While there are some people who are asking questions just to ask questions, there are plenty of people looking for answers to. You find them all over the board. =) Sometimes questions are repeated because new people have not found the answer yet. But I think you can find plenty of people are finding their own answers here and there.

Then it was God. Now it is just us. No one of us needs to babble, nor follow nonsense. We just have to learn to tell the difference, make good choices, and not follow "wood-paths" too far.

It is possible that the real philosophers will emerge in the process, or will the aspiring ones be lost in the Tower of Babel of endless threads? — Jack Cummins

Anyway, I very much doubt that any philosophical thought will be built out of this forum.

I anyway, I doubt that any philosophical thinking will be built out of this forum. — Gus Lamarch

Vehement disagreement here. The question is the start of philosophy, discussion its foundry, answers its product. Period. You may then question the quality of it all, but not that it is, and happens, and is and happens here.

I am a bit saddened by your thought that philosophical thought will not be made from this forum because it is so alive with issues at the heart of thinking, including your own theories about the ego.

It is a sad state of affairs if philosophy must remain in the hands of the academic professionals alone. This site offers an alternative but of course we do not want philosophy to be made as insignificant, a mere everyday chit chat but an informed way of thinking about the world with critical thinking and insight.

As part of the philosophical pursuit, even though we may not become the prestigious members of society, surely we should not be the rejected because this would be the end of all hope for all humanity. Perhaps your own ego based philosophy could pave the way forward, although it even seems as if ideologies of the collective good are being upheld a political rhetoric at the present time. I even think that Covid_19 being abused to abolish the needs of ego.

Perhaps we need to fight our corner, not against anyone on this site,but in the spirit of Nietzsche, against the oppressors of freedom of spirit.

It is a sad state of affairs if philosophy must remain in the hands of the academic professionals alone. — Jack Cummins

As a retired mathematician I was going to say that has happened in math, but then I did a Google search and found out that amateurs - depending on how you interpret that term - have made contributions to the subject in recent years. So, carry on amateur philosophers and good luck! :cool:

But you forget that philosophy is not the esteemed profession of all times. It is the fool of academia.

Psychology has its clinical pathways but philosophy, unless you are part of the academic elite has no easy pathways and this probably comes down to funding because philosophy is often regarded as esoterica, while it might be what we really need in the current upside down world. No one realised that life would be so precarious........

Perhaps philosophy needs to be about real life and not just a pastime of speculation. Perhaps philosophy is about speculation not as a hobby but as a core aspect of who we are and where we are going.

Perhaps philosophy can be a vital aspect of life rather than a mere game for the comfortable. As I see it, the philosophic endeavor is imperative for the future and is about life and death in the raw world rather than an armchair activity for the complacent.

Tower of Babel — Jack Cummins

The perfect metaphor for non-philosophical discourse. I suppose, for a conversation to be productive, interlocutors must be both on the same page and on the same wavelength.

Anyway, I very much doubt that any philosophical thought will be built out of this forum. — Gus Lamarch

At least this forum has helped me understand mathematics better. Doesn't that count in our age of hedonism?

I am a bit saddened by your thought that philosophical thought will not be made from this forum because it is so alive with issues at the heart of thinking, including your own theories about the ego.

It is a sad state of affairs if philosophy must remain in the hands of the academic professionals alone. This site offers an alternative but of course we do not want philosophy to be made as insignificant, a mere everyday chit chat but an informed way of thinking about the world with critical thinking and insight. — Jack Cummins

The problem I see in current philosophy is that it is only valid if you are part of the academic niche, and if that is not enough, to even have some mere prestige within that same niche, you must have the same political views as the majority. The current academic philosophy is simply a certificate that ensures that you'll agree with the view of the instituition. That is why I defend the ideas of amateurs - even if they are the most bizarre and strange - because unlike academic philosophy, which is simply built to maintain the status quo of those who are already established in it, amateur philosophy seeks new questions and answers. Even new ways of existing and witnessing the world. However, I do not think that posting these ideas on a philosophy forum will cause such a person to add prestige and "fame" - for lack of a better synonym - to his work or his self. I myself only post my writtings here for the purpose of studying the public's reaction, their attitudes in question to my scriptures, and how they behave about certain issues.

I'm not saying that it is impossible for someone to be inspired by some content they read on the forum and then to start producing their own ideas, articles, etc ..., however, I doubt that any "revolutionary" thinking that is created here will eventually "explode" in recognition.

At least this forum has helped me understand mathematics better. Doesn't that count in our age of hedonism? — ssu

Any knowledge is worth as long as it does not corrupt your notion of how smart you are. I have seen - I will not quote names - many people affirming things here on the forum simply because they heard, or read from some "trusted" source, and were completely wrong. It is almost comical when a person learns something new and begins to preach it as if it is a new religion, yet what he knows is simply the basic of that knowledge. It is as if their new truths cannot be torn down because they are absolute - to them -.

Doesn't that count in our age of hedonism? — ssu

One of the symptoms of this "hedonism" - which I prefer to call as nihilism - is the "cultured" masses that "break standards" even though they're governed by them.

I think you are correct in saying that to be part of the academic world of philosophy you have to adhere to majority opinion. I know quite a few professors, although not philosophers, and they do not really challenge conventions.

I never really thought that I was particularly conventional but it is in the last few years that I have really discovered that I am at odds with mainstream institutions. It has been a hard lesson and now I think I have become a bit of a dropout. Before that, I used to joke about being an arty misfit but did not really think I had enemies.

I don't think I can really try to fit in again which in a way is okay because it would be too painful to try but it does leave me feeling a bit isolated and I do need to find a job again at some point in the near future.

As far as this site goes, it is a good way of experimenting with ideas and I do feel that exchange views in this way does help me develop my own ideas. I have only been using it for 6 weeks and I feel that it has been a very useful experience, especially as there are such diverse opinions. It is also a lot more interesting than just receiving texts about day to day matters and it can be exciting waiting to see what comments people make and what new threads appear.