Tom Storm

And when they aren't gifted thinkers, they talk a lot about the ineffable. :gasp: Seems like a good way to hide woolly thinking.

I think that's a fair assessment.

What do you say to people who argue that the notion of personal growth is often an archaic and romantic one and problematic in its measuring?

Chasing careers and vulgar status symbols is no shortcut to happiness as most people with a mansion and sportscar soon discover. I think you are right...

:up: Tony Judt's "Ill Fares The Land" takes up and develops some of these themes rather well.

That rings true. Must be wrong. :joke:

That's the way. I recommend life affirming Zoroastrianism on weekends.

I know I was nihilist for many years and I always found it absurdly life affirming.

I don't know why anyone would think wealth and fame make us happy, given the history of fame in the 20th and 21st century. That's a very teenage, main...

That may well be the case. Politics is not the point of my involvement here. I was simply making some related observations, which I've made. You're dr...

The point of a good quote is it transcends any specificity. K clearly thought utopias were fraught. That's the point of my using it. And the beauty of...

I would have though the cornerstones of religion are hypocrisy and materialism. I agree with @Pantagruel that if you wish to understand human behavior...

Not unlike jazz improv.

I don't think the quote is true. It's a provocation - shall we call it 'truthy'? I think it just underscores that fact that one man's utopian leader i...

Milan Kundera put it best - You create a utopia and pretty soon there's a need to build a small concentration camp.

Thanks. Nice summary of the issues. I tend to think that most alternative political views held by people can't be implemented and are unlikely to work...

Thanks for this. What makes people think that anarchism (I take the problem of definitions and categories) would work in practice? Chomsky: "Primarily...

This is very interesting even to a non-philosopher - if I get time I will check out the video after work. I've been a logical monist but to be honest ...

Yes. Me too except it was George Elliot. That sounds like breakthrough moment. I think the questions people find interesting are very revealing about ...

Cool. I've enjoyed talking to you.

Hmm - not what I am talking about. And maybe we need to move on from this. Last comment: suicide may be a useful and liberating tool if you have a ter...

I agree with you. I wasn't talking about psychologists making recommendations (that would likely be unethical) - I was talking about personal choice -...

I didn't mean all at once. :wink: I just meant knowing there's hours of the stuff ahead.

Depends who you know. I consider suicide to be a wonderful potential act of freedom and liberation. But the circumstances need to be right and the met...

Admirable. I'm querulous and impatient. I hear you. My parent's favorite TV show. I don't generally watch long-form TV - to me it's like sitting throu...

Sure - I was talking about my personal life, not about public discourse, where I do value pluralism and the views of people I disagree with. Agree wit...

Yes, this kind of Eastern insight means little to me. Sounds more like a language game designed to be a kind of provocation These sorts of statements ...

I have spoken to many close friends about death on numerous occasions over the years. I've only ever known one person who is afraid of dying, or who r...

Thanks. I've generally enjoyed Camille Paglia - I don't always agree and she is often barking, but she is super entertaining. Her ongoing fight agains...

Yes, all that is part of the whole process. Same thing can happen in business.

Lord Acton made this comment and went on to say something like 'great men are always bad men.' William Pitt (the Elder) said a similar thing - 'Unlimi...

I have a kvetch about the Kantian lying and killing too. :razz: I also think we largely agree.

Yes, a person's enjoyment of BDSM doesn't mean they will overlook being beaten up and robbed.

Yes, the Golden Rule is all about the interpretation - but what isn't? If you are going to cherry pick what is meant by 'others' then the Golden Rule ...

Big claim, Joshs. I admire the chutzpah of it. Can you expand on this perhaps with an example of it in action?

This is actually a common text book example used to demonstrate one of the challenges with the Golden Rule - which is not a perfect solution. As I alr...

This is an old criticism. The Golden Rule is a principle, not mere concrete wording, and generally it means we want our preferences and selves to be t...

I think it would help if you described some examples - you must have an intuition about it or why raise the subject?

Yes - that's where I was heading. Where does this take us?

Ok. Your points didn't seem to be related to Jack's thesis. That's all. Maybe you could develop the point in relation to the OP.

Sorry, you've lost me.

I forgot to ask. What evidence do you have for this claim and what does it actually mean? I see the word 'perhaps' nestling uncomfortably with 'firmly...

My view was always that religion was 'the box' and philosophy an attempt to think outside it. Often successfully.

Isn't what a large part of this site is already about? There are numerous threads on Eastern faiths and philosophies, Jung, etc. I am still waiting fo...

I think mental health should take precedence over other things, so what's up?

I don't watch sport or care for it. But I would have thought someone should have the freedom to make a decision to withdraw (from anything) and in mos...

Depends on which 'benevolent' God you are talking about. If we consider the Christian God: ...not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your...

I've been vaccinated. Got two doses of Pfizer. No side effects.

I can't speak for others but I don't find this question coherent. What is random chaos? What is human nature? What do you mean by determined? And how ...

1. It's possible God does not exist. 2. Therefore, it's not possible to know all things that are true and false. 3. If something can't possibly be kno...