Recently, I was reading some of Timothy Leary's writings, in which he looks at aspects of brain in relation to 'bardo' states. Many people are drawn to experiment with hallucinogens as a form of recreation. It was the ideas of Aldous Huxley and of shamanism which led me to experiment with cannabis, magic mushrooms and acid as a quest as I had already had some intense borderline sleep experiences.

So, the idea of psychedelic experimentation and experience may be for some a pursuit of understanding of the brain, mind and the nature of reality. When I took acid I definitely had some strange experiences in that respect. During the first trip I had the sense of there being no God, which I had not thought previously. Also, for some time afterwards I noticed I was having coordination problems and felt as if I had been out of my body and had not got back into it in an aligned way. This was the reason why I tried it again and during the second trip, in a warehouse dance event, I had a definite experience which felt like it involved a certain dualism. I felt able to walk through people and when I looked in a mirror I saw a reflection of the walls and environment but not myself. That was unnerving and I thought that I had lost my body..

It may be that the psychedelic experiences cannot be taken at face value, like with NDEs. However, for some people, such experiences may lead to a sense of there being other levels of reality beyond the physical perceived in day to day consciousness.

The idea of despair and hope is also related to the experience of depression and suicidality. I have experienced depression at times and have nursed people who were suicidal or had made suicide attempts. To some extent depression and suicidal ideas may be seen as a chemical aspect of fear, negativity and loss of hope. Antidepressants may be prescribed and in some people bring about a chemical restart of hope. But, it may not be that simple, involving life experiences and the existential aspect of despair.

Some of the literature on depression and despair is interesting, especially with the different models ranging from the psychological to the existential. Camus's 'The Myth of Sisyphus', is one interesting depiction of existential despair and Alvarez's, 'The Savage God' looks at the experience of despair and suicidality in literature. There is so much within the field of psychology. One aspect which may be important in psychiatry is the nature of bipolar mood disorders. While some there may be a biochemical component it does also involve such swings from complete hopelessness to a sense of exaggerated or inflated sense of optimism. The two poles of pessimism vs optimism go to the extremes.

One discussion which is also important is from James Hillman in, 'Suicide and the Soul'. What he argued is that the extreme state of suicidal despair, while being a sense of wishing for an end but it often may encompass a wish for transformation. The interplay between hopelessness and the wish for transformation has also been explored by Thomas More in his, 'The Dark Night of the Soul', which looks at the twilight state of despair and its navigation in relation to transformational states, which links the whole encounter with the symbolic demons of despair to the angels of hope and how these are experienced in human experiences.
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The idea of will itself is an important aspect of the free will debate but it often doesn't get much focus, especially in connection with materialist determinism. The idea of will was at the core of the thinking of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Freud.

The psychodynamic approach gives it attention in relation to the conscious and unconscious aspects and the conflict between these. So many conscious choices may be thwarted by the subliminal mind and this is central to neurolinguistic programming approaches. The cognitive behaviourist model, even though it uses a different language framework, does still incorporate this in the emphasis on automatic thoughts, which can be questioned within the therapy.

As far as will and intentionality it is partly about developing self-mastery. It is a lot easier to have intentions but harder to live up to them, like all the broken new year resolutions. It is hard to change one's behaviour patterns for many, probably because they become habitual.

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It is sometimes argued that hope is not the best approach to life. I had an art therapist tutor who seemed to regard it as a rather futile pursuit but the problem would be that without hope it may be like giving up. The existentialists, especially Camus, spoke of living with the absurd and despair. This may be valid to some extent but it depends how far it goes.

Also, there is the issue of hope in relation to despair, but fear also involves the aspect of faith. This need not be in the traditional religious sense but about faith in whatever path one is on, as an aspect of positive conviction. This may be important as a form of mindset, which involves clear intentionality in thinking about desired goals and not becoming defeated and engulfed by fear in an overwhelming way.

The attitudes of peace and love may also be important in an approach to life, if consciously chosen because at times in a dog eat dog world they can become lost, and pushed to the bottom of agendas. The secular humanists pointed to such values as an ethical foundation independently of religious beliefs.
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The reason why defence mechanisms are not spoken about much is because the language of psychoanalysis is not used very much because other models are used instead. I use it though because I have done some psychodynamic training and find it useful.

An example of a defense mechanisms may be someone ignoring particular points which someone has made totally on a topic as if excluding them. What I am describing is a form of selective attention. For example, if someone who is religious listens to a discussion about theism and atheism and zooms in on all the arguments in favour of God's existence and appears not to have heard all the points in favour of atheism. Similarly, this may appear in political discussions when one seems almost blind to opposing arguments.

