Philosophy Now Forum

Peter Kropotkin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 4:46 pm I don't see answers, I see questions.. from the day we
are born, we are faced with questions...
and these questions are there even if we can't or don't
see them...
''What does it mean to be human?''
''What are my/our possibilities as a human being?''
''What am I to do?''
''What beliefs/values should I/we hold?''
''What can I/we know?''
''What is my/our goal going into the future?''
''What is the point/meaning of all this?''

Based on my own personal theory,...

(something of which when combined with $1.50, gets me a ride on the city bus)

...I offer the following answers (make that, "speculative suggestions") to your questions...

• ''What does it mean to be human?''

It means that we are the family members of the "highest species of being" in all of reality.

• 'What are my/our possibilities as a human being?''

They are the same possibilities that are possessed by the Creative source of this universe (that "highest species of being" that I just mentioned). In other words, we have been imbued with the same abilities and potential as God.

• ''What am I to do?''

Try to live your momentary life on earth in a way that is worthy of being a family member of the highest species of being. And if that's just too silly or crazy sounding to take seriously, then how about living life in accordance with the simple sentiment expressed in this old Tim McGraw song: https://youtu.be/_9TShlMkQnc

• ''What beliefs/values should I/we hold?''

That we humans are all absolutely equals to each other (even equals to God). And that regardless of the contrasting and divisive concepts offered by the world's religions, our eternal destiny (and ultimate purpose) is the same for every human ever awakened into life on this planet.

• ''What can I/we know?''

That the ultimate truth of our destiny (be it eternal life, or eternal oblivion) will be revealed to us at the moment of death. Until then, there is very little we can know with any certainty (except for perhaps that old Cartesian chestnut - "cogito, ergo sum").

• ''What is my/our goal going into the future?'

How about to end nationalistic (and linguistic) boundaries so that we can come together as a global family. However, to do that, we must first rid ourselves of the "old paradigm" religions by ascending to a new level of spiritual understanding; one that is compatible with modern science.

• ''What is the point/meaning of all this?"

That the universe is much more "natural" and "organic" than it appears to be, in that it epitomizes the old Hermetic axiom,...

..."AS ABOVE, SO BELOW"

...Or, better yet,...

..."AS BELOW, SO ABOVE"

And that's because the universe represents the physiological means by which God replicates herself by conceiving her literal offspring (us) "within" herself (just like normal earthly mammals).

What's the point?

There is no point, other than the fact that life (eternal life) is simply a free and wondrous "gift" given to us out of love.

Indeed, it is a gift that we will each eventually be able to pass on to our own offspring in the same way it was passed on to us from God.
_______

Peter Kropotkin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:44 pm

Walker wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:25 pm If you want an explanation from me it is.

It's necessary to climb the growing mountain of your ignorance,
and drag along your unapprehending ass.

K: when I was young,, 40 or so years ago, I was pretty sure I knew "everything"..
Now that I am a senior citizen, I realize that I really don't know anything....
the statement, "The older we get, the less we know" is true...
Today, I make no pretensions that I have anything other than questions...
so once again, by what "physical apparatus" are we meant to find "god"
or "waldo" as you wish...

Kropotkin

Allow me to again explain with the toehold you finally coughed up.

In the context of your thread title, the answer to your question is, eyeballs.

When you look for Waldo and don't see him, even though he is there, even though your eyes pass over him many times, then this is analogous to looking for God and not seeing God, even though God is there, even though your eyes pass over God many times.

Why? Because seeing anything as a thing, is a mental apprehension of perception, sensed by a physical sensory organ.

Eyes is specified because you specified "looking". You could also feel, taste, hear, or smell God and not apprehend God.

You eventually find Waldo because you keep searching, and you know he is there.

When I look at the world I wonder whether there will still be anything alive on it a hundred years from now and what shape that may be in, not some stupid crap as to whether there's a god, a heaven or hell I may be headed for.

Well, the stupid crap of The Climate Change Cult promises that if you sacrifice everything, the world may have a chance in a hundred years.

Walker wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:52 pm Well, the stupid crap of The Climate Change Cult promises that if you sacrifice everything, the world may have a chance in a hundred years.

