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Posts by Obbe
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2016-10-16 at 6:29 PM UTC in End Times SignsLatest events, October 16, 2016:
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2016-10-16 at 6:22 PM UTC in What is Life?
I don't think anyone who's going to take the time to read that wall of text needs the phil 100 "science is not the be all end all of human knowledge" speech.
[SIZE=12px][FONT=arial]Doubtless if all the factors which go to determine any and every spin of the roulette wheel or deal of the cards, or even a preponderating proportion of these were known: we might have an infallible system of breaking the bank. Likewise, if we knew all the factors which are concerned in the phenomenal universe we could explain any single phenomenon in all its relations and proportions - which is equivalent to saying that we could explain the universe from top to bottom, and should, therefore have an infallible system of Truth.
But nothing is more certain than that we do not know all the factors; and so, failing this, your infallible system is compelled to give a name to some one or more of the unknown quantities, and to assume that thereby its nature is adequately explained.
This may be, and indeed commonly is, sufficient for an individual up to a certain point. There is no authoritative system too absurd or superstitious to lack some adherents. We are intellectual and spiritual children first, before we are spiritually full grown-men. It apparently takes ages untold to evolve the full-grown spiritual man; it being no less than this which lies at the root of the whole evolution of the Human race. And because the individual is a child first - not physically merely, or in any one particular life, but through long periods of the childhood of the Race - so the Race as a whole, and also the sub-race, the nation, the tribe or the community, must pass through that preliminary stage when authoritative guidance is a necessary part of training for the later stage when the man becomes a law unto himself.
Sooner or later the child must grow into the man. Sooner or later the authority to which he has hitherto submitted-unconsciously at first, and with more or less willingness or revolt in the second stage - must be tested and approved by his own judgement, or altogether rejected and set aside. This is true - sooner or later - of every kind of authority, whether parental, communal, or in matters of reason, belief and conscience[FONT=Times New Roman].[/FONT][/FONT][/SIZE][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=12px][FONT=arial]In the third stage, the man definitely takes his nature and destiny into his own hands. He commences to do what no one else can do for him: he commences to work out his own salvation.In doing this, the test which he brings to bear upon the authoritative systems which we have hitherto been offered to him as the solution of the problem of his own nature with which he is now face to face, is simply the test of his own experience. No other test really exists for any one.
Not necessarily, however, not by any means merely the conscious experiences of his present physical life, but experiences and intuitions welling up from the deep unfathomable subconscious parts of his own nature - the fruit of many lives, of many incarnations; the experiences not merely of a particular individual thread of consciousness linked by memory, but also of a larger consciousness on a higher Plane, embodying the experiences of individuals, and families and tribes, and races long since buried in the oblivion of the past so far as history is concerned: yet active, living potent, in every cell of our bodies, and assuredly present with us as faculty - and possibly also as memory in a higher self-causing the instinctive use and adaptation of our physical organs, and the intuitive acceptance or otherwise of certain matters which belong more especially to the inner subjective nature, to the mind, soul, reason, and conscience.
The more we think, indeed, of the causes which have made each individual what he is today, the more we find that each individual has affiliations which link him with the whole past. Even physically there is a continuity of germ-plasm and proto-plasm which goes back to the very commencement of life on this globe. Where, then, did the present individual commence his experiences - those experiences which enable him to be what he is today.
What makes him an individual at all: something, namely, separate and distinct? The more we come to examine these and similar questions, the more we shall find that our artificial distinctions based upon the mere appearance of things, break down; and the individual must ultimately claim not merely his relationship to the Whole but his identity therewith.
Thus the individual, in the search for the reality of his own life and consciousness, finds that reality ever appearing to evade him, because it always lies in something further, something greater, something yet to be attained. And in proportion as this is realized, he must necessarily revolt against any and every system which would limit him: either in the past, the present, or the future.[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
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2016-10-16 at 5:56 PM UTC in Race Relations, The Complicit Subjugation of India, And the Meaning of ResponsibilityWhat time did you start drinking?
