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CasKev

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Calling something 'First cause' is ignoring the paradox of creation and existence, not solving it.
September 29, 2017 at 20:32
With no indisputable argument or proof presented amongst all of the great minds in this world, there must be a missing element or two that humans eith...
September 29, 2017 at 19:28
Man, TranscendedRealms seems to really think he can change the world with his thoughts on life. But no matter how many times he rewords his post, I st...
September 29, 2017 at 16:50
@"MikeL" I find your arguments the most convincing I've heard so far with regard to there being intelligent design in the universe. Do you have any th...
September 29, 2017 at 16:41
I would say a number of factors, including but not limited to: - lack of proper coping mechanisms - lack of support system - unrealistic expectations ...
September 28, 2017 at 17:01
To me, true suffering equates to not wanting to live. A person can be experiencing pain, but be able to tolerate it mentally. A person can grieve over...
September 28, 2017 at 16:19
I don't think true randomness exists. We are just incapable of defining all of the variables that go into causing an outcome. If we could perfectly un...
September 28, 2017 at 16:03
I lean toward intelligent design of some sort, but not sure what to think about the form or nature of the source. It is all so paradoxical... How coul...
September 28, 2017 at 15:36
I think most people procreate before reaching this level of philosophical thinking! Amidst a battle with depression, I found myself married with two c...
September 27, 2017 at 16:43
Agreed! It's too bad we can't intentionally bring these people back to near death, and have their disembodied spirits read some flash cards.
September 26, 2017 at 20:03
I guess philosophy is too deep and personal for most people. I tried to get my Facebook friends talking about their lives' meaning and purpose, and al...
September 19, 2017 at 16:03
I would add that this underlying drive becomes more evident to people who have suffered from depression, where there is little motivation to do anythi...
September 15, 2017 at 20:27
When you think of things you do for mental pleasure, where does the sense of satisfaction come from? You paint something you think looks nice. So what...
September 15, 2017 at 19:52
What about the color spectrum? Could it not be infinitely subdivided? That is, between two shades of color, there will always be a shade that is betwe...
September 15, 2017 at 15:20
@"Agustino" When I consider things like this, I sometimes think of what a child raised by monkeys on an island would do. We have basic instincts that ...
September 15, 2017 at 15:11
I tend to agree with @"schopenhauer1" here, based on my life experience. For me, the drive to pursue goals has been more akin to @"Bitter Crank"'s con...
September 13, 2017 at 13:38
Congratulations PFers - we made it to another Friday! To celebrate, I think I'm going to take Monday off, and make it another long weekend...
September 08, 2017 at 12:52
@"rossii" Like you already mentioned, though you likely wouldn't be around to witness it, your untimely death would cause a lot of suffering to those ...
September 06, 2017 at 13:41
@"ArguingWAristotleTiff" Your nursery rhymes and song tidbits will not claim the Last Word - I will make sure of it!
September 05, 2017 at 20:17
@"John Gould" @"Bitter Crank" @"Jake Tarragon" I think this idea of 'impermanent meaningfulness' has some value as well, especially to those who are v...
September 05, 2017 at 20:13
Well, I survived the weekend soccer tourney! Feels like I was beaten with a baseball bat, and I can barely make it up the stairs, but I'm still alive!...
September 05, 2017 at 15:40
@"rossii" The survival instinct is too strong in most people to go through with suicide. Add to that the thought of your loved ones' suffering (even i...
September 05, 2017 at 15:37
Well, I figured I would get the last word in before I head out for the weekend. Soccer tournament! Or football, for you British blokes!
September 01, 2017 at 19:15
Calling something fundamental and irreducible is quite a leap of faith, Rich. More likely, the mind (our central processing unit) is just not well eno...
August 31, 2017 at 13:10
I'm with you on this one, Harry. There is no grand purpose to life, or at least none that will ever be proven. Unless you are one of the great influen...
August 31, 2017 at 13:01
Why was the philosophy forum so nice to lie in? It had a high thread count! :D
August 31, 2017 at 12:42
This thread almost made it to the fourth page. Someone might try to declare themselves a winner if that were to happen!
August 30, 2017 at 16:07
I'm with you on this one. The decision is made based on instinct, and anticipated outcome based on past experience. The instincts and experiences exis...
August 30, 2017 at 16:00
@"Hanover" @"Janus" @"Rich" Let's look at a relatively simple example of seemingly random behavior and freedom of choice. Someone asks you to pick a r...
August 29, 2017 at 16:51
@"Janus" More a hypothesis than a known fact... ;) But try to think of an idea you've had that was completely brand new, and not based on a combinatio...
August 28, 2017 at 23:24
My advice would be to not get too caught up in the need for meaning - no one has yet been able to prove that life has some grand meaning, so there's n...
August 28, 2017 at 23:13
Agreed, the outcome of this discussion will not affect how I live my life. Unfortunately, I have a brain that only seems to accept logic, evidence, an...
August 25, 2017 at 20:34
More like putting the best triathlete currently in existence up against a well-aged champion distance runner who hasn't competed in quite some time in...
August 25, 2017 at 19:24
I see you've run out of logical arguments to support your point of view. Like I said, determinism wins (for now)!
August 25, 2017 at 19:15
When you eventually respond, you will likely do so with the hope that your response is creative enough and convincing enough to sway me closer to your...
August 25, 2017 at 19:11
We start taking time to consider as we gain life experience, because we learn that snap decisions based on instinct and emotion aren't always the best...
August 25, 2017 at 19:07
There's that x factor creativity again. All new ideas stem from the inputs that precede them - they aren't magically generated from nothingness.
August 25, 2017 at 19:01
So determinism wins!
August 25, 2017 at 18:54
Every time I make a choice, I am considering past choices, results, and experiences. Basic instincts also weigh in to the decision. All of these thing...
August 25, 2017 at 18:44
Posty McPostface is a Greedy Gus. There. I said it, it can't be unsaid, and it is what it is. He wanted the Last Word, but he can't have it!
August 25, 2017 at 17:42
I am saying we all make choices, but they are made by the biological brain, based on the memory and instinct contained therein. What I understand from...
August 25, 2017 at 17:36
@"Rich" Did you get a chance to look into this yet? I feel like it is also relevant to your arguments in the discussion on Quantum Free Will vs Determ...
August 25, 2017 at 17:25
Doesn't this statement go against your argument that emotions are a sense independent of thought?
August 25, 2017 at 17:02
So you can admit that there is memory built from the experiential results of choices, on which future choices are based. Yet you seem to insist on the...
August 25, 2017 at 16:55
@"Hanover" I would start with Rich and Transcended Realms. Though not as nasty as Thanatos Harris, neither one of them likes having their ideas challe...
August 25, 2017 at 01:17
Unpredictable yes, because we are nowhere near being able to accurately model all of the variables that go into brain function. In this case, perhaps ...
August 25, 2017 at 01:12
Can you tell me on what you based your last major decision?
August 25, 2017 at 00:57
@"VagabondSpectre" @"Rich" When I think of something being fated, I think of someone saying 'It was meant to be'. As in: It was fate that I met my gir...
August 24, 2017 at 20:30
No choice is fated or necessarily predictable (because of the infinite level of complexity involved in thought), but you can definitely say that every...
August 24, 2017 at 20:23
Emotions are not a 'sense' - they are reactions to stimulus. I can perceive value in something in the absence of a corresponding positive emotion. For...
August 24, 2017 at 20:14