It should be taken into account that one does not simply open a philosophy blog for no reason. Writers who do not have a core philosophy behind their decision to write, might struggle greatly and unnecessarily to write good content and make others want to read it.
That is even truer when it comes to this specific niche of philosophy, not only because there's a lot of competition from "rival" blogs but also because philosophizing is done under a premise, under a motive. A work of philosophy done out of boredom and nothing else is a work that, in theory, could be easily disregarded by both the reader and the author.
Therefore, a motive needs to be put in place and remembered as far as the mind can do so. Call it a work philosophy or a "philosophy of a philosophy", regarding this niche. In this article, I will attempt to present the three core values that underlie the reasoning behind my writing and, directly, the existence of this very site.
Realization
In Hebrew, the main aim of a content-based site is called "Erech Mussaf" (ערך מוסף), or "additional value" in English. It is the most important core of all, particularly of a philosophy blog. In the end, my aim as a writer is to give you something of additional value.
Be it an insight, be it an inspiration, or be it anything else that keeps you wanting to read despite the general competition of both other blogs and other sources of stimulation that consume your time.
If a philosophy blog does not provide you, personally, an "Erech Mussaf", then that blog does not worth your time. If you have not learned anything new, or were not given at least something to think about and to consider, then that blog you're reading is at a disadvantage, compared to rivalling blogs.
That is especially true in philosophy due to the fact that the process of philosophizing is all about doing something for the sake of a "product" -- a solution, a new idea and so on. After all, as said before, one does not seek philosophy for the sake of erasing boredom and nothing else. You, I and the rest of us, are all seekers of realization, by choosing to seek this niche.
That's the unique trait in philosophy that doesn't necessarily exist in other niches, such as niches related to entertainment, for example. When one seeks entertainment, like when watching a movie or playing a video game, these activities are merely done to rest and to relax oneself from the daily activities of life -- work, school and other duties.
That, you see, is not the case in philosophy, because the entire purpose of philosophy is to get something that is additional to itself, and that is realization. Call it enlightenment, call it wisdom. To philosophize publicly is to gather people around you and prove to them that they have a good enough reason not to do anything else with their free time.
You could just as easily give up on seeking philosophers or trying to philosophize yourself, simply because there are many other alternatives out there to fill your time that do not require nearly as much energy or dedication as philosophy.
Thus, to read philosophy, is to realize that the other alternatives out there, both inside and outside of this niche, are insufficient. This is why I myself philosophize: because the solutions out there, all the pleasures of modern-day technologies, are not enough for me to make me smile, to make me desire this existence.
This is why I philosophize: to fill an inner void for both myself and, hopefully, you too, by developing and reproducing a product that does not exist in the more so-called "earthly" pursuits of life.
2. Relevancy
Allow me to tell you a little secret. My books did not achieve as much success as this site. The reasoning behind it is that books are less read than posts you can find on the internet. If people do not see a good enough reason to read a book, then one must compromise for the more desirable channels of content delivery.
This is why philosophy books are arguably not as good as internet articles. It's not because books are bad; it's because books are less desirable, especially if they are in physical format and not on a computer device. Because of that, I've decided to put my content in the form of a blog, because blogs are more likely to be consumed by the world than books, and I have my own statistics to prove it.
I might've managed to sell dozens of copies, at least in physical form, but when you have "tinier" bits of similar content, then people are likelier to read it in the hundreds, if not thousands.
Imagine an enormous meal served at your table.
It's not like eating it whole will generate the same result as consuming it; dividing it into bits will make you more inclined to finish the whole dish, especially because you have tools that give you the comfort of doing so.
The fork and the knife are like blogs for ideas. Giving you a thousand-page book is not the same as giving you a blog with hundreds of posts.
Philosophy is already something that is lagging. The better-quality blogs out there, the better. It should not be the sole pursuit of highly educated academics; anyone with an internet connection should consume philosophical content as much as they would like. It should be in the possession of anyone across the world, with the only required payment being to your internet provider or to your local internet café.
With the power of worthy blogs, I am confident that, eventually, philosophy in this day and age will be desired, and available just like any other topic. What I'm giving you should not be denied; it is a free service, the work of a volunteer. Money does not motivate me, for I can still make it through the month with the little income that I have. If you wish to donate, that is your decision that I will not force upon you, even if it will improve my mood as a result.
3. Finally, Revenge
Have you ever found a philosophy blog that is driven by the quest for vengeance? Whether you did or didn't, this is the one. I've used a specific person, whom some of you may already know, as the third core motivator for this blog.
I did many good things for her: I made her a waltz on the piano I used to have; I gave her a copy of my first published book; and in the end, all I eventually received was the simple sentence, "You are not relevant enough."
To this day, I'm not sure why she treated me so badly over the years, despite my pure goodwill, but regardless, the past cannot be changed. She could've at least said "thank you", but no.
I am most likely not to see or hear from her again. However, she represents, in my mind, not only herself, but other people as well, towards whom I also had good will. Whether they were people whom I knew in real life or random ones on the internet...
If they think I am not worthy enough in their eyes, then I will dedicate the rest of my life to making them at least consider that they might be wrong.
I'm not looking for love or an apology; I'm looking for the possibility of their disillusionment, as any philosopher would. With this philosophy blog as my representative, I shall at least try to make the ungrateful, reconsider their ungratefulness, through what I have to offer. As I said before, this, along with the rest of the things I've done, were free services.
If someone overlooks this, then there is something that I also should consider -- improving or giving up suicidal thoughts. Since I don't want to die at all, the alternative is to improve, to write, and to share until my reasoning for my existence will be justified enough, at least in the eyes of the truly grateful!
Extra: The Obstacle Within Reception
Finally, when it comes to things that might trigger others, or even yourself, take note that I am autistic and thus am unable to predict such possibilities in any form of communication. All I can offer, should someone complain about being triggered by my words, is a polite, honest apology.
Because of this notion of triggering, I don't expect every single person on Earth to like my writings, or even like me personally.
Some might emote radically, for some reason I fail to understand, but still, all I can offer is an apology for having such a bad experience, as I had no intention of it happening at all. In other words, even if I fail to get universal approval, I can at least try to do so by having no intention whatsoever of the exact opposite ambition.
Despite my disability, I believe I can still be considered a good writer and maybe a good philosopher. People were bad to me because they did not comprehend my disabilities being existent.
They called me a bad writer, they called me primitive; and they said that they would punch my words if they were a physical person. Hatred is unavoidable in this world, but it does not have to be a part of one's path to success.
Do you know why, now, I shouldn't succumb to this hatred that features in the possibility of renown? It is due to the despised alternative, which I must refuse to consider as a possibility. However, it is still there, in the back of my mind, refusing to leave. An extreme dedication to something is ultimately still a good one.