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2016-10-16 at 3:47 AM UTC in Isn't it fucked that there are only "theories" of what women find attractive?A true whore will fuck anyone, Enter.
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2016-10-16 at 3:36 AM UTC in Isn't it fucked that there are only "theories" of what women find attractive?Nigga, do you even know what YOU want? Is it the madonna or the whore?
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2016-10-16 at 2:27 AM UTC in What is Life?[FONT=arial][SIZE=12px]Science, in the modern acceptation of the term, has no dealings with either religion or metaphysics; the former being regarded as altogether outside of its possible investigations, the latter being commonly sneered at as mere intellectual web spinning. Yet it is quickly seen that every scientific concept necessarily begins and ends in a metaphysical region; and it is readily granted that no department of human thought, knowledge, or experience can really be separate from the whole; and that if science, religion, and philosophy or metaphysics may be said to have their own particular sphere of activity, each more or less independent of the other: it must, at least be granted that nothing which is really true in either of these can be antagonistic to what is true in the others. We need in the first instances, however a clear conception of the nature of truth.
The reader should understand that no claim is made for any theory or theories advanced in this work other than that they are more or less in the nature of a helpful formulation of existing knowledge, and reasonable deductions made therefrom. They are true just to the extent to which they are helpful in throwing some little light on the problems of life and the great Riddle of the Universe. We might even say of any mere theory, that its value lies not so much in its abstract truth as in its concrete helpfulness. It is certainly necessary that it should be true within the limits of existing knowledge, and as a statement of what things appear to be; but it must help us to further knowledge or practical achievement, otherwise it is but a barren and empty form.
Where we do not really know, we must be content with a working hypothesis; where we do not actually see, we must endeavor to form a mental image which shall help us to further discoveries. Such is the scientific method. Science is commonly supposed to be ascertained or demonstrable knowledge: and so it is-up to a certain point. But the man of science is continually questioning the unseen and unknown, seeking to penetrate with his imagination, with the eye of the mind, that region which lies beyond the reach of his physical senses. In order to create a mental image of forms of matter and modes of motion in the unseen world. That mental image is necessary, in the first place, based upon what is already familiar, and it serves as a working hypothesis for the discovery of new facts which, in their turn, may modify or even completely revolutionize the existing mental image.
Let us take, for example, the working hypothesis formulated by Dalton at the commencement of last century concerning the atom of physical matter. The mental image embodied in that hypothesis was that of an ultimate minute particle of matter incapable of further subdivision. Each of our well-known chemical elements was considered to consist of a special kind of such atoms, each special atom possessing not merely its specific and distinctive chemical qualities, but also a definite weight, corresponding to the combining weights or proportions of the different elements. This was called the atomic weight of the element.
All our great modern science of chemistry has been built up on this theory, which is true-so far as it goes. Up to a certain point the mental image of the atom, as a definite indivisible minute particle, is sufficient for all practical purposes of chemistry. But for some considerable time prior to the discovery of Radium, certain physical and chemical phenomena were known which made it extremely probable that the chemical atom was not the smallest particle of a substance-in fact, that it was an exceedingly complex thing, and therefore further divisible. With the discovery of Radium this view became a certainty; and therewith the old working hypothesis- though true within its own proper limits-has had to give way to a new one, and the scientist is forced to create a new mental image of the atom. This new mental image is a very wonderful and magnificent thing, opening out an infinite microscopic universe, an infinite interior conception of space comparable in every way to the infinity of macrocosmic space which we sense when we look outwards to the universe of Suns, and Planets, and Worlds, and Systems without end.
A working hypothesis, then may be true within certain limits, and may even be presented as a dogmatic form of truth-so long as its limitations are recognized. Now it is precisely as a working hypothesis that this work is presented to the reader; and if any statements made herein may appear to be of a dogmatic nature, it is to be hoped that it will be understood that they are so only as legitimate deductions from given premises, and not in any sense as final statements of Truth.
