| (Pages: 1, 2) | |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008     | |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1766 Joined: 2 Jul 2008   |
I'm not sure I can agree with Camus. My understanding of the Myth of Sisyphus is that it is intended as a form of parable or coded subtext in which the necessity of Death is proven by suggesting that the alternative (eternal life) may be a fate worse than Death. You don't have to be rolling rocks to have a torturous afterlife, for me any afterlife would pall in time. I would meet everyone in Heaven. I would say everything I could say to them and them to me. Engineered bliss would only mean that I was no longer myself. Only reincarnation is viable as you forget your previous lives with each rebirth, but I don't believe in that either. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1011 Joined: 1 Dec 2007    |
But that's retarded. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 4598 Joined: 9 Jul 2008    | Crap, if I start thinking about this stuff again I'm going to kill myself. I'm still only 15, and I've been here often enough to know that I should probably stay away. Goodbye. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2044 Joined: 11 Jul 2008   | I used to get asked by a friend's parent, why I played video games so much, as they just seem like a waste of time when I could be learning, or creating something, or being productive in some way. This will sound selfish on a global level, but I feel I've only got one shot at it, so shouldn't I try to enjoy it as much as I can? Damned if we don't all pay thru the nose for every moment of free time with the time we spend at work, and then again to get things to entertain us in our free time. Why shouldn't we just have fun when we can? (Note: just realised, I took about a hundred words to essentially repeat 'why not', doh) |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 430 Joined: 23 Apr 2008  | Somebody already said why not, great. I like to look forward to new things, that keeps me out of a rut... New video games, books, movies, friends... To philosophical, I'm out of here! |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1766 Joined: 2 Jul 2008 | I think I may have inadvertently killed off this thread... Depending on your belief system, it may be reincarnated, but as is too often the case all memories of what was discussed will be forgotten. |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 835 Joined: 20 Aug 2008   | Hedonism for the win! If you don't enjoy life, then don't bother with it. Makes sense to me. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1766 Joined: 2 Jul 2008 |
Don't give up so easily. At least try to work out what your real problem(s) are and do something to fix them. |
Master Archivist  Posts: 9593 Joined: 22 Aug 2008   |
I disagree. The way I see it, eternal paradise (or just life) would either have to change my very being in such a way as to make me not me anymore, or eventually I would get bored of it. Remember that we're talking about absolute Eternity here, not just "A very long time". Eternity, never ending existence. That scares me far more than the alternative (annihilation). I agree with Uncompetative, he's obviously been sitting in on my Philosophy and Ethics classes without me noticing ;p |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 494 Joined: 4 Aug 2008     | You aren't alone in asking the question of why we do anything; I don't have anybody to talk to about it. Everybody wants to ignore this simple question because it makes them uncomfortable. Animals are "programmed" to survive; we aren't very different. The only reason that you are able to ponder this is because we have such comfortable lives, all of our survival needs are taken care of. PS. I agree with you on not being able to exist for eternity and be happy about it. I'd go completely insane, as opposed to partially insane. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2146 Joined: 7 Sep 2008    |
My thoughts exactly, Amnestic. I mean, if there were eternal life, then none of us would have the vaguest concept of what it would be like, unless it is exactly what we fear it might be. And, if we couldn't comprehend what it was really like, what's the point of even thinking about it, right? |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1011 Joined: 1 Dec 2007 |
First of all, the human memory capacity is finite. Hence, in about 200 years, you'd have forgotten everything that you'd experienced except the really juicy stuff. Second, any technological advance that offers the capacity for true immortality would also require brain augmentation ability to ward off diseases in said organ. This would also indicate an understanding of the brain's mechanisms. It would therefore seem logical that artificial memory augmentation would be possible, and once one is bored of life, simply start over with no memory. Third, if one can achievement true immortality, again, the required perfect understanding of the body's mechanisms would allow you to stimulate the reward centers of the brain directly. Like having a button you could press forever and ever that gave you the best orgasmic feeling. Fourth, even if neither of these technologies exist when we do invent immortality, you are immortal. They will be invented eventually. Further, the number and amount of distractions offered seem to be increasing exponentially, such that even an immortal living since the Bronze age would have read even a fraction of modern published books, movies, or played the games. Fifth, oblivion is the greatest human fear after the ones related to our offspring. Although it might be easy to idly say you would not want to live forever, I submit it would be a far more difficult choice with mortality breathing down your neck. Sixth, you are immortal. Not task, mission, job, hope, or desire is truly futile to you any more. If you want, you CAN be a doctor/lawyer/President/General. You've got time to do literally anything you could want.
