I most certainly did not study any of that because I set out to prove that these books were not the word of God. What gives you that impression. I read them because I thought they were the word of God. I was highly respected in the shul for my knowledge, wisdom, and ability to interpret Torah, etc. :) Likewise, in the 10 years I spent as a born-again Christian, people looked to me for my understanding of Scripture. However, in the end, it's all rubbish.

Wisdom and ethics can be obtained from many secular sources.