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Erudition:
: extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books : profound, recondite, or bookish learning
synonyms: see knowledge
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Having knowledge is suggested to give one power: "Knowledge is power".
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Nietzsche :"Will to Power"
Probably the most important aspect of Nietzsche's picture of human psychology arises in the "will to power", which Nietzsche at points claims as the motivation that underlies all human behavior.
Some commentators[who?] understand Nietzsche's notion of the "will to power" as a response to Schopenhauer's "will to live". Writing a generation before Nietzsche, Schopenhauer had regarded the entire universe and everything in it as driven by a primordial will to live—resulting in all creatures' desire to avoid death and to procreate. Nietzsche, however, challenges Schopenhauer's account and suggests that people and animals really want power; living in itself appears only as a subsidiary aim—something necessary to promote one's power. In defense of his view, Nietzsche appeals to many instances in which people and animals willingly risk their lives in order to promote their power, most notably in instances like competitive fighting and warfare. Once again, Nietzsche seems to take part of his inspiration from the ancient Homeric Greek texts he knew well: Greek heroes and aristocrats or "masters" did not desire mere living—often dying quite young and risking their lives in battle—but wanted power, glory, and greatness.
In addition to Schopenhauer's psychological views, Nietzsche contrasts his notion of the will to power with many of the other most popular psychological views of his day: utilitarianism, which claims all people want fundamentally to be happy (Nietzsche responds that only the Englishman wants that), and Platonism, which claims that people ultimately want to achieve unity with the good or, in Christian neo-Platonism, with God. In each case, Nietzsche argues that the "will to power" provides a more useful and general explanation of human behavior.
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I have met erudites who are interested in how a carpenter like myself could
know so much about life without being well read. I believe it is because experience and imagination may be more valuable than knowledge itself. Having knowledge from books is a good base, but life must be experienced for it to really have a deeper meaning. Understanding comes from knowing something beyond just the capacities of the intellect; love, music, poetry, esoteric knowledge, etc. are examples. Personally, no one taught me how to design and build furtniture, or write poems; they just come to me and I put them on paper. I hadn't read the classics, or poetry books; I developed an intuitive sense over the years and observe the world around me.
I'm respectful of those who are well read, like my friend who has read over 50,000 books, yet I have been one of his favorites for which to discuss life and philosophical concepts. He said one must not overlook the reality that the simple gardener(carpenter) may know more truth about a subject than he does in any given experience. Once after a stroke he had, he told me that he now sees people through the eye of heart, which he attributes his understanding from what he observed about how I see people. He used to see people from a more rational, intellectual means.
Books help us to see from different perspectives; the important thing is knowing that we live in a world of many perspectives besides our own. I guess one must ask what or who has developed one's perspective; and one must not miss the real experience and the value of the imagination for gaining greater perception of the world around them.
"Great women and great men give great and eloquent speeches; the wildflower has greater power to render the soul speechless"
~~carefulcarpenter
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