Life is always a transition from one phase to the next, always in pursuit of righteousness. — Hanover

Nothing much, just dancing and attempting to raise the true savior of my world. Tis the noble stoat. — Wosret

The Enlightenment is about universal knowledge and raising the human potential. That is a wonderfully romantic idea, isn't it? We are working towards more humane wars and the possibility of no wars. Putin doesn't see things this way, but I think NATO does? If global warming made the winters in Russia more pleasant, perhaps that would improve our relationship with Russia? Not all things about reason. Emotions are important too. — Athena

The Enlightenment, a philosophical movement that dominated in Europe during the 18th century, was centered around the idea that reason is the primary source of authority and legitimacy, and advocated such ideals as liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state.

Thinking is very hard. Articulating the problem explicitly allows one to contend with it more readily. Pleas and prayers are the first step to facing the problem head on and bringing the power of rationality to the fore. Meaning, when we feel a situation is hopeless often we just need to break it down into smaller problems and attend to the one/s that are easiest to articulate. — I like sushi

Or, you can choose to believe every thing is where it is for some purpose and live your life that way. — Hanover

Boredom has a bad reputation, and people generally don't think of it in terms of suffering. In fact, it seems perverse to think of boredom as kind of suffering. It seems to be the privilege of the rich and the idle. — baker

Common sense is accepted without question. We believe it just because we hear it all the time. — Athena

That's how cruel the universe is: it tears apart our delicate souls. — Agent Smith

Yes, this is a common objection that I find objectionable. Since there is no person prior to existing for whom consent can be obtained, it is okay to do X which may lead to future outcomes for a person who actually will exist..

You can see the flaw in that right? — schopenhauer1

My own addition is that by being born at all we are forced into a socio-culturo-political agenda (lest suicide by slow or fast death). Solution: Griping and self-understanding (consolation through shared Pessimism) and not forcing others into the agenda (antinatalism). — schopenhauer1

We agree those are not examples of scientific thinking, right? They are knee-jerk reactions done without much thinking — Athena

Romantic thinking is not really thinking either. — Athena

this too is a romantic vision of sorts.. It's not the romantic vision of a dictator but of the idealistic parent hoping for some sort of Platonic stability that doesn't exist. — schopenhauer1

Somehow that breaks my heart. Good day. — Agent Smith

↪L'éléphant
So, you don't believe that the law of attraction holds? I agree. Imagine it were that simple to find happiness. — Agent Smith

As for the OP, a novel take on prayer and wishing wells. :up: — Agent Smith

In the New Thought spiritual movement, the Law of Attraction is a pseudoscience based on the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person's life.[1][2] The belief is based on the ideas that people and their thoughts are made from "pure energy" and that a process of like energy attracting like energy exists through which a person can improve their health, wealth, and personal relationships. There is no empirical scientific evidence supporting the law of attraction, and it is widely considered to be pseudoscience.

The positive spin it gives to what are normally considered the bringer of misery and pain (war being the archetype) leads to people willing to kill & die (for a cause). This, I'm led to believe, is akin to brainwashing/mind manipulation of the worst kind ever. :smile: — Agent Smith

The universe is an infinite cycle of expansion and contraction. The beginning is equal to the end. — Benj96

You don't go around praying about unicorns after all, you pray about what really matters to you. — Garrett Travers

it’s possible the prayer is a kind of therapeutic process. — Average

I don't buy into these things literally of course, but I do have this instinct of refusing to say or think bad thoughts for fear that I'll think them into existence. — Hanover

Be strong!

Do you feel the strength now within you? — Hanover

I'm assuming you had to meet a partner (assuming in your case a husband), go through a sort of dating/courting/falling in love process, decide to create new people in the world and raise them a certain way, be able to provide for yourself and family with some sort of job in the broader economic system which allows for things to survive.. — schopenhauer1

Yes, but how many of us think scientifically? Scientific thinking is empirical and religious thinking is not empirical. Understanding human values is not empirical thinking and our opinions are not empirical thinking. Even those who do think empirically do so only once in a while because it is very energy-consuming and we are running on automatic most of the time and rarely really think about anything. This is a problem for democracy and education can resolve but it is not. In fact, some states have laws preventing thinking. — Athena

Obviously almost everyone rightfully supports criminalizing actual (real) [racism], but some people also support criminalizing the cartoon/animated kind of [racism] even though it doesn't actually involve the harming of any actual [black people]. One rationale that has been used to justify the criminalization of cartoon [racism] has been the belief that it could desensitize people who are [racist to blacks] to the idea of [lynching black people]. However, I've been thinking about this logic and I was wondering: By the very same logic, can't one also argue in favor of criminalizing photos and videos (especially but not only lynching tapes) of [white] adults who have a very [blackish] appearance? — Xanatos

Exploit the nature of what? What kind of twist do you have in mind? — Average

"If you have faith in the natural ordering of state of affairs" My faith is in science, not human stupidy and the religions that maintain it. — Athena

Well I suppose you can always discuss something else with someone else. — Average

So, you’re confused because I have written words you do not understand, and not because you do not understand the words I have written? Sorry, dude, that’s idiotic. — Joe Mello

In fact, it could be argued that there is a need for trolls.
All the better to set things straight. — Amity

You’re not really referring to a specific argument. — Average

I don’t know what you mean by “ought”. — Average