Quote Originally Posted by Carôusoul View Post
Have you read any actual books, or just stuff you find on the internet?
awh, don't be a dick :D

yes, I have read more than just what's on the internet, albeit not a whole lot. just a few general philosophy books, which actually I guess isn't much better than internet. but my point is, I do/will read books.

key differences:

Hedonism's main claim is that only pleasure and pain can motivate us and that we should live our lives based on the pursuit of pure pleasure.

Existentialism has a lot of variations depending on who you're reading. but typically the model based on someone like Sartre[which is very very different to people like Kierkergaard or even Heidegger, who is somewhere nearabouts] is mainly about freedom. Sartre argues that freedom is basically a universal authority and that what makes humanity is that man is free. Freedom and holding the reigns of one's own destiny is the universal nature of man.
oh, my god, I almost bought Sartre's Being and Nothingness but I flipped through it and I'm sorry but it's way over my head. maybe I was just distracted that day, but I read a few lines here and there and was just like...what? I feel fucking retarded, and I hate it so much. I really want to understand all this. I guess I just need to keep reading. probably should go to college. I don't know, I live smack in the middle of Arkansas, I'm surrounded by the most ignorant people there are, and I do NOT want to be like them. it's depressing :(

So if you genuinely want to pursue some of this stuff, read some books. Existentialism and Humanism by Sartre is very easy really, and not long. I wouldn't recommend reading much Nietzsche though, as he can be very tricky to understand. Read nietzsche but first read whatever introductory philosophy books and more advanced stuff you can. it's no good diving into nietzsche if you know nothing about the traditions of philosophy.
thanks for the tip, although I did just buy his The Gay Science. haven't started on it yet. but I'll get that book, and look into Camus.

existentialism doesn't really appeal to me from what I've gathered, but it seems so complicated, I don't even know. the only thing I'm fairly sure of when in comes to philosophy is determinism. that I will argue for.

anyway, I appreciate your taking the time to post all that for me, thankyou.

ALSO!!! I love when I take time to type up long sincere posts and don't get a reply :D

(wheeeere is Praise)