How to Do Philosophy | Paul Graham
Appreciation
6
Importance
7
Date Added
8.31.25
TLDR
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2 Cents
Despite the title, I don't remember any of his points on philosophy. But towards the end he articulates how to measure the usefulness of a piece of writing, and I've adopted it for myself. I think it's important (see below).
Tags
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⭐⭐⭐:
The test of utility I propose is whether we cause people who read what we've written to do anything differently afterward.
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Sometimes I'll read incredible writing but I don't attribute any of my personal changes to it, and so I'll know how "useful" that piece really was.
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This is how I define "importance scores" in my
bookshelf .