That Climate Change is cultish is news to me.

Really. You need to wake up, pardner.

Walker wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:54 pm Really. You need to wake up, pardner.

To what, knowing what? Enlighten me!

Peter Kropotkin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 4:46 pm I don't see answers, I see questions.. from the day we
are born, we are faced with questions...
and these questions are there even if we can't or don't
see them...
''What does it mean to be human?''
''What are my/our possibilities as a human being?''
''What am I to do?''
''What beliefs/values should I/we hold?''
''What can I/we know?''
''What is my/our goal going into the future?''
''What is the point/meaning of all this?''

And it doesn't matter if an answer is possible or not,
the honest inquiry into these questions, the asking of these
questions is more than what most people do their entire life....

the metaphysical question, why is there something instead of
nothing, is nowhere near as interesting to me as the question of
''What does it mean to be human?'' I exist, now what?
The sheer point of existence, which seems to dazzle people,
has less meaning to me than ''why do we exist?''...

I freely admit I have no answers, only questions,
but in looking at the world, just asking questions makes me
an ''more advance'' person... I just don't accept existence as a given,
I want to know what that existence means, both individually
and collectively...

Kropotkin

To KNOW thy Self.

And, for 'your' information 'I', or thy Self, am NOT 'a human', nor 'a person'.

Also, what is a 'less, or more, advance' person in relation to 'what', EXACTLY?

bobmax wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:01 pm The answer, clear and unambiguous, will appear when you decide and go to hell.

Hell is not a place in the afterlife, but it is available here and now.
It is a place of the soul.

You seem to have obtained that TWISTED and DISTORTED MISINTERPRETATION of the 'afterlife' word here.

bobmax wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:01 pm To go to hell I have to condemn myself.
In fact, only I can judge myself.

And if I seek the Truth, it is almost certain that I will end up condemning myself to hell.

Then everything will have its meaning.

There are only two places where man is safe.
One is heaven, the other hell.

Only there, in fact, is God certain.

Peter Kropotkin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:11 pm

bobmax wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:01 pm The answer, clear and unambiguous, will appear when you decide and go to hell.

Hell is not a place in the afterlife, but it is available here and now.
It is a place of the soul.

To go to hell I have to condemn myself.
In fact, only I can judge myself.

And if I seek the Truth, it is almost certain that I will end up condemning myself to hell.

Then everything will have its meaning.

There are only two places where man is safe.
One is heaven, the other hell.

Only there, in fact, is God certain.

K: I have seen no evidence of any kind that heaven, hell or god exists...
now what?

Kropotkin

If you have SEEN absolutely NO evidence AT ALL for these 'things', then this IMPLIES or MEANS that you have at least SOME understanding of what these words mean or are in relation to, EXACTLY.

So, what do the words 'heaven', 'hell, and 'god' even mean or refer to, to you?

Peter Kropotkin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:44 pm

Walker wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:25 pm If you want an explanation from me it is.

It's necessary to climb the growing mountain of your ignorance,
and drag along your unapprehending ass.

K: when I was young,, 40 or so years ago, I was pretty sure I knew "everything"..
Now that I am a senior citizen, I realize that I really don't know anything....
the statement, "The older we get, the less we know" is true...

But it is NOT True in the Truest sense, in the way it is written.

It is True, however, that the older you get the more you REALIZE that there is FAR MORE that you do NOT know, than you thought you KNEW, when you were younger.

You do NOT just start KNOWING LESS the older you get. You ACTUALLY KNOW MORE 'things', but LEARN there are FAR MORE 'things' to LEARN, and thus KNOW.

bobmax wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:01 pm Today, I make no pretensions that I have anything other than questions...

But WHY have 'questions' if you are, supposedly, only knowing LESS?

bobmax wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:01 pm so once again, by what "physical apparatus" are we meant to find "god"
or "waldo" as you wish...

Kropotkin

The FIRST thing one has to do is to define the word 'god'. Then, and ONLY THEN, one can START LOOKING FOR that 'thing'.

Also, is the definition for the word 'god' the EXACT SAME definition for the 'God' word.