The question about refusing to understand may come down to whether this happens consciously or not. Someone may say that they simply don't understanding without realising that they are not making an effort to do so, as an aspect of a subconscious defence mechanism. In some ways people may have blindspots about such defense mechanisms, especially in emotionally charged topics of a personal sensitive nature.

Even though it is possible to form arguments in the way that you have done it may out on the purpose of morality. It is a form of logic which could be used by Nazis and is dangerous in that respect. While rational formulation is a way of thinking it misses out on the nature of intuition and emotions which are central to moral values. It can be argued that emotions and conscience in themselves are restricted but what you are suggesting goes to the opposite extreme.

It is interesting to stop and think about whether it is possible to choose thoughts as a precursor to actions. It may be about the extent which focus is taken in thoughts. They may arise as a stream flowing but it is possible that in the observation of thoughts it is possible to be selective in intent as which to give attention to as an aspect of inner mastery. However, it may be a fairly difficult art because fighting unwanted thoughts may be a hindrance, potentially making them stronger and fiercer, but, at the same time the potential to follow through certain thoughts may be developed as an aspect of inner exploration and in the development of philosophical ideas and insights.

The idea of circular time is often the idea of eternal recurrence. It is hard to know how that could work though or whether it is symbolic. The only way it is possible as a literal reality is in idealist views of reality in which the non material fell into matter because that might allow for time to be outside of the material universe as some form of eternal cycles.

One of the aspects of the mind and body problem which I wonder about is how much is due to the brain and to what extent it is distributed throughout the body. Of course, the brain is involved in the organisation of the nervous system, but it can be asked whether other organs are of equal importance, as recognised in the Eastern tradition of chakra points, including the heart, root and sacral chakras and meridian points.

Some may see this understanding of energy centres as being a form of folk wisdom, but I wonder if the focus upon the brain, especially in neuroscience places too much emphasis on the brain alone in the generation of consciousness. In particular, emotions are connected with the physiological aspects of the entire body.
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Some have viewed Wittgenstein as being a mystic for his understanding of the importance of silence in relation to what one cannot speak about. Of course, his view was about the limitations of language, and this was in conjunction with the logical positivists. There is the whole area of people going into pointless speculation on aspects which cannot be known with certainty, like ideas about the invisible and life after death.

As far as the idea of the ineffable itself it can be seen as an attitude of wonder as opposed to trying to pin down understanding to specific theories and models. So, there may be some aspect of contemplation of known unknown. Nevertheless, in philosophy as opposed to some other forms of writing, it does seem that the art is to find words to try to develop rational arguments and clarity of thinking about concepts. So, even though both Socrates and Wittgenstein spoke of the limitations of their knowledge there may be an underlying paradox in which, despite the limits, there is a need to try to develop the best possible understanding of ideas.

It is interesting to come across someone who says that they believe in God but don't believe he created the world. So many people who believe in God believe in a creator. It may depend on what people mean by the idea of God, and so many perceive God in a very anthropomorphic way but there are other ways of seeing God, like that of Spinoza or the Hindu idea of Brahman.

Also, the Buddhists speak of higher consciousness, but not as an actual deity, so it may be that when people try to think about the idea of God they come from a stereotypical way of thinking based on church going beliefs rather than more imaginative ones. With many spiritual ideas, including the concept of God, such ideas were sometimes based on esoteric ones, rather than those adhered to in mainstream religious understanding.

I enjoy philosophy for what it is and I even get a bit 'high' when I go into the abstract theories. I guess it is all about balancing, the abstract and the more grounding ways of thinking. I am reading Merleau-Ponty's work on perception at the moment and that seems neither too far fetched or too flat and simplistic. Also, a bit of fiction helps too and I am reading Somerset Maughan's ' Of Human Bondage', and before long it should be time for the next short story competition which will balance the theoretical side of philosophy with another approach.

I may have a go at the course. Have you done it yourself? It does seem that critical thinking is becoming ranked alongside philosophy in bookshops and libraries. I read a couple of books on critical thinking and found them very useful because they seem to be applicable to real life and not simply abstract academic theories.

I don't even have pyjamas anymore, but wear an old T shirt and tracksuit trousers at night. Apart from pyjamas being a waste of money, I find that in shared accommodation I feel better if I am not dressed in obvious nightwear, when I meet others.

