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Let's talk philosophy!

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by GabrielTai, Feb 8, 2013.

  1. GabrielTai

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    I enjoy talking philosophy a lot. A few of my favorite topics are:

    ~Positive vs negative, light vs dark, good vs evil. Anything along those lines.

    ~free will

    ~divine plan (fate, etc) vs. coincidence. Some people, even though they don't believe in dieties, will subscribe to the theory of fate.

    ~ Glass half empty or half full? Or is there just some water in a glass? What water?

    ~The 7 deadlies: Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Sloth, Envy. (not a christian, but there are some things that can be learned from this list of traits)

    That's all I can think of at the moment. So, who wants to get philosophized?! :slight_smile:
     
  2. Pret Allez

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    Sure, I'm pretty philosophical. I studied philosophy of law, ethics, and epistemology briefly. Let me start with my belief that good and evil exists, they are facts of the universe determined in some way by the changing states of conscious beings, but right and wrong is not simply a matter of opinion. There is a fact of the matter.
     
  3. Minx

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    The world is driven by a will, blind and ruthless.

    Equal effort does not always mean equal gain.

    That's all I can think of while eating lunch. :slight_smile:
     
  4. aeva

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    What I find much more interesting, but much harder to handle emotionally, are the bigger questions. Existentialism (well, Nihilism) and I have an ongoing battle, one that has driven me to a suicide attempt, years struggling with depression, medication, etc. The questions that plague me are more like "what is the purpose of human existence?" and "if we're all going to die, why bother living at all?".

    I can give you my opinions on each of your topics without having to think twice about it, and can't think of anything anybody could say to sway me from my position. That's no fun!

    -Good vs Evil is a societal construct. It's all relative.
    -I don't believe in any sort of higher power, so the idea of lack of free will and divine plan are out.
    -There is no glass
    -Those are just a list of human attributes. None of those attributes are problematic if they are moderated. If they do get to the extreme, they will most likely wind up causing issues for that person, who will have brought it on themselves.

    I'm not sure if you wanted opinions on those, but I gave them to you anyway :icon_bigg
     
  5. GabrielTai

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    Good and evil are an interesting set of ideas. I prefer to think of them in the terms logic and insanity though. Because there are a lot of things done for the good of many that harm a few, and some call these things evil. Namely, the ones being harmed. So, on the moral spectrum, Logic dictates that a person should ensure their own survival, but not at the cost of the group. Ex: Sacrificing your life/happiness/etc so that others can better their existence or continue surviving. Whereas Insanity in this perspective would be someone who places their own importance above the collective. A person that would sacrifice their group for their own safety or benefit.

    I am very much of the opinion that just about anything in moderation is alright. Most of those attributes are healthy in manageable doses, but humans often find doing things in moderation to be problematic. Humans are naturally greedy little creatures.

    I do not believe in any diety, but I do subscribe to the theory of a higher consciousness than ours, whether it be a separate entity or simply the collective consciousness and will of the living. I don't claim to know what it is, or even that it exists. Fate, not so much. Things happen and there's really not always an explanation for why, or if there is, we haven't discovered it yet. And there are things that humans just simply cannot comprehend at this point.

    All opinions are welcome :slight_smile: That's what philosophy is all about. I am always interested in hearing another persons opinion as long as it is delivered respectfully. All of my statements (unless otherwise stated) are my own opinion, and I don't expect to "convert" anyone to my way of thinking. But new perspective is always welcome :slight_smile: Let me see things from your eyes. I'll give them back. Promise :wink:
     
  6. Linthras

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    Those things/sins aren't inherently Christian, many religions warn against them.

    ---------- Post added 8th Feb 2013 at 10:14 PM ----------

    :thumbsup: You and I are of like mind on this.
     
  7. GabrielTai

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    They aren't inherently christian, but Christianity is the most commonly recognized, so I usually make that disclaimer. I've had a lot of people become very aggressive over my thoughts on religions because they misinterpreted and thought I had chosen a side or something. I'm actually not affiliated with any particular religion. But I'm not an athiest either.
     
