Bret Bernhoft

What an interesting question! I love it! Well, I think that we can never define a clear-cut definition of knowledge. I think that to know something is...

I asked the new GPT-4 AI to explain Stoicism to me, and this is what I was greeted with: https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/i/bernhoftbret/image.p...

Thank you for the video from the Esoterica YT channel. It's one of my favorite such channels. Although, I haven't seen this particular upload before. ...

I see. Thank you for the clarification.

Are you saying that every thing and every phenomenon is therefore squarely within the laws of Nature?

I will agree with you that this particular AI is not ready for prime time, yet. But I align with the following quote more entirely: A real Artificial ...

Hello everyone, and thank you for your insights. I don't claim to be a philosopher, or even able to effectively philosophize. But, just as many of you...

That's a fascinating question. It might either imply that our dreams/illusions are exceptionally potent (and therefore perceived as powerful) to us. O...

My beliefs are always subject to reform and change. I'm addicted with finding out how I'm "wrong", so I may improve. As to my understanding as to why ...

This is an intriguing statement. Do you feel that (1) contemplation and/or (2) meditation cannot exist without the other aspect?

Yes, I would describe Socrates as a martyr. As far as I understand the circumstances around his death, Socrates was condemned to death by the Aristocr...

Thank you for adding this section. I'm sure it will be useful for many.

That's an interesting perspective to take on media watching; that those who are no longer living become reanimated through video and audio playback. I...

Well, instead of embarrassing myself, can you point me towards any resources for deepening my understanding of Stoicism?

I deeply appreciate all of the responses to this post. I get the feeling that there is more to Stoicism than I understand at the moment. But I do sens...

Thank you for the recommendations. I agree, that getting as close to the original writings as possible is wise. I'm still feeling my way around in the...

The two books that cemented my interest in Stoicism are "How to Think Like a Roman Emperor" by Donald J. Robertson and "The Beginner's Guide to Stoici...

I would spin up a trillion multiverses, each containing a trillion trillion universes within. And I would play all of the roles in each of those unive...

Spiritually speaking, it implies that everything is a waveform. Everything that goes up, must come down.

I have always viewed the term "qualia" as meaning "the stuff of experience", rather than a description of a subjective experience. Do you think we're ...

Thinking, from the perspective of an individual is (IMO) almost always strategic and goal driven. Perhaps the objective(s) of the thinking being done ...

You make some great points here. I appreciate your comment. There are indeed some technologies that have a negative impact on society. And those techn...

Transhumanism is of interest to me, so I can provide you with a simple definition and some links to visit, if you're wanting to dive down that rabbit ...

Well said. Your comments reminds me of the Chaos Magick mindset, of adopting paradigms and belief systems at will; but only for as long as it (in the ...

As to whether a thought can be destroyed, I do not assume that it can. I base this statement on a sort of "living Universe" paradigm, a sort of Animis...

Western humanity has (for many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years) thought or conceived of energy as being something that could be harnessed; but t...

The other purpose for the quote was to demonstrate the power of technology to enable the individual. That is to say, the text that I shared was from a...

Essentially, yes; alongside another purpose.

That's a great question. Perhaps it means to "remain relevant"?

By feeding them everything we can create! Those machines are hungry.

This is along the lines of how I assume Artificial Intelligence will be useful in the world of understanding the big picture questions; AI can collate...

What makes this any different from how philosophy is "done" among humans? This would indeed be interesting. I'll wager that accomplishing such a showc...

In my opinion, the twentieth century individual is well-served to study both and ultimately synthesize a union between the two. Please keep in mind, t...

It seems we disagree here. I put credence in the notion that some folks don't value inner-sight; or don't value training their latent inwards-looking ...

I know plenty of people who recoil in absolute horror when even a mention of "inner awareness" is uttered.

Sure does. Great quotes.

These are interesting points. I'd like to think that the answer here is a balance (as @"Agent Smith" has illustrated in a previous comment) between th...

It would be interesting to map this spectrum out, and to see where, how and why certain ideologies exist within it. I had never really considered the ...

Thank you to everyone for your responses. They are all quite thought-provoking. I'm also grateful for the responses to the poll that was posted in ass...

I have naturally occurring lucid dreams every night; they're like movies, they are movies, inside my head.

That's a great question. I do. But, as with everything right now, all energies are expanding or growing in intensity. This includes the unwillingness ...

In order to keep things soft, sweet and simple, I will say that once one gains a strong inner awareness, one is compelled to truly feel the shared imp...

Thank you Mr. Katz, I appreciate that feedback and well-wishing. I feel I am on a positive course in my life, which is the result of being open to com...

It was after reading a book titled "The Simulation Hypothesis", that I started giving credence to the notion that we might probably be collectively (a...

From where I'm sitting, the most important "problem" facing humanity is a lack of inner awareness.

Thank you for the links. I have downloaded "The Structure Of Ethics" PDF, and will read through it now. I am definitely open to learning more about th...

IMO, a "good government" is one that enables its citizens to improve their own quality of life, as well as the lives of those around them; in a sort o...

This looks like an interesting read. I will give it a go. Thank you for the link, and the effort it must have taken to put this together.

Agreed. Mindfulness is the source of peace that so many struggle to find otherwise.