Sooner or later in the evolution of the individual there comes a time when the mind and intellect revolts against the limitations of authority and convention. Nothing that is living can remain long in a fixed state; such a state, indeed being the equivalent of stagnation and death, not of life which is essentially movement and expansion. In proportion as systems of thought or religion become fixed and hardened, so surely do they die.
Infallible systems of truth, religious or philosophical, are like infallible systems of breaking the bank at Monte Carlo: tested in the long run by human experience they are one and all found to be inadequate to achieve the result for which they profess to exist. That is not to say that they are not useful in their way, or that they may not give to many individuals a good run for their money - a considerable equivalent of excitement or emotion, and even a temporary success; while they will certainly give what, after all, may be said to be the main thing in evolution, namely experience.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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2016-10-15 at 10:47 PM UTC in What is Life?[SIZE=12px][FONT=arial]The great question, What is Life? is one which may be asked and answered in many different ways; but each individual must assuredly answer it in some manner or other, for he is confronted with it in a most undeniable and practical form, simply because he is alive. Each one of us possesses life and consciousness, and we cannot avoid the problem: though we may fail to understand its real nature, and may even - with more or less success for a certain length of time - ignore it. In its lowest and most material aspect the problem is simply one of daily bread - or daily pleasure. Many, indeed, are unconscious of the problem in any other form.
But man cannot live by bread alone: and sooner or later, in the evolution of every individual there must come a time when the great problem assumes other and higher aspects. In the history of man's endeavor to solve the problem of his own life, and the great Riddle of the Universe of which he is part, these higher aspects fall into three categories, known respectively as Science, Philosophy, and Religion. Each of these may be said to regard the problem from a different point of view, and each is commonly looked upon as more or less independent of the others. However in reality this is not so.
What is herein attempted, therefore, is somewhat in the nature of a synthesis of science, philosophy, and religion: not, however, as either of these is commonly understood in any mere formal or scholastic sense, but rather as representing three phases of human thought and experience which are fundamentally inseparable in the true life and development of every individual, and which can be thus understood without any special training in connection with either.
It is therefore hoped that what is here presented will enable the reader to understand somewhat more of the nature of Man - and his relation to his environment and to the Universe as a Whole - than is commonly found either in science as such, or in any purely formal system of philosophy, metaphysics, or religion.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=12px][FONT=arial]Somewhat more, because by no possibility can the solution of the problem of life and consciousness be placed before any man or woman in mere words or phrases. These are but algebraic symbols - and, at best, a broken and fragmentary symbology - of what little the mindcan grasp of Realities which lie beyond the mind, but not beyond experience, even as they lie beyond the forms of time and space in which alone the mind can express itself.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=12px][FONT=arial]Though the problem cannot be thus solved, it may possibly be helpfully stated with the unknown factors clearly indicated. To state a problem is often half-way towards a solution. The intuition may possibly fill in what the mind fails to formulate; and this will certainly be done whenever the soul has experienced - in its own inner nature, and proper manner - what the outer symbology endeavours to express.[/FONT][/SIZE]
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2016-10-15 at 10:23 PM UTC in What kind of fuckwit takes life seriously?Have you tried telling yourself you understand?
Bokononism is based on the concept of foma, which are defined as harmless untruths. A foundation of Bokononism is that the religion is formed entirely of lies; however, one who believes and adheres to these lies will have peace of mind, and perhaps live a good life. The primary tenet of Bokononism is to "Live by the foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy."
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2016-10-15 at 9:47 PM UTC in What kind of fuckwit takes life seriously?
Dude, duh. Why'd you have to lame it up?
Same reason the tiger has to hunt and the bird has to fly. -
2016-10-15 at 3:14 PM UTC in What kind of fuckwit takes life seriously?
You know, there was found to be an uncontacted Amazonian tribe with numerous cultural traits unique from any other civilization on Earth. Through techniques passed down across literally thousands of years, discovered and refined, they were said to attain a state of enlightenment at a very young age and maintain it throughout the rest of their lives, attaining perfect mastery over the self and knowledge of ultimate reality.