Why do you live?
That makes no sense. |
Master Archivist Posts: 9593 Joined: 22 Aug 2008 |
To have fun. Eternity doesn't seem fun to me, not after a while.
These three are all speculation with no proof, you're just guessing here, perhaps educated guesses, but guesses nonetheless. Seeing as how we've not had any humans live for 200 years yet, you can't say how finite the human memory really is.
I don't want to have to spell it out in that obnoxious putting a space/dash between each letter, but seriously. Eternity. Infinite time. Yeah, in the few thousand years between now and the Bronze age a person wouldn't have scraped much off on the whole, but he's got forever to do it, it's not like he's in any rush.
Again, mere speculation. Until that moment comes neither you nor I will know truly, but at the moment I am fairly set in my beliefs that Annihilation is far preferable to the torture that Eternal life offers. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1011 Joined: 1 Dec 2007 |
And what exactly do you think you are doing? |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1011 Joined: 1 Dec 2007 |
Humanity is gaining ever inreasing knowledge about the brain. It's called deduction love. |
On the Record  Posts: 5542 Joined: 13 Aug 2008    | Because I'd be bored otherwise. So yeah, to have fun. |
Master Archivist Posts: 9593 Joined: 22 Aug 2008 | Was there really a need to separate those two into different posts? ;/
Being realistic with the knowledge I currently have. I'm actually not speculating. I've looked at two different ideas and with my current understanding deduced my preferred choice.
At the moment such a thing seems better suited for sci-fi stories than a scientific journal. Perhaps eventually, but until that time comes, I'm making do with what I know. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1011 Joined: 1 Dec 2007 |
'k |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1766 Joined: 2 Jul 2008 |
Even if there was a Heaven in which souls could lead approximations of human lives not everyone could be the US President. At least not at the same time - and before anyone tries to create a loophole with an adaptation of parallel universe theory you would know that you were not the US President, only a US President in an 'instance' of Heaven. Also, saying that those wishing to be US President in Heaven could take it in turns. Yet, this doesn't work when one comes along who doesn't want to give up his job and declares Martial Law. Furthermore, US President has some pretty far-reaching impact on interpersonal relations. To feel like a President one must have power over the US people (if not international influence as well) and how exactly are these souls expected to feel about this potential 'tyranny'? Again, if the "electorate" is essentially the same as a bunch of NPCs in an instance MMORPG then you will never truly feel Presidential. It is only here in real life that we get the opportunity to be the man and influence others - should that be what you seek. Incidentally, if my skull came with a couple of buttons, one marked full body orgasm and the other memory reset I would never press either of them, but hey... whatever floats your boat. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1011 Joined: 1 Dec 2007 |
Metaphysical immortality is even more retarded.
