joshua

I didn't read that one. But I really liked The Fall. As far as pleasure goes, it's also the fires of hell. What is to see the species as a bunch of ha...

I take you for one who knows the pleasures of the cynic.

Indeed, but I venture that all of us are caught up in some kind of 'magical' identification. What varies is the complexity of the game. As you say, si...

Is it a truism? I agree it's an old thought. But few of us are eager to apply that thinking to ourselves.

I agree. But he's already banned, I think. The ideals/idols relationship is still fascinating, tho.

I like that you add the part about the king. Yes, there has to be the organization of people for that to be possible. Seutonius wrote that wild book T...

Excellent. So I think we understand one another better. Basically groups have norms and general ways of experiencing existence, and religion is one cr...

I agree, but... not quite with this. Because the absurd supernatural stuff was arguably not the essence of religion. People justify violence and greed...

Fascinating post. I'm not an expert on such matters, but I find it believable that we humans will face some crises of our own creation. Never pay toda...

I relate to the some of the points you make, but I also think strangers can't care that much about one another. As long as live in groups of millions ...

I agree. And even which books are included in this or that official bible of this or that religion are the results of politics. As far as disobedience...

I returned to your OP to get an idea of where you are coming from. I agree with the subjectivists in your terminology. Premise 1 does, however, cast t...

I agree that the argument in terms of P's and Q's is obviously valid. I agree. But you are asking for trouble with this identification. If you value i...

<emphasis added> Since most of us don't worship graven images but instead serve concepts these days, it's only the analogical extension of 'idol' that...

I see your point when you put it that way. So I'll offer a different perspective on the 'omni' situation altogether. To me the 'omni' thing is theolog...

OK, I'll try. But it's hard to think of an excess of virtue. What about being excessively concerned with the middle path? Can one be too much in the c...

The 'ideal' you mention is your idol. This ideal/idol is having-no-idols (except the idol/ideal of having-no-idols of course.) I like that idol. It's ...

But you're the one deciding it hasn't been dented. And you've insulted those who challenge you. That is crankish behavior. If you invented a time mach...

What a strange mixture of honesty and bitchiness. Philosophy is supposed to be about reality and not just serve as therapy. That's what I've heard. Ye...

Pretty good answer. Threatening to tell your mum is a nice pivot. Change the mask. I really was pleasantly surprised. I tried to push your buttons and...

Your hidden assumption seems to be that there is only one subject bestowing value. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Much of our sense of right...

I said to you: My point is that your theory and your sense of its importance is self-flattering. You seem to be casting yourself as the 'favorite son'...

Yes. I agree. But looking only at the argument above, the moral values belong to something like the community. If we didn't always already agree on al...

So 'Reason' establishes her own divinity through her favorite son. But we already knew she was divine. The fact that you chose to establish her via an...

LOL. Good one.

People identify with their gods and dictators. The god/dictator is their best self, their inner truth. To really be in a tribe is to feel unified by t...

Weak. Goodbye.

But the problem is this move from 'battleships have floated' to 'battleships will float.' I do not deny that we just can't take this problem seriously...

That you would think that suggest to me just how boxed-in you are. For me the god-issue has been dead for ~20 years. That's how long I've been a total...

From my perspective, you are missing the point entirely. That we all 'project' necessary connection or physical necessity is not in dispute. Our minds...

I'm a hard-core atheist. Maybe that will help. What I'm trying to point out is that anti-religious role-play tends to be blind in its own investment i...

Indeed. We agree here too.

No, they've just been corrupted by philosophy. (I jest.) More seriously, I think it's just a switch in ways of talking and hearing. I argued once that...

I'm only with me in the main, too.

That's what I thought you were getting at with 'supernatural.' We die/kill for ghosts like freedom, democracy, truth, God, justice, fame, glory, etc. ...

Why not? Because it's not the sort of thing that has happened so far? And what do we know about H_2 O that isn't based on our past experience? Our ent...

Right, because reason is a 'god.' For you, (the concept of ) reason is authoritative. And that's my 'religion' too, mostly.

I agree. We get invested in concepts. In some cases, we think that the concept is 'up there,' laying down the law. (We can believe in a personal god.)...

You may be right about Hume on this issue. I don't know. But in general I'm personally less interested in a philosopher's failures than in his or her ...

Fair enough. The forum would be no fun if we all agreed. Thanks. And I also love my 'primed' books waiting on the porch.

I very much relate and agree. For better or worse, though, I do think that existence as a whole is absurd. I think the times we live in are part of th...

It is however conceivable that a normal brick would just pass through a normal window without damaging it. Afterwards, we would no longer consider the...

I agree. And then after we have that deeper theory there will still be room for a yet deeper theory. I think we agree that the most general patterns w...

Is 'need' the right word here? Such a proof would be the clever solution of a chess problem. Except chess problems are more beautiful, since they are ...

I love science, just to be clear. We agree on 'useful.' I say 'best guess' because I trust the products of science, without experiencing these product...

A line like this helps me understand why you dislike Hume so much. I get the impression that you think philosophy is...still important. Yet I think yo...

I agree, using 'rational' in the ordinary way. We are radically embedded in a world that we share with others. Only philosophers in love with a strang...

I agree with Hume that no argument can prove that there is an external world. I also agree that no argument can prove that the sun will rise tomorrow....

Rather than get lost in details, I'll try to focus the issue. I don't think Hume doubted the existence of the external world. His 'ruling passion' was...

Fair point. I agree. Or at least once the 'big' issues are settled (usually stuff about virtue and vice), the little issues are toys. Of course the bi...