • @elizabethcoopersoutham6573
    @elizabethcoopersoutham6573 Před 11 lety +1

    thanks and can we have more of alain de botton , please!

  • @ajcarpy2005
    @ajcarpy2005 Před 11 lety +1

    Look up Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
    Literature has many more words than a movie and obviously more than painting...
    I think the reason why books can change the way we look at life so much is because there is such a detailed narrative.

    • @carlito6038
      @carlito6038 Před rokem

      Don't look up NLP it's puesdoscience

  • @Knight2e5
    @Knight2e5 Před 11 lety

    Fantastic.

  • @PratipGhoshDastidardhurr
    @PratipGhoshDastidardhurr Před 6 lety +1

    I love you Alain..

  • @harshaa9522
    @harshaa9522 Před 2 lety

    I started reading his book before 2 weeks after reading some pages suddenly i remember something that is related to my life and i will instantly forget what i was reading and i will have to start thinking.after that i will forget where i have stopped and i had to start over it all again

  • @TheSteinmetzen
    @TheSteinmetzen Před 3 lety

    Thank you.

  • @BudLarsenjr
    @BudLarsenjr Před 11 lety

    Alain has an excellent series called "the philosophy of happiness", it is highly recommended.

  • @yasiru89
    @yasiru89 Před 11 lety

    What's advocated here is more general. As someone from an analytical background, the appeal of art- truly great art imparting more than simple enjoyment, is that an ideal profusion of perspectives on the complexity of being helps us learn both to have a broader outlook & to recognise what's significant more readily.
    If it helps, think of it as training a learning algorithm- that of your own brain, on a particular 'humanist' set. Certainly worthwhile, and likely helpful in more austere pursuits.

  • @akshaymani2624
    @akshaymani2624 Před 5 lety

    Golden words...

  • @zakariaelkhachia1533
    @zakariaelkhachia1533 Před rokem +1

    Thanks!

    • @bigthink
      @bigthink  Před rokem

      Thanks so much, we really appreciate it! We'd be happy to send you some stickers if you'd like - just fill out the form at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZdQb0Rb-_UO4txWxjVQD5bISKMFGt90CFeyeFvPw-92McBg/viewform?usp=sf_link !

  • @glitterrgirrl
    @glitterrgirrl Před 4 lety +1

    People like this don’t get enough credit for their amazingness

  • @lucasvinzon
    @lucasvinzon Před 11 lety

    That coffee shop... In Holland it's a great place for having creative ideas.

  • @m.spiderman
    @m.spiderman Před rokem

    Great speaker.

  • @user-yk9sk7pg6v
    @user-yk9sk7pg6v Před 6 lety

    Ty:)

  • @Yukiyukiyukichi
    @Yukiyukiyukichi Před 11 lety

    Yes!

  • @Ferda1964
    @Ferda1964 Před 6 lety

    what an interesting idea , thanks

  • @carlosgarciahernandez7201

    Very nice

  • @DaRealFiberOptix
    @DaRealFiberOptix Před 11 lety

    there are many "points" of view, they are like lenses, or differentiated filters to what you choose to contextualize in the world and what you leave out. these lenses to me are like modes. cuz once you change your pov, you get to view everything in the world from that new viewing point and in return you get to see things that you've never seen before. its very telling to how our brain works

  • @dankojones707
    @dankojones707 Před 11 lety +1

    His books are awesome

  • @passionatebraziliangirl.4801

    I love this writer!

  • @KevinFitzMauriceEverett
    @KevinFitzMauriceEverett Před 9 lety +9

    Worthwhile advice regarding reading.

  • @kaiftintoiwala6414
    @kaiftintoiwala6414 Před 3 lety

    Great

  • @sharptongue2972
    @sharptongue2972 Před 8 lety +13

    Trying to sense the world like Proust would most certainly end up in sensory over-stimulation and chronic fatigue.

  • @cmcclo1
    @cmcclo1 Před 11 lety

    love this guy

  • @zman2themax
    @zman2themax Před 9 lety +46

    Why would anyone dislike this..?

