So, "faulty" or not, an indirect perception of the world is all the reality we can have. A subjective one. But this does not mean the external world is mind-dependent. Only idealists believe that. — Alkis Piskas

:up: :100:

I remember that in this thread we mentioned "Good Morning" by Yasujiro Ozu as one of the top films. It is available on YouTube with English subtitles. I think it is worthy of seeing the film again. If anyone is interested, here is the link!

And a big nose. A nose than which none greater can be conceived. — Jamal

It's really big — Ying

You guys cracked me up. :rofl:

Things like these have a tendency to only be resolved years, even decades after the fact. — Tzeentch

If at least those issues would be resolved one day... governments tend to be opaque and hide their shames under the carpet. 

Considering a lot of people were misinformed about the risks of vaccination, and in some countries people were put under heavy societal pressure to take the vaccine against their will, at what point are we going to start calling this for what it is: murder. — Tzeentch

Australia has been one of the most intelligent countries in its approach to combating COVID-19. They were clever to block down their territory, and now they ban AstraZeneca. Good for Aussie people, they have a sensate government. 

On the other hand, yes, as you explained: This is a murder. Forcing people to take a vaccine that is dangerous to their health should come with some public responsibilities. Our backwards ass government showed off the amount of vaccines that have been taken by the citizens. These news make me wonder:

1) Will the governments be responsible for this negligence?
2) Will AstraZeneca pay the price for these issues?

No problem! It is enough effort to manage and administer this site. Colours are accessories. :up:

You are right. We have to avoid using colours as a privilege. Art will be free to all of us, and green stays forever! :cool:

Why did tpf change from purple to green? — Benj96

Spring chill vibes. Maybe, in the fall, TPF colour will switch to ochre or orange.

Absolutely, yes. Killing animals for fun is one of the worst activities done by humans. We have the same problem in Spain. We are already in the 21st century and I do not understand why people keep going to stupid bullfightings...

Are you using "kappa" as a Japanese troll? You should know that javi2541997 is our resident Japanophile. He will be excited. — T Clark

I am not going to lie: Kappa is a word that excites me. It is a troll from Japanese mythology, yes. But this is also used by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa in the title of one of his books. The story is about a mentally ill person who joins the world of Kappa and lives together. Akutagawa is considered one of the most relevant Japanese writers, and his second name is the label of a literature prize in Japan. Kenzaburo Oe won one of the contests.

Kappa means "child of river" because it is made of the kanjis: kawa (川), river; and tarō (太郎), child. Kappa is like the diminutive of the word.

:flower:

Hello! Welcome to the forum. :up:

I think I was trying to say the same thing. What I meant was that, yes, we have singular experiences but there is nothing that ensures our individuality (nothing taking the place of the metaphysical "mind"). — Antony Nickles

I see your point now, and yes, I think we are reaching the same conclusion in this debate. It is true that it is very difficult to get pure individualism. This doesn't happen even in the most abandoned environments. There are thinkers who critique globalization for exactly this reason. In nowadays, everything is connected worldwide and tends to be ephemeral.

On the other hand, there are some contexts where we can find out a person's level of individuality. I think art can be an example of this. Let me share with you an anecdote. 
I am sensible towards nature, and one day I was observing the sunset. I said: "wow this is so poetic, look at the tones of purple and orange in the sky. It is gorgeous..." 
But then, a girl (who is a mathematician) said: There is nothing special at all, sunset is scientific evidence, which is explained with the mathematical formulas, bla bla bla...
Here we have two different persons who observe the world so differently. Then, a level of "individuality" was reached that day. To be honest, I think the girl felt herself so special because of her ability to explain the physics of a sunset :roll:

As Heidegger says: what is most thought-provoking is that we are not yet thinking. — Antony Nickles

:clap: :100:

If you're interested, I rewrote the OP to be, I hope, clearer. — Antony Nickles

Thank you for your effort. I really like your OP but it is complex. It is not on you but on the topic itself.

(Of course we can have individual experiences outside of language--like seeing a sunset that leaves us speechless--but those instances don't structure our relation to ourselves and others.) — Antony Nickles

This point is interesting and I disagree in a fact. There are activities that can only be enjoyed individually. Your example is good. Looking at a sunset. Each individual would interpret the sunset in different ways. Some would write a poem, others would not care if they were not sensible enough. This example reminds me of an essay by Mishima. This author defends that the art can only be understood in loneliness, thus a pure individualism. I agree with him, and I think that not all facts around us depend on each other's cooperation.

But, yes, we are all ordinary humans, individual as separate bodies, but under the same condition/human situation. — Antony Nickles

Paradoxically, it is ordinary men who make others feel intelligent or superior. Most people tend to follow a leader because it seems "necessary." Such leaders hold something that we (the followers) don't. So, to reach a real ordinariness, we have to stay away from the "mass" of other ordinary people (I do not know if I expressed myself well).

