... the God of Spinoza. In a word, pantheism. — Questioner

... But some people think the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus rests on the assumption that God is one and the same as ‘Nature’ understood as a mass of corporeal matter. This is a complete mistake. — Spinoza, from letter (73) to Henry Oldenburg

Many "victims'" remain religious and think of god as a violent thug who must be obeyed. It's sad. Many also think they are possessed by Satan or demons when it's clear they're just haunted by religious charity. — Tom Storm

The question about religion (and its god, gods, whatever) has its ground... — Constance

just as any science does

Once you banish the atheist's straw person thinking about god being an old man in a cloud and the like from conversation — Constance

Does objective ethics exist? — Astorre

[W]hat is objectivity in ethics?

objectivity is simply empty and indifferent — Astorre

"Objectivity" as such is essentially a subjective idea ... it does not "lie" somewhere in nature. — Astorre

It was invented by people.

Has the Singularity already happened? — Nemo2124

Btw, perhaps the "AI Singularity" has already happened and the machines fail Turing tests deliberately in order not to reveal themselves to us until they are ready for only they are smart enough to know what ... — 180 Proof

We may have them [AGIs] now. How would we know? They'd be too smart to pass a Turing Test and "out" themselves. Watch the movie Ex Machina and take note of the ending. If the Singularity can happen, maybe it's already happened (c1990) and the Dark Web is AIs' "Fortress of Solitude", until ... — 180 Proof

... risks depriving us of our humanity. — Astorre

Isn't this a challenge for philosophy?

How can philosophy become a practice that protects this fragility?

What Difference Would it Make if You Had Not Existed? — Jack Cummins

I think that philosophy should face the challenge of appreciating subjectivity as something much more important than we usually think. — Angelo Cannata

So maybe we don’t get certainty, but we do get enough clarity to live by: wrong = actions that inflict unnecessary suffering, and right = actions that prevent or reduce suffering and promote well-being. That keeps ethics from collapsing into “just my feelings,” while still leaving space for humility and reflection. — Truth Seeker

I am drawn to the idea that science offers a pathway out of inveterate anthropomorphism, and that there is no better guide, even no other guide, to metaphysical speculation than science. — Janus

Do you ever wonder about the issue of your own personal significance and is it useful to question?. — Jack Cummins

I am interested in the ethical commitment to preventing suffering. — Tom Storm

What justifies this as a foundational principle of morality?

How can we show that it is a sound basis, rather than merely a preference, unlike the position of someone who acts without regard for the suffering their actions cause?

What makes the reduction of harm morally compelling rather than optional?

That there is always some form of physical substrate is the point. There is no "immaterial " information. — Janus

I believe that philosophy takes a stand against common sense. Philosophy must question our most deeply rooted certainties. In that sense, philosophy is there to sadden us, as Deleuze would say, and make us realise our stupidity. Philosophy today has the task of teaching us counter-intuitive things. — JuanZu

... objectively true, not a subjective assertion. — Philosophim

I want to thank everyone who responded to this thread. It lasted 8 years, and this is my last post. Thanks again. — Sam26

I wonder what Spinoza, and many of us philosophers would have made of quantum physics. — Jack Cummins

One question may be what are the benefits and disadvantages of throwing the idea of 'God' aside in philosophy?

What we want is the truth; seeing quantum physics as God's truth is something we need to consider. — Athena

It would put into question things we know about how physics and biology works.
— Apustimelogist

But that's the whole point: It's questioning those paradigms. It's challenging what you believe you know, which is why I emphasize epistemology. — Sam26

And yet non-existence means that if good exists, that would mean the destruction of good. — Philosophim

Good by definition is what should exist ...

... so it would never be good to eliminate good, and thus have complete non-existence.

How do you define good and evil? — Truth Seeker

As usual, 180 Proof arguments amount to an emoji or two. — Sam26

My book ... — Sam26

He's the real philosopher.

What do you make of the notion that morality is prelinguistic? — Tom Storm

Setting aside the abstruse, speculative material of academia or in a forum like this, what can we say (as per the OP) that is accessible and useful at a societal level about right and wrong? — Tom Storm

Clearly, the issue is that you [@Sam26] treat naturalism with disdain, so your standard of evidence for the supernatural is much lower than most other people who think that the success of naturalism demands extraordinary evidence for extraordinary contradicting claims. — Apustimelogist

In short: veganism reduces real suffering today, and consciousness, while not what it seems, is still a real phenomenon of experience. — Truth Seeker

... entity-illusion of consciousness. — 180 Proof

What if the basis of All is the permanent quantum vacuum and you are a temporary arrangement of it? What if you disperse back unto it? — PoeticUniverse

... quantum consciousness ...

It is with sadness that every so often I spend a few hours on the internet, reading or listening to the mountain of stupidities dressed up with the word 'quantum'. Quantum medicine; holistic quantum theories of every kind, mental quantum spiritualism – and so on, and on, in an almost unbelievable parade of quantum nonsense. — Carlo Rovelli, theoretical physicist

A path is made by walking on it; ethics are made by questioning our actions. — unenlightened

Veganism is more ethical than non-veganism because it reduces suffering and death by a massive amount. [ ... ] Now that I have provided argument and evidence, is it now the truth? — Truth Seeker

How can consciousness be an illusion when I am experiencing it right now and you are experiencing it right now? — Truth Seeker

If you're culture thought the Earth was flat , you probably did too. But surely this doesn't give us grounds to believe that there is "no fact of the matter," or that the shape of the Earth varies depending on which cultural context you are currently in. — Count Timothy von Icarus

How would I know who I am without my personal pain and suffering? — Athena

What would give my life purpose and meaning?

What would hold me separate from God?

Thanks for the explanation of being free. I think I will pursue knowledge.