Oh, and by the way, the way the 'god' word is written sometimes REVEALS one's True BELIEF, which is a SURE SIGN that they will NEVER FIND and SEE 'it'.

Obviously, one could NEVER FIND and SEE what one currently BELIEVES could NEVER exist.

seeds wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:30 pm

Peter Kropotkin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 5:11 pm K: I have seen no evidence of any kind that heaven, hell or god exists...
now what?

Indeed, there is no evidence that heaven or hell exists.

There is NOT just 'evidence', there is ACTUAL, IRREFUTABLE 'PROOF' that 'heaven' AND 'hell' do ACTUALLY exist.

The reason WHY some people BELIEVE there is NO evidence AT ALL that 'heaven' and 'hell' exist is because of the Wrong INTERPRETATIONS they have for the words 'heaven' and 'hell', and more so because of the Wrong INTERPRETATIONS they have for WHERE 'heaven' AND 'hell' are MEANT TO BE existing.

seeds wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:30 pm However, you are literally surrounded in a vast abundance of, at least, "circumstantial" evidence that something "intelligent" is responsible for the unfathomable order of the universe.

LOL

Here is a PRIME EXAMPLE of one "FINDING" 'evidence' for what they previously and currently BELIEVE is true, but NEVER being ABLE TO "FIND" what they previously and currently BELIEVE is NOT true.

The 'coincidence' that this happens, just coincidentally happens to be 100%.

seeds wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:30 pm Otherwise, you are defaulting to the utterly absurd notion that it's all the result of the blind and mindless processes of "chance."
_______

Are you at least ABLE TO START to explain HOW, EXACTLY, some 'intelligent' 'thing' could exist OUTSIDE OF the Universe, Itself, so as to be 'responsible' for It?

Walker wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:35 pm

Peter Kropotkin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:44 pm

Walker wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:25 pm If you want an explanation from me it is.

It's necessary to climb the growing mountain of your ignorance,
and drag along your unapprehending ass.

K: when I was young,, 40 or so years ago, I was pretty sure I knew "everything"..
Now that I am a senior citizen, I realize that I really don't know anything....
the statement, "The older we get, the less we know" is true...
Today, I make no pretensions that I have anything other than questions...
so once again, by what "physical apparatus" are we meant to find "god"
or "waldo" as you wish...

Kropotkin

Allow me to again explain with the toehold you finally coughed up.

In the context of your thread title, the answer to your question is, eyeballs.

When you look for Waldo and don't see him, even though he is there, even though your eyes pass over him many times, then this is analogous to looking for God and not seeing God, even though God is there, even though your eyes pass over God many times.

Why? Because seeing anything as a thing, is a mental apprehension of perception, sensed by a physical sensory organ.

Eyes is specified because you specified "looking". You could also feel, taste, hear, or smell God and not apprehend God.

You eventually find Waldo because you keep searching, and you know he is there.

But the reason WHY some people do NOT 'find', (see, hear, smell, taste, feel) God is because they, literally, BELIEVE WHOLEHEARTEDY that "he" is NOT here, NOR there.

NO one can 'find' 'that', which they BELIEVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY does NOT exist.

EXACTLY like, ANY one can 'find' 'that', which they BELIEVE WHOLEHEARTELY DOES exist. Although 'that' may NOT actually even exist anyway.

Dubious wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:37 pm When I look at the world I wonder whether there will still be anything alive on it a hundred years from now and what shape that may be in, not some stupid crap as to whether there's a god, a heaven or hell I may be headed for.

Here is ANOTHER example of one expressing what they WHOLEHEARTEDLY BELIEVE is ABSOLUTELY TRUE.

Dubious wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:54 pm

Walker wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:52 pm Well, the stupid crap of The Climate Change Cult promises that if you sacrifice everything, the world may have a chance in a hundred years.

That Climate Change is cultish is news to me.

There are FAR MORE 'cults' out there than first realized, and which, by the way, ALL of 'you', adult human beings, ARE INVOLVED WITHIN some of.

'you' are just SO FAR ENTRENCHED in 'them', 'you' just do NOT RECOGNIZE NOR SEE 'them', for what they Truly ARE.