Authors of Self-help Books, are they perfect?

[Sculptor1]

As an outsider, you cannot know everyone.
There can be no advice from an atuhor that could perfectly help any other self, since they author is not that self but another.

You have a point. Advice should be tailor-made, and that requirement is hardly fulfilled by self-help books for all their intended audience. It is better for anyone to have a human mentor if possible, rather than reading hundreds of self-help books. So it is hard to recommend these books to anyone as all humans are different from each other, and though the problem is similar the acceptable solution can be different from person to person.

The other bit of advice I would like to offer is that you should never trust a book title with an inappropriate APOSTROPHE. This indecates a failure of basic knowledge and a lack of adequate editorial control.

[Sushan]

As an outsider, you cannot know everyone.
There can be no advice from an atuhor that could perfectly help any other self, since they author is not that self but another.

You have a point. Advice should be tailor-made, and that requirement is hardly fulfilled by self-help books for all their intended audience. It is better for anyone to have a human mentor if possible, rather than reading hundreds of self-help books. So it is hard to recommend these books to anyone as all humans are different from each other, and though the problem is similar the acceptable solution can be different from person to person.

The other bit of advice I would like to offer is that you should never trust a book title with an inappropriate APOSTROPHE. This indecates a failure of basic knowledge and a lack of adequate editorial control.

Undergoing editorial work is mandatory and important for a book. I agree. And I agree that the use of apostrophe in the topic (But's) is wrong as well. But I honestly believe that the author wanted the reader to get the word as 'but', but not as 'butt', by simply thinking that the author has done a mistake by missing a 't'. This is a reasonable thought since the common slang which rhymes with this title uses 'butt', not 'but'. So I do not think we have to be rude to judge the book because of an apostrophe.

[stevie]

This topic is about the September 2021 Philosophy Book of the Month, If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your But's by Mark L. Wdowiak


I think that people who write these self-help books have had experiences which have made them wiser or maybe they have put in a great deal of study into human behavior and they think that their experiences can actually help guide a few people in similar dilemmas.

What makes someone think that their life is so perfect that they can tell others how to live theirs? And how is it that they are so confident about what they need to do in a given situation when most of us are assailed by doubts and uncertainties? These authors of self-help books, are they perfect?

If an author doesn't have the professional qualification to write such a book but does it nevertheless, how might one call this? Stubbornness? Sophomoric? Business acumen?

[Sushan]

This topic is about the September 2021 Philosophy Book of the Month, If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your But's by Mark L. Wdowiak


I think that people who write these self-help books have had experiences which have made them wiser or maybe they have put in a great deal of study into human behavior and they think that their experiences can actually help guide a few people in similar dilemmas.

What makes someone think that their life is so perfect that they can tell others how to live theirs? And how is it that they are so confident about what they need to do in a given situation when most of us are assailed by doubts and uncertainties? These authors of self-help books, are they perfect?

If an author doesn't have the professional qualification to write such a book but does it nevertheless, how might one call this? Stubbornness? Sophomoric? Business acumen?

Unlike the educational books which are related to a specific profession, this type of self-help books cannot be judged by the author having specific qualifications. So the judging can be subjective but never objective. Mostly it can be taken as business acumen since we see many want to be successful, but are in loss of plans. So this sort of books can be sold easily. And the ego of the author must be playing a big role, because becoming successful is one thing. But to advice others depending on one's achievements a special level of courage as well as ego is necessary, as per my opinion.

[stevie]

This topic is about the September 2021 Philosophy Book of the Month, If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your But's by Mark L. Wdowiak


I think that people who write these self-help books have had experiences which have made them wiser or maybe they have put in a great deal of study into human behavior and they think that their experiences can actually help guide a few people in similar dilemmas.

What makes someone think that their life is so perfect that they can tell others how to live theirs? And how is it that they are so confident about what they need to do in a given situation when most of us are assailed by doubts and uncertainties? These authors of self-help books, are they perfect?

If an author doesn't have the professional qualification to write such a book but does it nevertheless, how might one call this? Stubbornness? Sophomoric? Business acumen?

Unlike the educational books which are related to a specific profession, this type of self-help books cannot be judged by the author having specific qualifications. So the judging can be subjective but never objective. ...

Of course objectively and legally everbody may write books about things they have no clue about. Nevertheless giving psychological or medical advice with books should be based on corresponding professional qualification because of the high risk of causing harm through unprofessional advice in these areas.

[duanne1947]

As a new author expressing my experience of self-development that overlaps the genre of leadership and change processes within organizations, the reflection of somatic reality vs. telling about reality, became a new roadmap for understanding the essence of identity. Identity reflects destiny?

[Sushan]

As a new author expressing my experience of self-development that overlaps the genre of leadership and change processes within organizations, the reflection of somatic reality vs. telling about reality, became a new roadmap for understanding the essence of identity. Identity reflects destiny?

I am not sure whether I understand what you are trying to say. Please explain what is the difference between this somatic reality and telling about reality? As far as I understand you refer to the bodily feeling of reality. And if so how that can be different from what someone tells as reality?

In this self-help genre the authors can tell about success when the true success is quite different and the road map for that is different too from what they show us. They may be telling that from their own experiences, yet it can be a simple somatic reality rather than the actual thing when it comes to application, due to various reasons. I think that is what you are saying here. Sorry if I misunderstood.

[Anand_Haqq]

. There is no need to improve yourself. All self-improvement is a way to hell. All efforts to make something, somebody out of yourself, something of an ideal, are going to create more and more madness. Ideals are the base of all madness, and the whole humanity is neurotic because of too many ideals.

. Animals are not neurotic because they don't have any ideals. Trees are not neurotic because they don't have any ideals. They are not trying to become somebody else. They are simply enjoying whatsoever they are.

. So, books about self improvement; self help are just jargon.

. They don't help you; it is called "self help" for the sake of name; they are not based on reality. Rather, they create a pseudo-reality upon Man.

. They only harm you, because they are based upon the most fallacious idea that man has ever been able to create, out of his cunningness : You are not good the way you are.

. And this idea has been injected to you since your very birth ... by the parents; by the teachers; by the priest; by the pundit; by the politicians; by the society.

. Hence, guilt is born; and all the social conflicts that will guide you throughout your whole Life.

[LuckyR]

. There is no need to improve yourself. All self-improvement is a way to hell. All efforts to make something, somebody out of yourself, something of an ideal, are going to create more and more madness. Ideals are the base of all madness, and the whole humanity is neurotic because of too many ideals.

. Animals are not neurotic because they don't have any ideals. Trees are not neurotic because they don't have any ideals. They are not trying to become somebody else. They are simply enjoying whatsoever they are.

. So, books about self improvement; self help are just jargon.

. They don't help you; it is called "self help" for the sake of name; they are not based on reality. Rather, they create a pseudo-reality upon Man.

. They only harm you, because they are based upon the most fallacious idea that man has ever been able to create, out of his cunningness : You are not good the way you are.

. And this idea has been injected to you since your very birth ... by the parents; by the teachers; by the priest; by the pundit; by the politicians; by the society.

. Hence, guilt is born; and all the social conflicts that will guide you throughout your whole Life.

Could be. Depends on how you use it. The key to Self Help is the Self, not the Help. If one tries to incorporate what a book promotes in the absence of a problem, I agree it is more likely to cause a worsening than an improvement.

If you decide you have a problem first, then seeking advice on solving it is both advisable and logical. The source of that advice can vary, as can the quality and utility. But books don't strike me as being particularly likely to be the best, nor worst sources.