    • @MrDindjemek
      @MrDindjemek Před 9 lety +9

      Because Communism. Everyone should stop reading books immediately and start making grammatical mistakes and have their empathic power reduced dramaticaly.
      Then maybe...just MAYBE Jesus will take us back!

    • @jabeztomer
      @jabeztomer Před 9 lety +4

      MrDindjemek you said communism then you brought it back to jesus. consider me confused.
      I think in reality maybe some people are just afraid of changing their view, because sometimes it would mean that they have to change their misconceptions about reality. and that is very hard. it's hard to change what you believe in.

    • @MrDindjemek
      @MrDindjemek Před 9 lety +4

      I concede that sarcams is sometimes difficult to communicate online. But this is a stretch.

    • @drewsy
      @drewsy Před 7 lety

      sNb this is less sarcasm and more absurdist satire on the common CZcams commenter practice of melodramatic ramblings about exclusively grandiose topics.

    • @EyeLean5280
      @EyeLean5280 Před 6 lety +1

      I imagine they dislike him specifically. He has a lot of detractors.

  • @tilleternity
    @tilleternity Před rokem

    Beautiful

  • @sambaranenko
    @sambaranenko Před 6 lety

    I love his eyes

  • @deborahchinn2439
    @deborahchinn2439 Před rokem

    Every good writer will agree with this and take it one clarifying step further…when you read a novel or a short story or a poem; you are really reading the author of that creation. You are not reading In Search of Lost Time…you are reading Marcel Proust himself.

  • @nautilusnexus5120
    @nautilusnexus5120 Před 9 lety +4

    Oh wow! That - is - fucking - awesome!

  • @Jeremyramone
    @Jeremyramone Před 11 lety

    reading is magic!

  • @arkadalgamish6272
    @arkadalgamish6272 Před 11 lety

    To look at things as from authors eyes or experience.. That's how you learn and gain greater knowledge.

  • @Iowa2006
    @Iowa2006 Před 11 lety +2

    This should be required viewing to all "Intro to Lit." courses.

  • @probeef
    @probeef Před 11 lety

    i like how intelligent but humble this guy is.

  • @raginbakin1430
    @raginbakin1430 Před 4 lety

    This guy is a captivating speaker.

  • @SAGHAJAR
    @SAGHAJAR Před 3 lety

    I can only agree to some extent, human mind is fascinating to a degree and that is that we are able to see life from our own perspective and not through anybody’s eyes, what you read and perceived in Jane Austin’s, Proust’s and Shakespeare’s is only your view it is not theirs nor can be mine, so you can never see things in life through their eyes and minds to sum up we are as individual as our finger prints.

  • @Anachin37
    @Anachin37 Před 6 měsíci +1

    Is there a full video of this?
    If so can somebody please send the link to it

  • @arturovelasquez2767
    @arturovelasquez2767 Před 6 lety

    I believe we are alienated enough to "try" thinking or seeing like someone else.

  • @ThaoTran-ld7vn
    @ThaoTran-ld7vn Před 6 lety

    Super like!!!!

  • @ze_rubenator
    @ze_rubenator Před 11 lety

    I gotta hand it to you, that was one fucking poetic burn!

  • @darragh47
    @darragh47 Před 7 lety +32

    Another misleading title from Big Think, but a great video all the same.

    • @suheti
      @suheti Před 7 lety +1

      darragh47 big think practices clickbait though at a probably least ugly extent of the trade.

    • @borjapano7384
      @borjapano7384 Před 7 lety +3

      it's because that's the name of the book the speaker wrote, and one of the topics treated there is this one about
      "how to read"

  • @OttoIncandenza
    @OttoIncandenza Před 11 lety +4

    I actually read that book :)

  • @simonerdp
    @simonerdp Před 6 lety

    Is this the voice that narrates Proust episode in School of Life? I love both videos by the way.

  • @blizzmen
    @blizzmen Před 11 lety

    I thought it was titled that way because this also is the title of the documentary about Proust in which de Botton was an important commentator.