The entrepreneurial spirit of many tends to disregard natural wonders and they cut down trees to make clearances for human rather than animal habitats. — invicta

In this case, that is an act of selfishness not evil. If those entrepreneurs enjoy destroying the environment, then they will be both selfish and evil.

I'll revise my statement - Treating people badly doesn't necessarily mean you're evil, it means you're an asshole — T Clark

I did understand your statement, but what I wanted to also say is the fact that there are some people who enjoy treating bad others. That is evil rather than asshole.

Treating people badly doesn't mean you're evil, it means you're an asshole. — T Clark

There are some people who treat others badly because they enjoy doing so. For example: compulsive and manipulative liars. In my own view, there is a lot of "evil" in such an act. I think being an asshole is more related to a lack of basic morals and education.

Not long ago, I informed you that my third son had lost his sanity: I was wrong, and I ask you not to take it into account. Since the time has come, I will tell you what I remember: My late husband, involved in the officers' revolt, which ended in failure, came to the conclusion that the only way out was the assassination of His Majesty the Emperor. It was the nature of this monstrous fact that led him to withdraw into the storage room, which remained boarded up until his death. This was due to heart failure. That's all I have to tell you.

Kenzaburo Ōe, Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness. Page 54.

Interesting OP.

I agree with the text and your arguments. Yet, I personally believe that is quite complex to achieve. I mean: interact with others and avoiding a positive/negative judgment. It seems to be inherited in human's conditions. On one side, we have the real version of ourselves, and on the other, the image that others have of me. There is even a paradox because we are debating on a topic about not being special, but I started by saying that I consider your OP as "interesting"... Does it make it "special"?

I am aware of not being special, and  if I think otherwise, it makes me look arrogant. We are ordinary people living quotidian lives. Sooner or later, we're all going to die, and that's a fact. A solution to this issue, could be a homogeneous civilization. Not having superior or "special" persons among us. Nonetheless, I think it is impossible to reach out in such equal circumstances. It is in our nature to be competitive with one another. Another solution would be ethics. Behaviour management in terms of respecting each other. I guess the latter is more feasible.

By the way, maybe my arguments are suitable for mediocre thinkers...

What is wrong with these people? Does delusion have absolutely no limits? — Wayfarer

Look at the face of the governor. We can see the madness ruling his brain. I feel bad for the children, they were born into the worst family possible.

I hope we are clear I am not here to learn English and if you can decipher the meanings, there is no need to pick up on these non-native speakers' grammatical errors. Unless, this forum is for only members who can speak English as their first language in which case I should be told so. — Raef Kandil

Welcome abroad. I am a non-native speaker too and I also receive proofreading from other users oftentimes. I understand that you are not here to learn English but I recommend you the following web oage if you want to improve your grammar skills: Grammar Checker - QuillBot

Death Within the Evil Eye by Masahiro Imamura — Manuel

:up:

Also of note, whenever someone brings up how Japan has stagnated so badly due to an aging population + lack of immigration... — Count Timothy von Icarus

Interesting data.  Thanks for bringing it up because I am always so interested in Japan.

Japan and its Prefectures (都道府県, todōfuken) are a very complex places to live in. Culture adversities kick in when you try to make contact with them. I guess Tokyo and Osaka cannot be a problem, but it would be harder in little places such as Izu and Yamagata. 

I read a book a few months ago called: Dynamics and immobilist politics in Japan. It shows key aspects of why Japan has the nowadays problems that you have shown in that data. The authors explain that some Prime Ministers tend to manage Japan in a very nationalist/isolation way.

That politics and the lack of immigration, plus low births, make for stagnant incomes. But do you know what is most interesting about it? 

Japan will have the same GDP growth as Spain (my country, because I was interested in comparing both) in the next two decades. When I read the information, I couldn't believe it...

Well, furthermore, by GDP standards, Japan is clearly a developed country, with its ups and downs. I guess isolation cannot be a good decision. even for rich and industrialized countries. 
They always had a lot of ups and downs. From the big increase in GDP in the 1960s to the stagnation of the 1990s due to the real estate bubble, Nonetheless, they are still there, maintaining themselves as a developed and rich country thanks to their culture of hard work and sacrifice. Interesting, right?

I don't know what would have happened if I have never taken the vaccine, maybe a hard experience. But it is interesting that I never got infected despite the fact that I was surrounded by infected ones. :chin:

I'm breaking a superstition to say this, but I've never had COVID-19. — frank

Have you had it? — frank

I haven't had it either. My father had Covid twice, and my mother once.I live with them, and I don't know why I never got infected...
I've even taken public transportation and nothing has ever caught my eye.

I guess our immune system is strong and good, Frank. :up:

Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness, Kenzaburō Ōe

Life for Sale; The School of Flesh, Yukio Mishima.

, I forgot to suggest you reading his philosophical essay "Ascetic" (if you haven't already).
You can read it here: — Alkis Piskas

Thanks for sharing the paper :up:

The existence of God cannot be proven no matter how strong the arguments may be. Likewise it cannot be disproven with 100% certainty — invicta

You are right, this is the endless dilemma about God's existence. Yet, furthermore, of being an issue in "proofs" I think it can be better understood in terms of representation. The main two groups of evidence for God's image are Aquinas (everything that is around us is a proof of God's existence) or Kierkegaard (external world doesn't provide sustainable proofs to believe in God).