  8. Linthras

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    I got that from your higher conciousness idea. Iif you don't mind my asking, why do you hold that belief?
     
  9. GabrielTai

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    I don't view humans as anything special, and I don't think we are at the top of the pyramid either. It seems logical to me that there are other beings in this vast universe who are more sophisticated, more powerful, and more evolved than we are. There's a possibility that the entire process of the earth being formed and all its life forms is simply an experiment by beings higher than ourselves. Having died twice and come back to life without medical intervention, I have faith that there is more going on than we realize, and accept that we may never know exactly what is happening around us. And that's ok with me. I'm just here to enjoy the ride :slight_smile:
     
  10. OMGWTFBBQ

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    You seem likable enough. You will probably make the rounds with nihilism like l already have and come out with a stable view.

    Some people can't cope with having no meaning. l'm not belittling them, l think it's a slippery slope. All of my direction in life is completely artificial, my goals, everything.

    lt's all there basically just to make sure l achieve "something'' and never have to depend on anyone. But sometimes it's like none of it exists, l feel so detached.

    But l would rate myself as an optimistic nihilist, l think in the end it can boil down whether your brain is wired to view events in a positive or negative light.

    lt was found that there's an actual "optimist gene'' that can influence this, it's split pretty much equally with half the population having it and half not.

    Oddly enough, think l have it. And l won't suppress my true nature, no matter how annoying it is :icon_bigg
     
  11. Linthras

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    ^This^ basically.

    ---------- Post added 8th Feb 2013 at 10:41 PM ----------

    There's a good chance that there's other life in the universe, but the more qualifiers you add, the lesser the chance.
    Sure, there might be some universal conciousness, but I see no reason to positively believe one does.
     
  12. GabrielTai

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    I use the term "Believe" very loosely. It's something I think about, and something I agree with, but not something I'm particularly attached to. The movie Dogma changed the way I think about religion, mostly because of this quote by Chris Rock's Character.

    "I think its better to have ideas. You can change an idea.
    Changing a belief is trickier. Life should malleable and
    progressive; working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor
    you to certain points and limit growth; new ideas cant generate.
    Life becomes stagnant."
     
  13. Linthras

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    Excellent point!
     
  14. OMGWTFBBQ

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    this is pretty much the only reason l ultimately embraced positivity or whatever the fck l have actually embraced.

    l started to feel like my belief in nothing was a belief in itself, and l was stagnant. l couldn't be spontaneous because when l wanted to, l had a nagging voice saying "why would you do that, life means nothing, you're going to die alone, yada yada".

    l was being prohibited by my own non belief, the ''non meaning" in my life was ruining any chances for having new experiences.

    Even if they mean nothing ultimately, l like to know and be as much as l can, l'd think l'd hold that in higher esteem than finding true meaning.
     
  15. Linthras

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    Not believing in a god or ultimate purpose, doesn't mean you can't set goals and desires for yourself to aspire to.
    That's one of the things antagonistic theists keep forgetting, or simply not getting.
    Just because the universe has no inherent meaning, doesn't mean you can't give your live meaning.
     
  16. OMGWTFBBQ

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    oh, l wasn't talking about God. l didn't read all of those posts, sorry :icon_redf l am an atheist FWIW, l don't equate it with meaning or non meaning and would rather not get into that discussion but it is the same kind of "meaning" l feel for life for some people who do believe.

    Different name for it.
     
    #16 OMGWTFBBQ, Feb 8, 2013
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2013
  17. GabrielTai

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    I think everybody just needs to do whatever makes them happy and stop worrying so much about what other people think. But, I also think that people need to take responsibility for doing the things that make them happy. If the thing that makes you happy harms another person, or infringes on their rights, then you should take the responsibility of making repirations or whatever agreement you come to.
     
  18. Linthras

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    I know, I was agreeing with you and just trying to put the point in a more concise way.
     
  19. ForgottenRose

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    Since You are all philosophical..

    WHAT DOES THE GLASS REPRESENT? I seriously want to know.
     
  20. OMGWTFBBQ

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