Comments

  • Existence Precedes Essence


    I do understand your point, however, the use of the term design is unfortunate here. There is no reason to assume intellectual intent, things may behave in a myriad of ways appropriate to their natures, which there context dictates.. Here the nature of the whole determines the environment which is itself a constitutionally complete entity. It is not this or that, it is in totality an endless process, process ------manifestation, process. Rather then regression, a closed system emploding in on itself?
  • Existence Precedes Essence

    I do tend to believe in panpsychism, but as far as priori cognitive design, no, it sounds like your looking for a god within the great mystery. I believe consciousness is something that permeates all matter whether observable or not. Like I have already stated, all process, at what point in the process is consciousness said to manifest, I am saying, manifestation is consciousness.
  • What gives life value?
    Value is communion with, mutualism, the more complete the better, by complete I mean communion without categories, all-inclusive. Personally, I don't know if anyone has actually accomplished full communion, but it's like perfection, a direction, a goal.
  • The compatibility between science and spirituality
    Spirituality is simply the process of introspection, introspection about one's self, one's self as being and being in the world. Organized religions I believe don't understand that. If spirituality is not about being and being in the world, certainly it is not about the supernatural, if it is not tangible, it is not spirituality. This is not science or religion, but religion is the only of the two that would have difficulty with it.
  • There's something (illogical) about morality
    Very close in context of nature.
  • Existence Precedes Essence

    I am not familiar with QM"s perspective, but it goes against my instincts, to think that there is not something before the manifestation of matter, If all life is process, which I believe it is, there can be no exception here. UNTIL IT'S PROVED OTHERWISE- - lol!!!
  • There's something (illogical) about morality

    That may well be but in the process, you are engaging others in mutual caring, of which is vital in forming a community. No identification, no compassion, no community. The individual is stronger in a community than in the wilderness. Think community and collective organism.
  • What do we mean by "will"? What should we mean by "will"?
    Michael,
    Defined purpose or intention, but this intention is evoked, the lock presumes its key. One must be moved within before one can move without, something in the physical world according to the subject, needs affected in some way, then the will is inacted to fulfill itself, which makes it a reaction of the will. In reality I don't know what it is, unless it is consciousness itself as reaction. Perhaps that is the essence of consciousness, reaction, perhaps they are the same.
  • Existence Precedes Essence
    When does a condition become a thing? Is there not a complexity of conditions prior to say the formation of a cloud. Is there not a chaos of complexity in the formation of an individual organism. Was there not cosmic chaos, read complexity, in the formations of the planets. Well, you get the idea.
  • There's something (illogical) about morality
    Morality is a biological response to context, a person in isolation would have no need of morality. As a social construct, it is best seen as the self-interest of a common biology. Self-interest is something that even a person in isolation understands, the fear of death underlines this fact. What seems to us as natures indifference to our continued survival, is the stimulus to form community. Compassion arises with the identification of other, as just another self, or an expanded concept of self. In essence it is concern for the well being and continued survival of our common biology.
  • Is dilution the solution to pollution?
    The solution to world pollution is reducing human population.
  • Nature vs Nurture vs Other?
    Nature is constitution, nurture is context.
  • Against negative utilitarianism


    Let's face it reality is the shits, that is why many people choose a fantasy life, read a religious life.
    Suffering is a good moral measure however if you ponder what consequences your actions might ultimately have, ask yourself, will it lessen suffering or will it contribute to an increase in suffering--a good guide line.
  • How do we know that our choices make sense?
    Example: If you give money to someone to help them out of a problem, and they just use the money foolishly, you are likely to reconsider the wisdom of your good will. Perhaps you didn't really know the chap as well as you thought. Perhaps people learn some things better through suffering through their mistakes. If one looks at a problem with the same biology same knowledge as that which created it, one will probably not discover the error, that's where listening to others comes in.
  • From Meaninglessness To Higher Level

    Yes, Dimosthenis, it's called forethought, pain, pleasure, desire, desire to stay out of pain.
    Let's face it reality is the shits, that's why so many people choose a fantasy life, read religions.
  • What are odds that in the near future there will be a conflict with China?

    Thanks, Streetlight, It helps to focus upon who the aggressor is.
  • Nature vs Nurture vs Other?

    Organisms come into this world with a constitution that is weak or strong, with great variations between the two. Upon coming into the world one is without identity, one is simply a constitution. It is the constitution that is to thrive or perish, with multiple degrees in between, but, ultimately, it is the context that defines, this is the nurture aspect, the nature aspect is the constitution. Both the constitution and the context have evolutionary histories. The complexity of which can only be searched through chaos theory but, the complexity itself rather assures us that the concept of free will is a highly functional illusion. It is all rather messy!
  • What are odds that in the near future there will be a conflict with China?
    Which country, America or China has the greatest history of imperial expansion. Which country has the other surrounded with military installations and nuclear weapons? Which of the two countries, has more than nine hundred military installations around the world. What is more fearful to you, communism or fascism.
  • What are odds that in the near future there will be a conflict with China?
    The empire of America has a full-time war economy, it will always need to create new enemies, large and small. Business is business!!
  • From Meaninglessness To Higher Level
    Janus,
    Perhaps you would like to enlighten me on where my statements have gone astray.
    Explain if you would, how the world as an object, obtains its meaning. The Nazi thing was tongue in cheek by the way.
  • The Knowledge of Good and Evil
    Knowledge of good and evil.

    "There is no such thing as right or wrong, only thinking makes it so." Billy Shakespeare
    In other words, the knowledge of good and evil, is no knowledge at all.

