Philosophy!

*Josh snaps out of his daydreams about the old Philosopher’s Cloud

I’m into philosophy.
In fact, I am so into philosophy that I dropped out of the business programme I was in at college, and I’m now a philosophy major at university…we’ll see how well that decision works out for me in my future :roll: . For now, I feel like it’s where I am supposed to be, if I’m supposed to be anywhere that is.

It is an interesting experience going from what I used to do, which you might call armchair philosophy, to serious, scholarly study…it’s starting to make me re-evaluate a lot of my views. Some of them have changed and some of them have been shored up even more.

Anyways, I’ll just cut to the chase; existentialism is neat. I myself, however, am a secular humanist, and my worldview is currently based on metaphysical naturalism.

To bones.

i understand.
i don’t use the word conformity much.
it reminds me of goths.
hah.

but yeah.

i hate it when you want to do something but it turns out everyone is doing it too so you immeditely change your opinion and don’t want anything to do with it.
if you catch my drift.
i think you should to be able to not care what anyone thinks enough to be able to do something everyone else is doing once in a while if you believe in it.

i know that sounds stupid but it made a teeny tiny bit of sense to me.

So Josh are you into Taoism?

And about seeing everyone else around you as a moron…yes, (NOT to be arrogant, honestly) I cannot help but feel that way.

We are ants. We are not superior to any other living things on this planet, though we believe we are. Everything we do, could be described as mindless ant work. All for survival.

I believe all living things are connected with a field of energy, that is our soul, and that is “god”. So thus we never die, although we may physically die, that in the end will be no big deal.

Another thing-how materialist and BLIND our society has become.

If you want to live a happy life, be spiritual, peaceful, and kind to everyone. The thing to always keep in mind is, in the end we ALL die.

Actually yes, that was one of the first religions that I seriously studied. Sometimes I think that if I humanism or naturalism were proven wrong, I might consider becoming a philosophical Taoist.

Actually, I know so many people that make me look like a moron or an ant…I’m always learning, and someone, doesn’t matter who, probably has something to teach me.

Maybe this is why a lot of people are not into philosophy? They simply don’t have the time because they are busy trying to survive. After all you can’t pursue your interests (or at least, you can’t pursue them to the fullest extent otherwise possible) if you are busy working like a slave for minimum wage to support yourself.

If your at all interested in spirituality, or not, watch this video:

Gregg Braden

I absolutely adore philosophy. Does anyone around here have their very own theories?
:content:

Well, usually they aren’t. But you can’t say they actually don’t to everyone. People who are greedy will not get statisfaction out of materials, because they can never have enough. Some people may have a psyche problem (A mental injury, if you will) That may cause them to actually feel pleasure when they get more money. Certain types of people enjoy shopping just for the sake of it, and for them the fact that they have more items (and less money) is merely a side effect.

It is easy to watch what is fun, what is right and what is good from the perspective of a “normal” person; But you must also think about it from the perspective of people with mind “defects”, for we are all just a set of neurons.

For ex: If someone enjoys looking at their hands, is their fun less “good” than that of someone who enjoys playing video games?
If I gain happiness from having a bigger car (Not through impressing my friends, but simply by owning a better car) am I less good than you, who gets fun through owning different belief system?

And you will always think you are better than others, no matter what. Even when you think that everyone is equal, you think that you are better because you think that everyone is equal (Or through other beliefs)

Are there realy such things as feelings? If I make a computer that can respond to pain, will it be ethical to cause pain to it? the answer will probably be yes, because it can’t actually suffer, it can only know that it is hurt.

But if so, then what will happen if you put another computer up on the first, call the first one SC, and the second one conscious, and make the first interrupt the second’s action by sending it messages of pain, will it then be ethical to cause pain to it?

And what if it will have facial expressions?

And what if it will make the sound of a poor animal?

I belive the only difference batween a living being and a machine is the fact that we are somewhat based on primal survival mechanisms (SC) and partially based on rational thinking mechanism. This causes us to have much lack of logic, and is the only reason we can’t make an AI: We need to make something half random.

Well, guess that answers the OP initial question.

i consider myself a philosopher of sorts too. i don’t really have much to say though unless it’s in a debate or argument.

i just want to know, has anyone here read a book called Ishmael?