As for your query about the medieval times and ours, I think that the differences are probably vastly different. We rely on toiletries for washing, shaving etc. Water flows from the tap, the kettle is boiled and items kept in fridge. Also, we rely on electricity and television and online communication. It would be so different living in the medieval times and, often, we take the comforts and conveniences for granted, unless something goes wrong...

Check phone for emails, including TFP
Use bathroom for essentials activities
Make coffee and have breakfast
After eating, read for 30mins
Have second coffee and read for further 30mins
Reply to any urgent messages
Select clothes and get ready to go out to any appointments, shops or cafe and try to get positive mindset for whatever happens...

I do find some of the digital music good as well, especially some of the experimental ranging from psych rock to some crossovers, including electronica. I do still seek out new music being released whereas many people don't..

I hadn't thought of AI music and I do keep an open mind although I would probably prefer to hear human voices. But I do like music by bands like Kraftwerk, The Art of Noise, Daft Punk as well as Brian Eno and David Byrne, so I am into a fair amount of alternative improvisations.

In some ways it does seem that artistic abilities often deteriorates, and it may be that when a style is achieved so much comes down to imitation and repetition. I know a musician who thinks that so much been done that there is not much scope left, which does seem like the end of music, and possibly art as a whole. I am not sure that this is true though.

However, it does seem that with music one factor which may have affected quality is that a lot of it is made on computers. This may be why some does not sound as good as that which was made in recording studios. I don't know if that may be a contrast between Soundgarden and Breaking Benjamin, although it may surprise you that I actually like Breaking Benjamin, but possibly not as much as Soundgarden. (I really like grunge, especially The Screaming Trees, as well as Mark Lanegan's work and I was upset that he died of Covid_19)..

However, getting back to the original topic it does seem that we are entering the era of post post post post post post post possibilities, so what next...?

It probably is a humble thing to be able to admit that one is wrong. On this forum, and in many other public spheres there is often a lot of bravado, even some grandiosity. When I was working and before that there seems to be an emphasis on selling oneself, and an emphasis on making a big thing out of one's strength and playing down weaknesses. It is related to egocentricism and the notion of 'the big I am.' However, in spite of such values I would probably respect or admire someone admitting that they are wrong as a form of honesty and willingness to modify thinking. I wonder to what extent others may hold this view in spite of the ethos of defending one's position to the bitter end.

The term 'real' is used in various ways and to some extent it may come down to commonsense picture, or that which is confirmed intersubjectively. Even within psychiatry, while there is some acknowledgement of cultural beliefs and differences, there is an adherence to a general realist worldview. This is the basis for ideas of what is delusional and, for example, if one believes that they have magical powers they are likely to be seen as delusional. To some extent, there may be a shared understanding of delusion in the psychiatric and philosophy perspective in Western culture.

It is interesting seeing this thread pop up and it seems such a while ago. When I first read Midgely's idea of philosophical plumbing I didn't appreciate it's full significance. However, over a year or so later, I do think that the ideas are ones which stand out as being influential. I had not come across her writing at that time and I have seen some other writing by her and see her as being a philosopher of great significance.

It is possible to spend life in the sceptical aspects of philosophy questioning. As far as the uncertainties in life, in some cases it does become too much, especially when the existential aspects of philosophy become incorporated. This does seem true of many cases of neurosis and psychosis. I have seen people who experienced florid religious psychosis, often in response to stress and unhelpful ideas which they had grown up with.

For many of us, rather than philosophy questioning being a case of acute crisis it can be a life long exploration on an ongoing basis. As far as the uncertainties of life and decisions, often involving risks, some action has to be taken because life goes on at a certain pace and it is not possible to spend one's entire life agonizing over all the possible uncertainties because this life has to be lived in the here and now rather than postponed until all the philosophical possibilities are explored. So, it may involve mistakes and it may be the mistakes made which involve the strongest lessons in life.

Doubt against certainty can be a stumbling block in making decisions. I have certainly hesitated with so many 'what ifs' in making decisions. Action has to be taken to some extent, or being completely stuck, and once an act has taken place there is often the unknown of potential consequences and the angst which this may entail. Even then, sometimes the results, good and bad can be different from what was originally imagined in the original decision making process.

To look for complete certainty may be too extreme. I remember as a child that I used to check what I was thinking before putting up my hand in class and I came to realise the absurdity of this even when I was 5. Endless struggling for certainty may be a waste of time and energy. It may be important to recognize uncertainty when it seems to be a genuine lack of knowing but, sometimes, it may be about going with intuitive logic rather than wavering unnecessarily.