    "To god, all things are right and good, only to man. somethings are, and somethings are not." Heraclitus
  • From Meaninglessness To Higher Level


    It sounds like a bit of nonsense to me. All meaning is cognitive, all meaning is the property of a conscious subject. Meaning like apparent reality itself, is a biological readout. Meaning is the experience of the physical world upon one's biology. You have been reading to much Nazi material- - - lol!!
  • Why are there just two parties competing in political America?
    In today's political world, many people still hold onto the American apple pie concepts of the country, through self-serving self-generated mythologies of we the virtuous. These beliefs depend upon information, as anything in debate does, but one must allow the voices of the world to be heard over the clamor of national mythological propaganda. Your neighbours know you better than you know yourself, they have been subject to your power for a long time, take a consensus for Christ's sake!

    Everyone in the world knows you are an empire, accept most of the American population, do wake up, living in delusion is detrimental to the health of the world, not to mention your own well-being. You believe you live in a democracy, that your elected president is the supreme leader, all power within presidential hands----- wake up!! cut the strings of your puppet dance, and start to listen to the world at large. If your president trys to cut his strings in this elite puppet dance he will be delt with, the powers that be don't really care who is president, its their puppet show. Listen to the world, they are not all wearing black hats, many of their hats are whiter than yours. Two parties, a basic uncluttered delusion of a democracy.
  • From Meaninglessness To Higher Level


    Yeah, I can't really disagree, excellent philosophim!
  • Existence Precedes Essence
    It is a bit like, when does a condition become a thing. There are processes to anything which becomes manifest. It is true this is just speculation, and if you cannot tolerate that, well, to bad. Does it really sound that unreasonable? Actually its influence was something I remembered from a David Bohm lecture.
  • Do You Believe In Fate or In Free-Will?
    You feel you are totally restricted by the context of the question? The OP might not have realized that its possible to negate both, that perhaps he has presented a false dichotomy.
  • From Meaninglessness To Higher Level


    If DNA were faultless, evolutionary development would not be possible. Mutation is a high price to pay for adaptation, with most mutations meaning death to the organism. It is imperfection that drives evolution.
  • Is reality only as real as the details our senses give us?

    Yes, it is not knowledge that is handy in ones day to day experience, still it is nice to understand where meanings come from. What we see as the physical world, is our biological readout, biological interpretation, not necessarily what is really there. If one's biology in not in good health, it is good to know that this can affect one's perception of the world, one's biological readout.
  • Is reality only as real as the details our senses give us?

    Well, the physicists tell us that ultimate reality is a place of no things. When one gives it a bit of thought, one must realize that all the energy frequencies that are out there are not available to our senses. We are getting a limited experience of ultimate reality, and that experience, is what we tend to call apparent reality, a biological readout of what is available to our senses.
  • Why are there just two parties competing in political America?

    The Americans are quick to criticise other countries for their way of governing. The fact remains that there are only two parties because Americans restrict the thoughts of their population. A dumb population is easier to manipulate.
  • Is reality only as real as the details our senses give us?


    Your senses present you with what is called apparent reality, as opposed to ultimate reality which is only partly accessible to us. Your whole body however is a sensor, and it is your biologies reactions to the stimulus of the physical world that gives you apparent reality. The dimming of the senses by degree, as in ageing, is a loss of consciousness by degree. Consciousness is reaction, perception, awareness, all diminishing with a dulling of the senses. Your apparent world is a biological readout, the quality of that readout certainly would depend upon the quality or health of your biology.
  • Existence Precedes Essence
    Emergent existents from the implicit to the explicit, essence is the implicit workings of manifestation, that being forth the existence, the explicit. So, essence is prior to existence.
  • From Meaninglessness To Higher Level


    Certainly, different biologies experience a somewhat different reality than human biology. Whether we are talking of humans or other animals we are talking about consciousness. Life is consciousness, consciousness is life. Like humans, no doubt animal's sensory experiences provide it meaning relative to how its body is effect by the physical world, this meaning experience is then bestowed upon a meaningless world. For all animals, reality/meaning is a biological readout. Where subject and object stand or fall together, meaning is always the sole property of the subject, never the property of the object.
  • What do we mean by "will"? What should we mean by "will"?


    A model, aimless and fickle-like evolutionary development? The evolution of the organism would be quite impossible if it had any fixed determinism or any goal. The organism is forever linked by adaptation to the larger physical reality. The process of this adaptation is mostly trial and error, for mutation means in ninety-nine percent of cases, death to the organism. There is only the blind will to survive.
  • From Meaninglessness To Higher Level
    That is a by-product of the realization of the truth of Nihilism, when all is said and done, the conscious subject is the free agent in creating his own values, meanings, and beliefs. Most of these things are in place upon your arrival. If you are conscious of the reality in which you live, you will discern your own values, meanings, and beliefs.
  • What are the definitions of natural and unnatural? How can anything be unnatural?
    What is considered unnatural, is when humanity creates an element to add to the periodic table which does not occur naturally. In contradiction to this, one could say, that anything that is, is natural.
  • From Meaninglessness To Higher Level
    Banno,
    There is no inherent meaning to the physical world as object, there is nothing in this world that has meaning in and of itself, but only in relation to a conscious subject. I quite agree that if one is to live a meaningful life one needs to create it, give it meaning. The physical world is utterly meaningless, it is biological consciousness which bestows meaning upon a meaningless world.
  • From Meaninglessness To Higher Level


    Meaning is something derived from experience, or meaning, experience, is knowledge. I think your talking about reaching for a goal, to build a meaningful life ect.