So, in this case, I guess the extension of God's existence will depend on each person's faith.

I thought to answer that Clarky is my philosophy teacher in this site. But I didn't want to get scolded by Eugene again...

Guys, I'm not your philosophy teacher. — Eugen

Though it's not my focus here, I have a more mundane question: how have the "primitive conditions" he lists, namely "war, scarcity, disease, ignorance, and lethal menace," actually been alleviated or overcome by "Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress"? Certainly, the treatment and eradication of disease has made progress that we should all celebrate. But what about the others? I'll leave you to ponder that. — Jamal

As you said, I don't have any doubts that we have overcome diseases thanks to Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.

Yet, the others like wars and scarcity are eternal. I think Steven Pinker only sees the evolution of societies in a western-core-middle class view. I also feel that I cannot disagree with him about the progress since enlightenment, but at the same time I can't agree either. If we check out the functionality of our democracies we would feel that everything that was built is now back-peddling.
I am not understand when he purposes: The present has superseded it and always must, despite the occasional unfortunate and anomalous "slide back" [...] and if we live with those evils today it is only because the present has not overcome the past fully.
To be honest, I don't think there is no present or past. History teaches us that there is a vicious circle in the interactions and everything tend to be repeated. Who would say that in 2022 a war between Russia and Ukraine would start? And so the folks of 2011 Syrian war; 1991 gulf war; 1960's Vietnam war; Second world war; First world war, etc... Endlessly. So, in my view, it is difficult to accept a forward in the progress related to "end" wars or scarcity. The latter, is even worse in perspective because it seems that the people suffer of poverty and starvation more than ever and due to climate change, this only going to be worse each decade.

What does "strong emergence" and "weak emergence" means? Sorry but if I don't understand the concepts, I can't follow your premises.

It is ok! we all are here to learn something new everyday. :sparkle:

X million Taiwanese ninjas — Wayfarer

Ninja is a ancient warrior who comes from Japanese culture... it never existed in Chinese/Taiwanese history and army.

When it comes to territorial acquisitions and mergers, humans just aren't very nice. — BC

The actions and violence have become more sutil. Instead of deploying soldiers or bombing with planes, the "international" enterprises and organizations land in your territory and force you to live accordingly to them. We do not die but it is another type of violenece.
A good example could be how the African continent is now disputed between superpowers. None lands with violence but it is clear that the territory is been exploited by China, Russia, EU, etc...

American society was built by religious fanatics who promoted armed struggle, conflict, war, violence, annihilation, and what we today would call genocide

they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Namely: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Whether we like it or not, every society or country has been built with the use of violence and wars. The thought of the past was: "kill before you get killed" and it seems that in some states of America they maintain this thought so deeply.
You put USA as an example but all the American continent is violent itself. Just check our Honduras, El Salvador or Nicaragüa. They have never lived in a sense of "peace" or "calm" since they got the independence from the Spanish Kingdom.

I've never heard anyone say that a 26-year-old suffering from disabilities, addiction and depression (ie, distinctly unvibrant) is old enough to die, while a happy, clever 90-year-old was too young to die. — Vera Mont

:up: :clap:

No objections on your arguments about animals lifespan.

Yet, there are big differences when lifespan is applied to humans. Since the Roman Empire, this topic has been debated, and there have been problems with the specific age of who we should consider "young" or "old". For example: At the age of 14 a person in Roman times was able to get married and be emancipated from their parents. Why? Productivity and the sense that a teenager was ready to work and raise a family. Until late 19th century, children were part of factories and they were considered as a big part of capitalist economies. Nonetheless, the situation switched when the state realized that it was better to teach them rather than slavering them.

I see your point of considering people young when they are under 75 years old. But trust me when I say that this is another trick of the state to gain profits. If we increase the average lifespan, we will have more workers working for longer periods of time, which will result in collect more taxes. The group of active people comprises all of those who are between 18 and 67–70 years old (at least that's how it works here in Spain). There are a lot of productive people and a lot of tax incomes to be paid... See? The age and what we consider "young" or "old" depend on how much your body and brain are able to work. 
It is clear that a 26 years old is more vivid than a 65 years old, but the state makes sure both work.

Each person is free to choose the perfect time to die. Abstract concepts such as "young" or "old" were created for the state for two basic motives: employment and pensions. The state considers you "old" when you are no longer productive, but is this connected to death? no.

A death of a 40 years old person is acceptable as much as someone who is 80.  Maybe the 40-year-old person already lived what was "necessary" according to his circumstances.

I still have no way to survive but to keep writing one line, one more line, one more line… - Yukio Mishima.

Otherwise, any age is fair game since growing old – tomorrow – ain't promised to any living thing. — 180 Proof

:clap: :sparkle: