The Philosophy Thread

[Louanne Learning]

Science may ask the “how?” but philosophy asks the “why?” and the “should?”

And isn’t that what writing does?

Anyway, back to philosophy:

Why are we here?

Should we be good?

And so on…

It’s my personal opinion that we are all philosophers. We wonder and we ask questions, even the unanswerable ones, and come up with our own take on this existence.

I’ll start with my own personal philosophy:

Be good at what you do, and make sure your word is good.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

"...it is said that someone at a party once asked the famous philosopher Ly Tin Wheedle 'Why are you here?' and the reply took three years." (The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett)

I am here because I got the invitation from Big Soft Moose.

Seriously, though: the question "why are we here?" is so open-ended, it's very difficult to answer. Where is 'here'? Our city, our country, our planet, 'our' solar system? :-\

I can offer three answers:

1. Being a humanist, I'd say we are here (i.e. on this planet) to help each other, to pick each other up when we're down, and to never do harm.

2. Being a scientifically-minded individual, I'd say we are here to inquire into the nature of the universe without having 'the divine' to fall back on. "Because a god said so" is not an acceptable answer.

3. Despite my scientific bent and rejection of the divine as an explanation for nature, being a spiritually-minded person, I marvel at the flight of birds, and the refracted light on rainbows, and the simple goodness that exists in everyone, if they open their hearts to it.
==========
As for the second question -- "should we be good?" -- again, this is very open-ended and imprecise. How do you define 'good'?

If we define 'good' as the opposite of 'evil' (in the classical sense), then being evil is no problem. It simply requires surrendering to all the baser instincts: sloth, lust, greed and so on. (The classical seven deadly sins).

Being good, on the other hand, requires self-control and perhaps that's why so many people have a problem with it.

For instance, they say: I'll go on a diet tomorrow. (Gluttony). Or: Ahhh, I'll do the work tomorrow. (Sloth). My neighbour sucks because he has a battery-powered spinning Santa on his roof and I don't. (Envy). The 'seven deadly sins' are why New Year's Resolutions exist.

Imagine if, instead, we all said: We don't need fancy gizmos to feel good. We are lucky to live in an prosperous age of plenty, in a place relatively free of disease, war, and want. We are blessed to have good friends and families who care about us. It is enough.

 

[Louanne Learning]

I'd say we are here (i.e. on this planet) to help each other, to pick each other up when we're down, and to never do harm.

This is tied in with purpose. we all need a "why" to live

I'd say we are here to inquire into the nature of the universe

It's amazing to me that we evolved these great powers of inquiry.

I marvel at the flight of birds, and the refracted light on rainbows, and the simple goodness that exists in everyone, if they open their hearts to it.

You'd make a good pantheist.

How do you define 'good'?

I know, right?

'good' as the opposite of 'evil' (in the classical sense), then being evil is no problem. It simply requires surrendering to all the baser instincts: sloth, lust, greed and so on. (The classical seven deadly sins).

Are our baser instincts based on "evil" or on "surviving" - however we define it?

eing good, on the other hand, requires self-control

This assumes everyone is predisposed to the bad.

 

[thirdwind]

Heh, I was a philosophy major but haven't really read any philosophy texts in probably a decade. Since you mentioned science, I'll note that one of my good friends in college was a physics major, so we used to have some great conversations about the philosophy of science. I remember finding quantum mechanics particularly interesting because of the implication it had for the real world. Sadly, I've forgotten most of what my friend taught me about quantum mechanics.

But yes, I also think we're all philosophers, even if we can't always fully articulate what we're thinking and feeling about a particular topic.

 

[Louanne Learning]

But yes, I also think we're all philosophers,

Yes, I agree.

I read an interesting article recently on confusion.

Is confusion the start or the end of philosophical enquiry?

 

[Rath Darkblade]

quantum mechanics

Do they repair quantums?

Is confusion the start or the end of philosophical enquiry?

That depends on how open-minded you are. Closed-minded individuals would be more likely to treat confusion as the end of an enquiry, e.g. "I don't understand this question, ergo it's a stupid question, ergo let's talk about something else."

Open-minded individuals would be the opposite. "I don't understand the answer, ergo is there -- maybe -- a way to reword the answer that would make more sense to me individually, even if it already makes sense to someone else?"

 

[Louanne Learning]

Closed-minded individuals would be more likely to treat confusion as the end of an enquiry, e.g. "I don't understand this question, ergo it's a stupid question, ergo let's talk about something else."

I was thinking more along the lines of trying to answer the unanswerable questions - not that there is confusion in the questions themselves.

Suppose a budding philosopher looks around and sees people acting this way or that way. They start to wonder about human motivation. They ask, "Are we born good or bad?" It's a fairly simple question and easily understood.

In this case, confusion can lead to wonder and enquiry.

Whether or not confusion results depends on how satisfied you are with the answer you come up with.

 

[Mr Mononoke]

I have been disciplined this year in focusing on editing the stories I have made, but over the last few weeks I had to write a new story and in it, one of my characters says this:

"... only morons fail to realise that it is only when you are broken that you can pick up the shattered fragments of you, to build the person you want to be."

This came to me in my sleep as this noisy character would not stop talking and was lambasting me for the defeatist attitude I was having. If I remember correctly, Confucius said something on the lines of: A great man is not one who does not fall, but picks themselves up every time they fall.

It is hard to disagree with the great sages of the past. And with this story, the protagonist changed their attitude.

 

[Louanne Learning]

"... only morons fail to realise that it is only when you are broken that you can pick up the shattered fragments of you, to build the person you want to be."

I wonder, if I may, that it is not morons that suffer this illusion, but people who do not believe in themselves.

 

[Mr Mononoke]

I wonder, if I may, that it is not morons that suffer this illusion, but people who do not believe in themselves.

I think so too Louanne, but this character is rather brash and views themselves on a much higher plane than anyone else.

I don't always agree with what my characters point of view but I write what they tell me, and this character is quite naughty.