I have a DSc. though swear I never listened in class. We need a shield of innocence to get through "education". The false teachers always deny logic. Superstition creeps in - even your soul/s is a classic form Allan. Standard supernatural views split between god-centred and soul-centred views, naturalism splits into objective - subjective and, of course, according to nihilism (or pessimism), what would make a life meaningful either cannot obtain or as a matter of fact simply never does.
Here's some classic jive: 'Another fresh argument for nihilism is forthcoming from certain defenses of anti-natalism, the view that it is immoral to bring new people into existence because doing so would be a harm to them. There are now a variety of rationales for anti-natalism, but most relevant to debates about whether life is meaningful is probably the following argument from David Benatar (2006, 18–59). According to him, the bads of existing (e.g., pains) are real disadvantages relative to not existing, while the goods of existing (pleasures) are not real advantages relative to not existing, since there is in the latter state no one to be deprived of them. If indeed the state of not existing is no worse than that of experiencing the benefits of existence, then, since existing invariably brings harm in its wake, existing is always a net harm compared to not existing. Although this argument is about goods such as pleasures in the first instance, it seems generalizable to non-experiential goods, including that of meaning in life.' Benatar, D., 2006, Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence, New York: Oxford University Press. "Fresh argument"? Gnosticism is rather ancient! One straightforward rationale for nihilism is the combination of supernaturalism about what makes life meaningful and atheism about whether God exists. If you believe that God or a soul is necessary for meaning in life, and if you believe that neither exists, then you are a nihilist, someone who denies that life has meaning. Albert Camus is famous for expressing this kind of perspective, suggesting that the lack of an afterlife and of a rational, divinely ordered universe undercuts the possibility of meaning (Camus 1955; cf. Ecclesiastes). Camus, A., 1955, The Myth of Sisyphus, J. O'Brian (tr.), London: H. Hamilton. The "philosophy" (where did we get the idea philosophers do philosophy?) has a lot in common with Monty Python - hardly surprising given these clowns went to Oxbridge. We might see philosophers as just another set of BS merchants selling 'argument'. Let's have your souls and not believe in them mate - then we get get as really miserable as this state: The idea shared among many contemporary nihilists is that there is something inherent to the human condition that prevents meaning from arising, even granting that God exists. For instance, some nihilists make the Schopenhauerian claim that our lives lack meaning because we are invariably dissatisfied; either we have not yet obtained what we seek, or we have obtained it and are bored I can't read stuff like this without imaging how far we can slide with it - like we did as kids slicking up an ice patch of the footpath. Have we forgotten how to have a laugh when we get into the slide? On Monday, 15 December 2014 11:28:48 UTC, Allan Heretic wrote: > > LoL > BS : Bull Shitter > MS : Master Shitter > PHD : Piled Higher & Deeper > > The true meaning of universal degree systems. > > Not oddly I do agree with you. It seems our society is built literally on > bullshit. Unfortunately our society chooses to feed upon the soft lie of > bullshit rather thsn face the simple truth. There always be a few > enlightened individuals. There has always been teachers of truth and those > false teachers (possible examples: politicians ~ religious leaders ~ greedy > souls) that feed on gullible innocent souls who in their need to survive > create their own fertilizer. > > Do not murder, rape, enslave or harm others > > -----Original Message----- > From: archytas <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:56 AM > Subject: Re: Mind's Eye Taurascatics > > The professor wrote a BS book on BS. No secrets revealed, only the > promise they were to be, which is BS. > > On Monday, December 15, 2014 6:24:42 AM UTC, Allan Heretic wrote: >> >> Silence lad >> STOP! Giving away secrets >> BS, MS, & PHD >> >> Do not murder, rape, enslave or harm others >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: archytas <[email protected]> >> To: [email protected] >> Sent: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 7:16 AM >> Subject: Mind's Eye Taurascatics >> >> “The study of bullshit should occupy an important place alongside >> rhetoric because taurascatics is the antistrophe of rhetorical theory, for >> both are concerned with the politics of semiotic interaction, and with the >> frameworks within which that interaction will be produced, interpreted, and >> judged.” (Professor Fredal, Ohio State) >> The frame includes: : >> • The Bullshitter (the originator of the BS) >> • The Bullshit, (the content), and >> • The Bullshitee (the recipient). >> Examples of the kind of BS one might encounter on a daily basis : e.g. >> • “Collateral damage” for civilians accidentally killed in military >> actions. >> • “Rightsizing” for firing people, and >> • “Alternative interrogation techniques” for torture. >> >> One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much >> bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we >> tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of >> their ability to recognize bullshit and to avoid being taken in by it. So >> the phenomenon has not aroused much deliberate concern, or attracted much >> sustained inquiry. In consequence, we have no clear understanding of what >> bullshit is, why there is so much of it, or what functions it serves. >> (Harry Frankfurt) >> >> My opinion is one has to undertake the labours of Hercules to clear space >> to say anything. If Facilitator calls his next sculpture 'The Taurascat' >> and it looks like me I won't sue if I can use a photograph on the cover of >> my next book. It will be indistinguishable from other marketing and he >> could always say I put him up to it. There might be some publicity from >> one called 'Facilitatory Taurascatics' or one in silver from Allan. >> >> Seasons greetings everyone. Remember, the grass is greener on the other >> side because of cow pats. >> >> -- >> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> ""Minds Eye"" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > -- > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > ""Minds Eye"" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