I wonder if it is certainly which people have, or a matter of faith. I am not dismissing the positives of certainty because I am sure we all rely on so much certainty or predictability. Understanding of causation and predictability are intrinsic to life on even the most mundane, common sense way. If there were no certainties it would be like sinking in a quagmire of complete confusion, with not even a hope of a lifeboat or any aid at all. It may be an ongoing battle between fear of chaos or faith, and hope.

It is true that psychological and epistemological uncertainty are different aspects for thinking about. The two can both be sources of stress but philosophy is more able to deal with the epistemological aspects, although it may give some underlying basis for contemplating the uncertainty and unpredictable nature of our own life. At times, people may see the experience of the uncertainty of daily life and the understanding of reality as a fused in a quagmire of confusion. However, in stripping down the basics of thinking it may be possible to disentangle the explanatory foundations for knowledge. This may be more of a possibility than trying to predict what will happen in life, even though a certain amount of logic may enable thinking about what may or may or not occur may be useful in a pragmatic way.

It is important to think about how the various people, especially those who have 'cognitive' problems are affected by changes which are occurring. At times, when I struggle with online communication and forms I begin to doubt my own cognitive abilities, so what must it be like for people who are really unable to read and write. Some have support and some don't.

Whether it is due to cognitive or other difficulties, it may be that an underclass is developing, of people who just are a bit outside the parameters of the mainstream. It is probably not an entirely new development but as life gets more digitalised and 'faster' there may be greater exclusion of those who find it hard to compete in the fight for resources. In the case of the most downtrodden, they may be less able to argue for their rights and be cast outside of agendas for arguing for their rights, and be a silent minority on the periphery or edge of society.

I am so sorry to hear that you are possibly facing eviction and I am danger of being evicted too. The circumstances of my own is that the landlord where I am has left the country. I didn't know that he was subletting from an agency, and he had not been paying the rent to them recently. The real owner wishes to have the house back and, originally we were all meant to move in August but are still there paying rent. I am looking for accommodation on a daily basis and it is so hard to find anything apart from shabby overpriced tiny rooms from rogue landlords, who don't even give proper tenancy contracts. At the beginning I was confident about finding somewhere but have been panicking more in the last couple of weeks.

It is rather ironic that both of us who were writing about your concern about a man at the beginning of the thread are fearing eviction and potential homelessness. My general feeling is that life has become much harder in the last few years and, increasingly, people care less about others. So many people are struggling, the gulf between the rich and the poor is increasing and, often, people are being treated as mere numbers.

Anyway, I am trying to keep my inner strength and I hope that you keep strong. I hope that you don't get evicted and I will continue looking for somewhere because I think that the owner and agency will give myself and the others here a certain amount of time to find somewhere.

Postmodernism definitely makes concepts unstable. It involves some kind of collapse of meaning and fragmentation. It may lead to the deeper understanding of the human construction of values. In many ways, the idea of post-truth does give rise to the question of whether there is any possibility of truth amidst so many untruths and lies. This is the extreme though and even though the construct of post-truth makes all verification of truth difficult it may lead to deeper reflection about the way in which any valid ideas are established. It could be a possibility for a more careful and critical formation of knowledge, based on the underlying approach of sceptical thinking about ideas, facts and objective knowledge.

I am not sure that it is possible to escape the issue of 'truth' if one has any serious interest in philosophy. If anything, relativism and potential post-truth create a maze of possibilities and make finding it a hard task.

Just for anyone who is still interested in post-truth, in the form of fake news, on my phone yesterday I read that -2 degrees of Arctic weather was on it's way. Today, I have seen the news and there is no mention of this, so I am really wondering if the news which I saw was fake news. I won't buy a hot water bottle yet in September in the UK. But, as I don't have a television I do look to news on my phone as a basic source of updates on world events, travel and weather until I am out and about. I see fake news as a source of confusion where it exists and it leads to unnecessary uncertainty. I don't see it's fun appeal and it seems to be along the lines of hoax calls to the fire brigade and emergency services.

Perhaps, one or both of us will create post romanticism as a new paradigm to challenge the flatllands of realism. Materialism is important, but not possibly the entire truth any more than idealism is. Sometimes, I hover on the brink of panpsychism, not just as a fanciful form of speculation but as a wider, all encompassing viewpoint. I may start a thread on that topic because this one may have gone as far as it may go and it is not as if I am really advocating post-truth, but understanding in a broken down world, a deeper search for 'truth' and absurdity, after existentialism, logical positivism and postmodernism.I are sure that many are satisfied with the ideas which they have but I am not, which is probably what keeps me starting threads...

