Brett

This is not an impressive resume for discussion on climate change.

Willpower, in terms of what Judaka is saying, strikes me as being a last resort; everything else has failed, it’s now down to willpower, when in fact ...

Long hours of meditation, is that willpower?

Overcoming fear is an interesting side of it; people who surf very big waves, climb mountainsides without ropes. None of it necessary.

I myself do not have the willpower for such things, and quite often when challenged along those lines i’ll just step aside and say I don’t really need...

I was really thinking of it in evolutionary terms, why do we have it, if we really do have it?

One place I do hold to account for its proliferation is the United States. Their whole ‘can do’ mentality occupies virtually every aspect of their cul...

Another interesting point of view from you, Judaka. Where do you think this idea of willpower comes from? Where could we track its origins?

I tend to think that’s how things are going now. Until someone treads on someone’s toes, then the unspoken agreement is under pressure. For instance, ...

It just occurred to me that suddenly I realise that agreements are being made on my behalf without consultation.

Humans come before society. Society gave them opportunities to evolve intellectually. Co-operation and it’s benefits seem to me to be the glue. That c...

Nope. Not good enough. Bye.

Why?

Give me an example.

What sort of knowledge can imagination be?

Well it seems to me you are saying knowledge must be true, imagination need not be. Those are almost opposite things, even if they consist of thought/...

But from what I understand here you said our mistake was to dissect imagination from knowledge, to separate them, that it’s not possible to divorce th...

I’m assuming you don’t mean that imagination and knowledge are the same thing, but that they are linked. For instance Einstein imagined himself sittin...

I might have created another problem by introducing the novel. But it’s here so I might as well deal with it. The two claims are only contradictory in...

It’s because the writer creates the character, (in a God- like way) that he understand it fully. That’s my point. Because he creates it he understands...

Let me break this down. 1) Engaging with the terms, what they mean, is the actual meaning of empathy that, in part, exists in the idea of empathy. 2) ...

I’m not sure what you’re referring to as Judaka’s “solution”. Solution to what? He wanted to test the idea of empathy being worthless for understandin...

I’m going to try and empathise with you, because you appear to want to win something here at all costs. I don’t know you so I’m going to use my imagin...

Of course there is.

All imagination consists in/of thought/belief. True. Some thought/belief is true. True. But you don’t yet know which one. Some imagination is true. Tr...

It’s possible that empathy is a modifying behaviour. Because you believe you understand someone you are more inclined to accept them or co-operate wit...

It’s worth considering how the writer’s use of character in a fictional story gives us a greater understanding of people than empathy can because they...

Yes, I do. I realised what I’d done after I posted it, that is quoting the lowest figure.

This is true. You can get a sense of another person’s situation.

Listening may lead to partial understanding. I’m not sure what you mean by better understanding. Better than no understanding?

So 50% of the time we can have a rough estimate of the physical and mental state of others. Is that really an understanding?

Because you are using imagination in place of certain knowledge. You’re not directly experiencing the situation of the other, you’re experiencing idea...

That’s the problem, it’s just your imagination.

I can’t just accept those figures at random like that. Nor do I think anyone could come up with any percentages. But, yes, we can make a rough estimat...

What kind of maniacal mind comes up with this?[/quote Most of my thoughts are Darwinian based, so I tend to view everything from that perspective. The...

This is your question, though. Right? Why is it this way?

My own experience was very much like this. I wasn’t completely controlled, but there wasn’t much preparation either. Once out there I found my way by ...

So, are you saying we’re, all of us on this forum, or most of us, purposely misunderstanding each other?

I think we all accept that happiness is transitory, so whatever we do we probably won’t have the amount of happiness we would like. Nor do I think mom...

Quite possibly it’s still around because it satisfies this narcissistic experience. Which is not to deny, as a consequence, that it has also contribut...

Empathy may even be viewed as an act of narcissism, in the way Susan Sontag, commenting on the anti-war movement (Vietnam), saw it as “an opportunity ...

I’m not sure if it’s done to quote yourself, however, what I meant was that to believe you can understand someone through empathy is just projecting. ...

It might be hard to learn to love what you have when all it gives you is heartache,

Sorry, that sentence of yours is ‘learn to love what you have’, a big difference.

Both of these seem valid to me. Working hard to get what you want is a very satisfying experience. But the thing you’re working hard to get can someti...

Is this two different things? I’m interested in what you’re suggesting, but I’m not totally sure, from your post, what you’re suggesting.

This seems to confirm for me the idea of there being, what I began calling morality, but is instead, but not contrary to, the idea of reaching out to ...

I understand and agree with all of this. To be moral depends on the true existence of the Ideal ethic. This is aspirational, is it not? “... if there ...

I think that if you believe you can understand someone through empathy then you are virtually denying them their existence.

But they do, we see it all the time, you know you possess it, so do your friends. It’s not something we make up day to day. Yes, if those distinctions...