One of their most sacred parables, dealing with the human condition and man's place in the world, can be loosely translated as follows:
Tiger got to hunt,
Bird got to fly;
Man got to sit and wonder, "Why, why, why?"
Tiger got to sleep,
Bird got to land;
Man got to tell himself he understand.
I posted that rhyme dozens of times over the years. It's from cat's cradle. -
2016-10-15 at 12:32 AM UTC in American foreign policy is completely fucked, what they hell are they doing?.It doesn't need to make sense.
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2016-10-12 at 3:55 PM UTC in End Times SignsLatest events, October 12, 2016:
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2016-10-11 at 3:18 PM UTC in End Times SignsLatest events, October 11, 2016:
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2016-10-10 at 8:03 PM UTC in End Times SignsLatest events, October 10, 2016:
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2016-10-09 at 4:49 PM UTC in The retarded thread: Fuck, §m£ÂgØL made one first edition
Do you remember my posts about AI? I want certainty, even at the risk of annihilation. If I assimilate and it's decided that there is no reason to continue living, or that consciousness is unnecessary (I read an interesting post on Slate Star Codex that mentioned this possibility), then that will be the decision. I want truth. Regardless of what I would have hoped for, if it doesn't exist it doesn't exist. If you think about the concept of AGI and the singularity, a being that can alter/improve itself, going beyond the limits of the ability of biological humans to predict or even comprehend, being able to attain the highest state of intelligence, knowledge, and the ability to gather data/knowledge/information, it's truly a glorious thing, ​transcendence.
So, essentially, I have a seething and complete hatred of this current state of life and hope to attain ultimate power and immortality (Not as cartoon(ish)-supervillain(is) as it may sound), even planning to have myself cryogenically preserved, which, IIRC, only a mere 1,500 people in the entire planet have even made arrangements for. Nothing else matters if this life ends in this limited grotesque form with the finality of death.
If "suicide" is determined to be the answer, then I will commit suicide, but at least I will have known the truth without doubt.
OK. Considering the above, when you say life has no intrinsic worth you're not stating this as a matter of fact but rather as a matter of your opinion, an opinion which you believe cannot be determined to be true or false until you assimilate with a super human intelligence, so you are willing to wait to end your life until you know the truth.
Doesn't it follow that, at least until that time comes, your life has some worth? Your life has the potential to learn the truth, is that not worthwhile? At least you seem to admit it is worthwhile enough to continue living, for the time.
On another note, isn't "worth" or "value" inherently subjective and relative? If it is how can the value of life be objectively determined? If it cannot be, and you hate your life now, isn't waiting to assimilate with a super intelligence just prolonging your suffering waiting to verify something you already know, that it's all a matter of perspective and it truly does not matter if life exists or not? If you truly hate your worthless life is that alone not reason enough to end it or change it and make it worth living? -
2016-10-09 at 3:54 PM UTC in The retarded thread: Fuck, §m£ÂgØL made one first edition
#liveshavenointrinsicworthanditcanbestronglyarguedthattheoptimalmethodtopreventsuffering/disutilityistoendalllife,givingitanegativevalue,sonolivesmatter
I've noticed you posting this sort of sentiment before, but I am curious, why are you still alive? -
2016-10-09 at 3:37 PM UTC in End Times SignsLatest events, October 9, 2016:
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2016-10-08 at 4:37 PM UTC in End Times SignsLatest events, October 8, 2016:
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2016-10-08 at 4:30 PM UTC in The retarded thread: Fuck, §m£ÂgØL made one first edition
I joined a vegan group the food seems good but expensive.
Plants feel pain too.
#PlantLivesMatter -
2016-10-08 at 1:34 PM UTC in The retarded thread: Fuck, §m£ÂgØL made one first edition
Salesforce people though, there is no redemption for them, they've crossed the event horizon for emotional recognition as moral agents.
So you would eat them before you eat a cow or chicken?