I am still at home in grungy post- truth land because I was meant to be visiting new accommodation and I am waiting for the address to be sent to me by text. I live in a surreal world because my bed here is broken and I slide right down to the bottom and my original landlord has vanished somewhere in Pakistan. But, I try to keep a sense of humour as the only way of keeping safe in the face of absurdity.

Maybe @Agent Smith and myself are ' post-truth' imaginary entities emerging in the surreal world of cyber language games, in a post-Wittenstein illusory wasteland, such as that which TS Eliot stumbled upon once upon a time.

I agree with what you have said even though it is crossed out, like some borderline twighlight truth...

I have got to somewhere, so I will look at the thread tonight if it hasn't vanished in a puff of smoke, like an imaginary 'post-truth'.

I haven't brought any children into the world and I worry about the future of humanity. I am surprised that people who have children and grandchildren are not distraught, not that I am advocating antinatalism. If anything, superficial entertainment as an aspect of 'post-truth' may be a means of distraction from fear of nuclear threat and the impending climate change crisis. It may be that light entertainment is a way of escape attempts from 'truth' and even philosophy as 'language games' be a retreat from deeper thinking, especially about the future of humanity and the planet.

I have just woken up and plan to read the thread later today but I just noticed your comment 'the Second Coming is around the corner' and I am relating a really unnerving dream which I had a week ago about the end of the world. In the dream everything went dark. Then, a huge cavern opened up and the cavern was filled with dead bodies. When I told my dream to someone the other day he said, 'That might be just how it will be.'

The reason why I think that this is relevant to the thread is because fear of the end of the world has been an ongoing fear for centuries, especially with the millennium. However, at this present time there is so much fear with the current Russian situation. On my phone, I see so much talk of whether this is going to be world wide nuclear war. I probably had the dream because I have always worried about the end of the world based on religious upbringing.

Reflecting on the underlying fear and news reports in the media, I am wondering how 'truth', fantasy, and some 'post truths' come together in people' s thinking and what role do mythical ideas and fantasised projections have in influencing what happens in world events?

I think that I have '1984' somewhere on my Kindle, so I may have a read. I read 'Animal Farm' at school as a child and as an adult and found Orwell's writing very good. It probably just feels a bit dated reading about '1984' as a futurist novel, just like Huxley's 'Brave New World'. However, some novels are probably significant for their philosophical ideas.

I didn't know that George Orwell wrote about the idea of a 'post-truth society' and it is interesting that he was able to perceive the possibility at that time. As far as the influence of postmodernism, it may be hard to says it's distinct influence because there were many diverse influences. Mainly, I see it as having a lot of impact on the social sciences and the humanities. Here, it may have had influence on the academic understanding of politics and education.

I am aware that even though I never came across the idea of postmodernism until I was about 17, most of the teachers who had taught me probably came from a training background influenced by postmodernism. For example, I can remember that my mother seemed surprised that the history which I was doing at school was based on analysis of various sources as a means for critical analysis. This is opposite to the way people in the past may have been taught history as about clear dates and facts.

What may be most significant is that postmodernism gave rise to critical theory. Also, it is a framework for scepticism. It is hard to know how important postmodernism is in the twentieth first century and it may be more read in relation to the arts currently, rather than for a credible basis for analysis of culture and ideas.

I tend to think of the toxic aspect of post-truth as being when people accept lies without questioning them for themselves. I see it as a very blurry concept, as a way of blurring truth and untruths. I am not seeing it as an era as itself and it is probably a device which is used by politicians mainly.

The era from which it probably stems from though is postmodernism and I do have a fair amount of sympathy for some of the postmodern writers, like Baudrillard and Derrida. I am not sure about Lacan because I have found his writings difficult to read. The reason why I find the postmodern writers and their perspectives, going back to those of Michael Foucalt, is the way in which they do question cultural assumptions.

The questioning of cultural assumptions is the doorway into cultural relativism. This is where it gets tricky and I do struggle here in relation to 'truth' and objective measures. This may be different to 'post-truth', although cultural relativism can be seen as giving allowance for there being no absolutes and the slippery slope to that of people making it up as they wish to. So, the question is where 'truth' lies in relation to objectivity and subjectivity. Of course, there are various angles here potentially, ranging from psychological truths, which are recognized as such, to self deception and the wish to deceive others, especially in matters of significance, especially aspects of political agendas.