T Clark may be right that metaphysics can be thought of as what is useful. I only add that if something is useful then an aspect of your belief must have some tenuous connection to the nature of the world, as in existentialism, Daosim and different traditions say something about the world which is not captured by our physics or other sciences. It just can't be proven. — Manuel
In ordinary life I have virtually no tendency to speak about such issues with other people, unless they happen to be interested in philosophy, which as some of you may know, is very rare. — Manuel
When someone asks me a question along the lines of "are you sure?" or "are you certain?" I very rarely say "yes". I always reply by saying "I think this is what I saw" or "it's likely", but I cannot for the life of me say "I'm certain" or "I'm sure". — Manuel
Interesting attitude of "what do you have to lose". I suppose I have the opposite disposition because most of the time I'm satisfied. But yours is a good view to adopt as it's sensible. — Manuel
You live in more 'civilized' parts than i do. Religious belief is the aesthetics of custom around these parts (US southeast). — 180 Proof
How many of you actually live any philosophy? — jgill
I don’t try because I’m afraid of the anxiety/embarrassment/shame I would experience if I did try. — Pinprick
:up:It seems most people are just not suited to be able to live with doubt or uncertainty. — Pinprick
I strive to do so. 'Epicurean freethinking pragmatist' perhaps describes my philosophical modus vivendi best. Daily doses of blues & jazz and on/offline dialectic also keep up my reveries which fortify the courage to go on (Beckett). Decades on, so far so good.How many of you actually live any philosophy? — jgill
Would you feel that still if you tried and succeeded? — Pfhorrest
Oh come on, do you really believe that your average Wisconsin Christian is examining their beliefs and studying the philosophy underpinning them more rigorously? This is not an "atheist" or "scientist" thing: most people don't have a solid philosophical foundation for what they believe, and probably shouldn't tbh. — Kenosha Kid
Oh come on, do you really believe that your average Wisconsin Christian is examining their beliefs and studying the philosophy underpinning them more rigorously? This is not an "atheist" or "scientist" thing: most people don't have a solid philosophical foundation for what they believe, and probably shouldn't tbh. — Kenosha Kid
When someone asks me a question along the lines of "are you sure?" or "are you certain?" I very rarely say "yes". I always reply by saying "I think this is what I saw" or "it's likely", but I cannot for the life of me say "I'm certain" or "I'm sure". — Manuel
Also same. I find it very hard to say I “believe” something. Rather, I say I “think.” But I’m also really indecisive, so it may just be a personality quirk. I’m usually just too apathetic to make up my mind. — Pinprick
When someone asks me a question along the lines of "are you sure?" or "are you certain?" I very rarely say "yes". I always reply by saying "I think this is what I saw" or "it's likely", but I cannot for the life of me say "I'm certain" or "I'm sure". — Manuel
"there are no accidents" and "everything happens for a reason" – the folk psychologism of misapplying the Principle of Sufficient Reason. — 180 Proof
Don't know if it's been mentioned already, but the philosophical issue that bothers me the most in life is the issue of evil, i.e. why are people doing evil things like raping children or killing them? — Olivier5
I used to think so, but I realized at some point that evil is not just the absence of good, and that there ARE evil behaviors, generally coming from certain (rare) individuals rather than from others. E.g. serial killers; the people at FAUX News, Bashir El Assad.Isn't the problem of evil a problem specifically within a theological context? Because it seems to me that if we are going to speak about the problem of evil absent theology, then we have to speak about the problem of good or the problem humor, etc. — Manuel
I used to think so, but I realized at some point that evil is not just the absence of good, and that there ARE evil behaviors, generally coming from certain (rare) individuals rather than from others. E.g. serial killers; the people at FAUX News, Bashir El Assad. — Olivier5
One thing is to say that we don't want these types of behaviors in society, another thing is to say they're a problem, because, why would there not be evil? It's assuming that "good" is something natural or obvious. — Manuel
Tell that to e.g. Aristotle, Leibniz & Schopenhauer...The Principle Of Suffic[ie]nt Reason, on the other hand, is more about physical phenomena. It was never meant for interpretations of causal significance in a psychological context. — TheMadFool
1. If good justifications exist, Agrippa's trilemma doesn't matter — TheMadFool
[...] the skeptic will reply, "I'm not sure." — TheMadFool
All this is just a way of asking, what more-or-less technical aspect in philosophy shows up in your personal life? — Manuel
All this is just a way of asking, what more-or-less technical aspect in philosophy shows up in your personal life? — Manuel
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