Ask HN: What's your philosophy?
Just curious, what drives you? Why exist?
Since you exist, you should find this interesting, except that it came from me, an entity that is just a figment of your imagination.
Then again maybe not.
As you can see, I'm still working out some bugs with this worldview.
(grin)
I joke because I find the question slightly inane: people are who they are. It's not like they choose a philosophy and suddenly become something besides the emotional, reasoning hominids they've been all their lives. Philosophies can be bent, and people are really good at bending them to suit their predisposed character traits. In my opinion, of course.
Those aren't the interesting characters. The interesting ones are the ones that do change to suit a new philosophy.
I agree it's inane. But, none the less, still interesting to hear people's philosophies.
Personally my philosophy seems to change as I go through life and have new experiences and different goals.
The question "why exist" is a non-starter, however, since the question can only be posed (and answered) by some part of something that _does_ exist. Existence IS, there is no why. Why is non-material.
God I love philosophy.
I think that's what the original meant.
Only I exist.
Absolutely correct. Only I exist!
I feel that other people still exist as subjective entities, just that the validation of my subjectivity is lacking, ie, while it seems obvious that every human throughout the existance of mankind has had the subjective experience of existing, I disbelieve that any reasonable percentage of them believe that I have had the subjective experience of existing. Therefore, while it seems to me that I have the subjective experience of existing, that's just an artifact of semantics. In reality for 99.99999999999% of the cosmos (actually the number is zero) I do not, in fact, exist.
But I'm sure Nagel is more on the money. Sounds like a good read.
One of them concluded that since your world is shaped by your view of it, changing the way you think changes the world. This was the neurologist who had studied meditating people. No one explicitely mentioned philosophy as way to change your thinking though.
I did a search for it, and ironically this thread came up as one of the top results. I guess Google _really_ likes YC News. I would be interested to read more about it, I guess I'll have to dig a little deeper.
Just wait a few hours; whenever this submission falls off the front page, Google should drop it quicker than a greased pig down a mud slide.
Sounds hokey, and it's a relatively new feeling for me, but everything I do these days is all about enabling him.
Ah. To be a bother; the sacred duty of little sisters everywhere...
Remember that the end goal of your being his father is for him to become his own man; if your identity is solely 'his father' you will have nowhere to stand when he is no longer first and foremost 'your son'. A man with an identity crisis does not a mature man's father make. For his sake, devote your life to something honourable and deserving of your attention; he will see your example, and model after you, directing his energy upwards and outwards, instead of inwards and downwards like you are doing.
You may not believe me, but that's exactly what happened to the Chinese (my) people, so, be careful.
I'm concerned with doing two things really:
1. Making sure he has the opportunity to become exactly whom he wants to be, regardless of what that is.
2. Through example and instruction, ensure that he's capable enough to properly value and evaluate his different options, and mature enough to work hard enough to achieve them.
While ultimately, everything I do is tempered by what I think would be the best for him, I do live my own life and have my own goals. For example, I've always wanted to be a pilot, and in due time I hope to achieve that goal. I'd love for him to share in that accomplishment, but I certainly have no expectations of him to become a pilot himself, and if he's not that big on flying, it certainly won't stop me.
Your advice is sound though. From my outside observations (I live in Vancouver so I get a good chance to observe) of asian families in general, I think there are many that should be heeding your words. I'd just as soon say though that many North American raised people - regardless of culture - could use some more devotion to something other than themselves though!
That's what drives me, too.
(Edward Carpenter)
The only moral purpose of a human being is to pursue happiness.
The only moral purpose of sarah connor is to pursue happiness."
-- T-800
The goal of human civilization is to conquer entropy. Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale
Both existence and a lack thereof are a part of the one same entity.
This entity mirrors itself infinitely both in "space" and in "time".
It mirrors itself in "time" by alternating between the states of existence and a lack thereof.
It mirrors itself in "space" exponentially by necessarily drawing a border around itself because the very existence of both existence and a lack thereof must give rise to a lack of existence and a lack thereof, if and only if it is to adhere to its own rule, to which it must by its own definition, which itself must exist by definition in the first paragraph.
This process of progressively expanding the "borders" of existence continues ad infinitum and gives rise to what we know as reality.
As depicted in the following moving picture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH45ffITujI
I dislike doing anything based solely on faith, but in this case I regard my "belief" as certain as my "belief" in mathematics describing the truth, i.e. I consider both pretty much absolute.
Here's a related commentary I found helpful, 2nd para lists (in a relatively archaic style, you have to parse it a bunch of times - 3 different religious answers to a similar existential question): http://www.hinduwebsite.com/divinelife/auro/auro_fateandfree...
(note: I don't advocate Hinduism, Sri Aurobindo or promote belief in God, am merely searching the answer to the question - "why am I not a fatalist?")
I flipped a coin to decide whether I should up mod or down mod this. Was the coin flip pre-determined by my previous actions? Did I actually up mod or down mod this? :)
Another example is Rand's argument that there is absolute truth: saying there is no absolute truth is a self contradiction, so it is an untenable position. That avoids the whole problem of trying to point out a specific absolute truth, while still showing its the better position.
Pick your poison.
Hitting payroll, though, in the more short term. :)
Here's a simple one that usually works: care about other people, contribute to the world around you. After that, the rest of life figures itself out pretty easily.
If you want some sort of logic or math proof on why this is, remove head from rectum.
I am surprised no one else has mentioned anything of the sort in this thread.
Sum ergo cogito
So you might ask: will you live the same life as if you would come back again after you die?
if yes,then you live well now...(so in short, this is my philosophy)
Is that a philosophy?
http://www.amazon.com/Fuck-Ultimate-Spiritual-John-Parkin/dp...
To leave this place just a little better than I found it.
I sing as the bird sings That on the bough alights; The song that from me springs Is pay that well requites
Cheers
;)
because i want to.