My problem is, society today is revolved around having better material goods. People are trained to find joy in getting money and possessions. But I think when it comes down to our nature, we TRULY find happiness naturally.

You’ve heard it said before, “money doesn’t bring happiness”. Think about it, we are programmed throughout childhood to desire money and possessions as an incentive to act as another brick in the wall. It is a learned desire. It is the people that have never even considered otherwise that I look down upon. The people that are completely brainwashed.

Why is it wrong?
It builds envy in people. It turns people into criminals, into thieves. It creates classes amongst people, typically further dividing people racially, causing yet MORE problems including violence.

I believe this system will be the downfall of mankind.

“Imagine” by John Lennon is a song to live by.

So if I were born into poverty, instead of working hard to pull myself up and live comfortably by knowing where my next meal is coming from, I should, instead, give up on the whole “class” thing, rent a book on philosophy from the local library, and settle into my nice, cozy alleyway and contemplate my existence?

Well, I’m sorry if the poor, ignorant, and starving masses (who move through their pitiful lives without even giving their personal economic beliefs a second thought!) anger you so much so that you look down on them with disgust, but no one’s life is perfect, we all have things we have to live with, in your case, it’s coexisting with people like that. /sarcasm

So you know, I don’t believe you actually feel this way, just understand how vague and general statements like those that took up your entire post can be misinterpreted to mean something completely different. You could get into quite a few arguments otherwise.

I agree with Lizard I’ve thought that about hardcore Christians who never even admit in the slightest possibility they might not be completely right. I like to keep an open mind to anything that’s why I’m trying to LD heh, have to be open minded for that I assume. :cool:

Oh my god :eek: That is exactly me. word for word, i always think and say aloud how everyone around me are comformist morons. I am also a self proclaimed phliosopher

Envy is bad. It is the reason for classes in today’s society (Alongside capitalism). But I was not speaking of getting “fun” when being better than others. I was speaking of getting fun just by having more than you did earlier.

ANd again, we are not “programed” to desire more. If we are unlucky, we are “programmed” to desire to look better than others. It happens to us even without programming: A perfectly communist society, WILL grow teenagers who will always like to look better than their siblings, even though they were educated that we are all equal.

My point is that it is bad to want to be better than others, and that it is bad to want to hurt others while gaining yourself. But my most importent point is that it doesn’t matter what we think, but rather how we act. I might envy you for having better clothes. But I will not act about it in any way (Including buying clothes only ot be better than you)(With the exception of making my own cloth that will look better than yours)

So overall, you HAVE to think that you are better than others. If you will look deep into your SC, you will understand that you must feel better than something: Either it is an animal, or a plant, or an ‘inanimate’ object (Such as a robot) But if you can supress those thoughts, and make sure you follow a number of base guidelines, it won’t realy matter wether you will think you are better or not, because you won’t do anything wrong about it.

And what you don’t understand about “happiness”, is that it can be learnt. For example, you can learn to enjoy SP, if you like. you can learn to like a song you dont. You can learn to like a life you don’t. There is no one thing called “happiness” in the entire man kind. it’s subjective. The only ways to judge peoples are wether they are conformists, and wether they hurt others or not, and not through how they gain happiness.

If i’ll offer you now a free trip to the hawaii, alongside a resident in a five star hotel, will you take it?
If you will, you can always say that that makes you a materialist, wich is bad.
If you won’t, you can always say it will hurt others, because no one will pay them for their living.
But if you will go, and you will not act like you are their superior, and you will not be lead by the money, but lead the money with you (I.E: you will not throw coins at them and watch them picking them up), then it will be fine.
And if you won’t go, but you will give it to one of the people who needs it, you will still help them.

One last thing: Even if you give someone your ticket, in the name of equality, you will still feel superior to them, even if SC-ly: After all, they will never give such thing to you…

i think Reno’s post was incredibly interesting.

there’s an Incubus lyric that goes : “isn’t it strange how a privilage can feel like a chore?”
this is kinda related because we all feel (occasionally) that we are trudging through life and that life has no adherant value.

i’m currently learning about buddhism because enlightenment is really attractive.
is anyone else interested in buddhism?

there’s another quote from an unknown source that says : “all the creatures of earth, except humans, understand the purpose of life is to simply enjoy it.”

so why is it so hard for human’s to enjoy life?
i think we are distracted.

does anyone else agree that the environment we live in doesn’t have much room for thinkers?