You already have the orgasm one. It's called genitals. But hey, whatever floats your pointlessly ascetic boat. |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 800 Joined: 12 Sep 2008   |
The cute little scenarios you're presenting are so ridiculously far away you might as well stop thinking about them. Its fine to reach for the sky but keep your feet on the ground. |
PROBATION  Posts: 3411 Joined: 19 Mar 2008  | The easiest answer would come from humanistic psychologists, who explicitly accept that we humans always search for a purpose. That's why religion does so well, we're obssessed with the idea that we actually have a purpose. It's because human rationality tells us that pretty much everything has a purpose that we seem to think we must have some sort of intrinsic value too. Pretty philosophical, eh? User was put on probation for: Perfect Dark, it is out! An XBLA must have!. (3 days) |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1011 Joined: 1 Dec 2007 |
Immortal. Live forever. Do not die. Will be here in 10 billion years. |
Pulitzer Laureate Posts: 800 Joined: 12 Sep 2008 |
The technology to do that won't get here in your lifetime. Go die in peace. Also the sun is expected to go boom in about 4.5-5 billion years, so the people with those augmentations will probably go to another planet outside of the reach of a supernova. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1223 Joined: 4 Jun 2008    | i only get up in the morning because thats what society dictates i do, if it were up to me i'd just lie in bed for as long as i freakin want |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1058 Joined: 2 Jul 2008   |
I feel like trying to be slightly controversial. There is no specific, or quantifiable answer to this; there is no proof of any meaning to our existence, no solid, undeniable evidence to tell us there is a reason for us even being. The unspecific answer to this, would be that any reason would be personal and purely subjective; based around the experiences that have made us what we are today - we take what knowledge we have, and use our fairly inadequate minds to determine a grand, ultimate meaning to our unimportant, fairly petty lives. For most, this is down to love - we find something or someone we love, and cling on to it for dear life, for as long as ambition and hope can outlast the sobering, bitter realism and logic that tells us that our dreams are unlikely, our aspirations will probably end in dissapointment, and our grand meaning is just a delusion to keep us alive. We either keep ourselves happy but unchallenged by setting ourselves easily achievable, boring goals, or live miserable, challenging but ultimately worthwhile lives by forever striving for that seemingly impossible aim of finding and clinging on to whatever our love may be. The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. I want to be a writer. It ain't fucking likely, but logic alone isn't going to stop me chasing that dream. |
Beat Writer  Posts: 162 Joined: 22 Jun 2008   | We get up and live every day becaue those who don't, take the genes, that suggested it it the first place, with them. |
Master Archivist Posts: 9593 Joined: 22 Aug 2008 |
You're not trying hard enough. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2574 Joined: 17 Jul 2008  | Because I need to get laid... |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1766 Joined: 2 Jul 2008 |
I accept that my life is ascetic and ultimately pointless. There is no ultimate meaning of life, as the question is ungrammatical and cannot be asked (you can only construct meaning(s) in life which by their very nature are ephemeral, subjective and not definitive as you can't apply the 'of' relation definitively to something as broad and all encompassing as Life, the Universe and Everything without presupposing an objective point of view - and logically, that is conceptually impossible as you cannot be 'outside' the Universe of discourse to ask an unbiased definitive objective question). However, I find this realization liberating. I do not have to believe in God, or worry that I am failing humanity by not helping it towards some goal. Incidentally, Love is a dangerous substitute and is in no way a cure-all for existential pangs of loneliness. Thankfully, my intellect keeps me amused and there is always stuff to take an interest in and be entertained by - especially, The Daily Show. Despite there being no point to anything I do I have spent years researching alternative computing environments with the long-term intention to create all the software needed to author games. This is a major endeavour, but so long as I am enjoying the process I feel I may as well continue with it. It is this process of discovery and invention that I find stimulates me. After all, at this point what would I do if I stopped? Incidentally, I think only girls have the capacity to have a full body orgasm and I don't think there is any sure-fire way to trigger it as the female mind needs to be engaged as well. Although, you may be thinking of the Gräfenberg spot - which is rather hard to reach. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-spot ) So... even if I were a woman with some reliable means to self-stimulate that didn't weaken over time through over-abuse. I would not be seeking such an experience in that way, on my own, as I would know that the experience was essentially hollow. |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 751 Joined: 10 Jul 2008  | I have the answer: Tun Sie, was Sie wollen, weil ein Pirat frei ist. Sie sind ein Pirat! |
Muckraker  Posts: 287 Joined: 9 Oct 2008   | In the words of Neo. "Because I choose to" |
BANNED  Posts: 1198 Joined: 6 Sep 2008 | So we can have sex and make offspring!!! User was banned for: Banning poems from schools in the UK. (Permanent) |
| (Pages: 1, 2) | |
Why? Hmm... I suppose it's all the fault of that stupid voice at the back of my head... stupid voice, telling me to do things. I swear, it's in league with my stomach too.