Supernatural Experiences

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My belief system is best summarized as existentialism/existential nihilism. It's a heavy-duty philosophical topic, but to illustrate it in the broadest strokes:

"...disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world."
"...each individual - not society or religion - is solely responsible for giving meaning to life and living it passionately and sincerely (authentically)."

So no gods, no destiny, no good or evil (it's only a humans perception).

I love life, because I know my life is what I make of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism
 
DECIMIS said:
...absurd world
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In philosophy, "the Absurd" refers to the conflict between
(a) the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life and
(b) the human inability to find any.

In this context absurd does not mean "logically impossible", but rather "humanly impossible". The universe and the human mind do not each separately cause the Absurd, but rather, the Absurd arises by the contradictory nature of the two existing simultaneously.
 
DECIMIS said:
My belief system is best summarized as existentialism/existential nihilism. It's a heavy-duty philosophical topic, but to illustrate it in the broadest strokes:

"...disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world."
"...each individual - not society or religion - is solely responsible for giving meaning to life and living it passionately and sincerely (authentically)."

So no gods, no destiny, no good or evil (it's only a humans perception).

I love life, because I know my life is what I make of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism
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i could also also put myself under that branch of philosophy. The only thing I would waiver is no destiny since I'm a determinist so I think everyone has an unavoidable destiny. But it's not really a mystical magical kind so I think the two philosophy's are compatible.
 
Two50noob said:
i could also also put myself under that branch of philosophy. The only thing I would waiver is no destiny since I'm a determinist so I think everyone has an unavoidable destiny. But it's not really a mystical magical kind so I think the two philosophy's are compatible.
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So you believe in existentialism AND pre-destination.
THAT will take some mystical magical 'splaining Lucy.
 
"I'm a determinist so I think everyone has an unavoidable destiny"

oxymoron
 
Schneller said:
"I'm a determinist so I think everyone has an unavoidable destiny"

oxymoron
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Determinism is the philosophical position that for every event exist conditions that could cause no other event. So its not an oxymoron. I don't like the word destiny really though it has to much spiritual meanings.
 
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bitzz said:
So you believe in existentialism AND pre-destination.
THAT will take some mystical magical 'splaining Lucy.
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okay so i edit this like 5 times because im just not happy with my answer.

But i think i can just keep it simple and say that pre-destination and determinism are not the same thing. I never should have used that word
 
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Two50noob said:
Determinism is the philosophical position that for every event exist conditions that could cause no other event. So its not an oxymoron. I don't like the word destiny really though it has to much spiritual.
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Okay.

I understand determinism to mean one has control over his/her life, while unavoidable destiny means no matter what one does, their life is going in an unalterable direction and ending.
 
Schneller said:
Okay.

I understand determinism to mean one has control over his/her life, while unavoidable destiny means no matter what one does, their life is going in an unalterable direction and ending.
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You do have Controle over your own life but since everything choice you make is based on pre-existing knowledge or experience its only ever possible for you to make one choice. hence why i believe in free will in a practical sense just not on reality..

Determinism would hold given all knowledge of everything (literally everything you could predict exactly what is going to happen and when). thats because of previous events a coin flipped can only every land one way at any given time.(things that could affect it being temperature,windspeed, the weight of the coin all of witch also have antecedent events affecting them )
 
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Two50noob said:
You do have Controle over your own life but since everything choice you make is based on pre-existing knowledge or experience its only every possible for you to make one choice. hence why i believe in free will in a practical sense just not on reality..
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Truly depressing; "No matter what you do, you'll end up in the same place." Rat, meet maze.
 
Rob MacLennan said:
Truly depressing; "No matter what you do, you'll end up in the same place." Rat, meet maze.
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You can look at it that way but you still make the choice practically speaking you just have to accept that you can never make a truly free choice as all your choices come from previouse knowledge and experience. I Don't ever find it depressing because i live my life like i have free will. So it does matter what you do i still hold that good life choices will result in net benefit.
 
Since the topic has switched from supernatural to philosophy, I think that blind luck plays a huge role in what happens to a person in life. It begins when a newborn first opens their eyes and sees either affluent first world parents, or say, an African single mother already dying of malnutrition or aids.

​
 
Schneller said:
Since the topic has switched from supernatural to philosophy, I think that blind luck plays a huge role in what happens to a person in life. It begins when a newborn first opens their eyes and sees either affluent first world parents, or say, an African single mother already dying of malnutrition or aids.

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Absolutely.
 
Two50noob said:
Absolutely.
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But it's totally random. There's no derterminationism as I understand it.
some get lucky and get away with the stupid and dangerous things they have done in life, others face the consequences. Both may have done backflips off the boathouse roof, but one is now a quadriplegic and the other got a chance with the cute chick because he surfaced with his spinal cord intact.
 
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Schneller said:
But it's totally random. There's no derterminationism as I understand it.
some get lucky and get away with the stupid and dangerous things they have done in life, others face the consequences. Both may have done backflips off the boathouse roof, but one is now a quadriplegic and the other got a chance with the cute chick because he surfaced with his spinal cord intact.
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But its not totally random. Nothing random about some children being born and there is nothing random about some people getting hurt doing something that others have done without
injury. i think you are using random in place of unknown probabilities.
 
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Two50noob said:
You do have Controle over your own life but since everything choice you make is based on pre-existing knowledge or experience its only ever possible for you to make one choice. )
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This statement is confusing to me. There are at least 2 times in everyone's life that all of us had absolutely no control over nor choice therein:

1. Your conception
2. The fact you will die.

Can you clarify what you mean then by having control over ones life?
 
Snobike Mike said:
This statement is confusing to me. There are at least 2 times in everyone's life that all of us had absolutely no control over nor choice therein:

1. Your conception
2. The fact you will die.

Can you clarify what you mean then by having control over ones life?
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Oh yes just in choices and in thoughts words, deeds. Obviously you don't have any control over when you die or your body functions. Im not saying you have an extra ordinary control over yourself. I am just referring to our own agency.
 
Two50noob said:
Oh yes just in choices and in thoughts words, deeds. Obviously you don't have any control over when you die or your body functions. Im not saying you have an extra ordinary control over yourself. I am just referring to our own agency.
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I understand that but what about "chaotic" or other potentially "random" events such as being struck with an illness or natural disaster? It would seem to me that what you are defining as "being in control of ones life" has far more that is actually not controllable no?
 
Snobike Mike said:
I understand that but what about "chaotic" or other potentially "random" events such as being struck with an illness or natural disaster? It would seem to me that what you are defining as "being in control of ones life" has far more that is actually not controllable no?
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I don't know we're you getting the idea that I'm saying we have any kind supernatural level of controle over things like this. All I'm talking about is about human free agency (or free will)

Causal determinism is, roughly speaking, the idea that every event is necessitated by antecedent events and conditions together with the laws of nature.
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