True, I do believe most of us are caught up in our own agendas, trying to move through life experiencing everything that our society offers to us, but never looking inward and seeing what we have to offer ourselves. I defiantly believe that those who truly have the time, should take the time, to think of things like this.

I think about everything so thoroghly that I often “Miss the point” on ELA type questions even though my point is better. Also many scientific theories that are complete rubbish in my mind but i am fored to “belive” in them. i.e. The big bag theory

Whats your point? When living in this world, you are forced to settle into the system and fall into a class.

The poor starving masses are absolutely spending time wishing they had nicer stuff and more money. Everyone does. We allow the big capitalists to decide our desires while we are young and vulnerable.

Yes, a majority of people are ignorant to this fact. If your going to deny the fact that almost everything we do is somehow correlated toward getting money or possessions, then I can’t even take your words seriously.

Envy doesn’t create classes, money creates classes. Envy creates further tension between classes.

If you are born into poverty, based on how you were raised you probably will be able to provide yourself food and shelter at least (in most cases mainly referring to the US). It comes down to needs vs. wants.

I’m just curious as to how anyone is disagreeing. Look around, it’s right in your face everywhere you look.

All right, let’s take a look here… :smile:

Read this quote, carefully…

What I was saying there was that I agree with you that our society is centered around money, but that the way you worded what you said made it sound as though you thought everyone in the world has the time to contemplate life, where, in reality, many people don’t even have a place to call home. I was saying that their #1 concern should be acquiring enough material goods/money so that they can live comfortably; that is the top priority of any creature, survival. The way you said things made it seem as though you looked down upon anyone who didn’t take the time to think of life in any form other than a game of survial, when I knew you meant only the people who were capable of doing so (capable of getting through each day alive and well-off).

My point is that I agree with you, but am telling you to watch how you word things because someone who comes from a background filled with poverty would take what you said the wrong way. I was only saying that you should be more descriptive because what I said in my original post is one example of a misinterpretation of what you said. Your statements were vague, so I was able to take what you said and turn it into something you didn’t intend it to be.

I agree, but from your last post, it sounds like you’re looking down on anyone who does settle into the system when you said just now that everyone is forced to.

Um… I don’t believe I said anything about people not wanting money, (unless you’re talking about the alleyway thing I mentioned, but that was complete sarcasm) actually, I think my post said everything about people wanting money. I may be wrong though, If you still think so, please post the exact quote and I’ll try to explain it more clearly, (maybe I’m the one who’s being vague! :content: )

Ya see? I agree with what you’re saying, I just thought you should watch how you say it.

No hard feelings, kay?
:handshake:
:hugs:

It’s a very general topic.

Now since I don’t really know how to work forums very well I’m not going to be using quotes.

I find it to be a problem that not everyone has the time to contemplate life. The system we have established turns people into drones. You don’t even need a high school education to survive. Why do people look down upon those who don’t go to college? Survival=need, $100,000 car=want.

Frankly if someone wants to take what I said the wrong way, I couldn’t care less. I am speaking out against everything we know, it is expected to get some disapproval.

I look down on those who truly settle into it, the ones who see nothing more important than getting that project done in time so they can afford the expansion on their house. The ones who push their kids in school to a point of unhealthy stress and anxiety, so they can be more comfortably distracted by nice things before they inevitably die. It is mainstream, it is how humans live now a days. As kids yes, we are forced into it, however when maturity rolls around the smart ones at least give the topic a thought.

I have a Buddhist temple near where I live, and I tell you those are the truly happiest people I have ever met.

So if I want to finish that project just for the sake of creation, is it bad? Can’t I be happy without thinking of myu existence?

You do need to understand, I do agree with much of what you have said. I just think that if someone gets happy from creating, or by helping others, its just as good as getting happy from understanding our purpose in life.
Do you agree with that?