  • @gggcccdddaaa2080
    @gggcccdddaaa2080 Před 3 lety

    That was a huge think

  • @Brujerian
    @Brujerian Před 11 lety +1

    im putting on my glasses now!

  • @Lordradost
    @Lordradost Před 11 lety

    Spot on about reading novels xP.
    (change the title, aye)

  • @MikaleLioneRi
    @MikaleLioneRi Před 11 lety +1

    I really like what Mr. Botton was saying about seeing from different writers perspectives. I also find it horribly sad that this video is about philosophy in literature and half the comments I see are about his appearance.

  • @PoZloDead
    @PoZloDead Před 10 lety

    What's the name of the documentary?

  • @rngouveia
    @rngouveia Před 11 lety

    dont really see a reason for this comment getting so many dislikes. Its a perfectly valid point of view, even if I think that "...anyone who thinks reading literature makes them more intelligent is stupid." is a little drastic. I think that the positive side of literature is the stories (information) and the brain exercise. The stories you could get from a variety of media, and the brain exercise from any kind of text. So in the end reading literature is one of many ways to get smarter.

  • @UnderCandlelightDuo
    @UnderCandlelightDuo Před 11 lety +1

    That's why I gobble up a couple of books a week.

  • @FocalDepth
    @FocalDepth Před 6 lety

    This guy nailed it.

  • @MrHeroFamily
    @MrHeroFamily Před 7 lety +6

    The best presenter of knowledge in the world right now.

  • @blizzmen
    @blizzmen Před 10 lety

    "Proust can change your life" it's on youtube and really well done.

  • @eddybaroncelli6048
    @eddybaroncelli6048 Před 3 lety +1

    Genius

  • @Swidhelm
    @Swidhelm Před 11 lety

    Weirdly enough I do that with the Richard Rahl character from Sword of Truth :P

  • @MatthewFerrin
    @MatthewFerrin Před 11 lety

    Your statement implies that systemizer and empathizer are opposites. Others assumed I don't enjoy art. My favorite building on campus is the art building. It's has the most beautiful exterior, a glass roof section, and many new paintings. I'm just rather passionate about intelligence and truth. I empathize very heavily when someone hits a personal chord. And perhaps, the majority of people here may not appreciate how computation blends with art.

  • @njden
    @njden Před 11 lety

    i believe any type of art would work that way

  • @Loafy23
    @Loafy23 Před 11 lety

    The more perspectives you have the more you're able to see.

  • @christopheralroe6711
    @christopheralroe6711 Před 9 měsíci

    Oppenheimer made it very clear that Proust changed his life completely.

  • @aStrayforMyTime
    @aStrayforMyTime Před 11 lety

    hey i watched this guys doc on famous philosophers

  • @ayobmilad9851
    @ayobmilad9851 Před 3 lety

    Finally he Reveals His Face🥰

  • @DoraKage
    @DoraKage Před 11 lety

    I feel the same way about CERTAIN video games, tv shows and films... CERTAIN ones.

  • @419dman
    @419dman Před 11 lety

    I got nearly 200 pages into swans way and was yet to encounter much in the way of actual story, someday i will finish it and perhaps somewhere within find a cohesive narrative.

  • @MegaMajorDanger
    @MegaMajorDanger Před 11 lety

    He has great features. He'd be extremely good-looking if he sorted out his barnet.

  • @aluisious
    @aluisious Před 11 lety

    Another one of the better videos on BigThink.
    PS, Google, I do not want to use my full name on CZcams. The idea is stupid, stop asking.

  • @bushedwizard007
    @bushedwizard007 Před 11 lety

    Tilting at windmills hurts you more than them.

  • @ryanoneiljohnson8743
    @ryanoneiljohnson8743 Před 3 lety

    He spitted the fact.

  • @Makkovar
    @Makkovar Před 11 lety

    Sure, but you use a different kind of "radar" in them.

  • @yharyhar8
    @yharyhar8 Před 11 lety +1

    His brain was generating so much intelligence that his hair got overheated and dropped off his head.

  • @erikpaterson1404
    @erikpaterson1404 Před 3 lety

    I think I have discovered the narrator on the school of life videos