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Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

#101

Post by avgcorrection »

arpa wrote: post #93
avgcorrection wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That might be true in the abstract, as a theory. But when it comes to point-of-life I think it’s better to judge a philosophy based on how a person has lived it. And it doesn’t seem like Watts lived as good of a life as he could.

While I agree that Alan hasn't really lived his life righteously, that's an ad hominem. But anyway, if you meet buddha on the road kill him, and beware people claiming they have all the answers. There isn't a single truth, as this whole discussion shows, only a variety of perspectives, and I am fond of this one, even if it is a fiction.

Of course it’s an ad hominem—I just said that I think it’s better to judge someone’s philosophy based on how a person embodies it. The ad hominem is very much pertitent to the question at hand!

Philosophy is for living, not for sterililized, abstract what-ifs and hypotheticals that can only be critiqued as platonic ideals, lest you be accused of committing a “fallacy” for maintaining that a philosophy should be practiced and not just talked about.

Re: Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

#102

Post by [deleted] »

serjester wrote: post #24

“What makes life worth living? No child asks itself that question. To children, life is self-evident. Life goes without saying: whether it is good or bad makes no difference. This is because children don’t see the world, don’t observe the world, don’t contemplate the world, but are so deeply immersed in the world that they don’t distinguish between it and their own selves. Not until … a distance appears between what…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

#103

Post by PlunkettBoy »

lcall wrote: post #99

God said: "...men are, that they might have joy." ( https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-... verse 25, "men/man" meaning people, of course, as below.) And He also said: "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." ( https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/mos... verse 39.) Consider that: God's purpose is for our eternal be…

Meh. Invisible man in the sky not doing it for me. Too much pain and suffering on this planet. I used to believe in God. Until I learned about the Holocaust. One death camp survivor wrote: "If there's a God he owes me an apology.

Re: Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

#105

Post by lcall »

carabiner wrote: post #11

I'm childfree so I'm on the leanFIRE track, pursuing my hobbies in my spare time. When I'm physically incapable of them or I run out of money (around 70), I plan to kill myself.

Congrats on some successes. I hope you continue to find things that bring joy.

But please don't harm yourself or anyone -- not now, not later.

I have learned for myself that life has purpose and is worthwhile, even when one can't move without pain and it is hard to maintain good thoughts -- such things can be learning experiences that help us move forward later, into the next life, when we will still be ourselves and can take with us the things we have learned and become (on the inside). It is so very worthwhile. I have commented more elsewhere in this discussion.

(edit: s/now/not/ )

Re: Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

#106

Post by lcall »

PlunkettBoy wrote: post #103
lcall wrote: post #99

God said: "...men are, that they might have joy." ( https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-... verse 25, "men/man" meaning people, of course, as below.) And He also said: "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." ( https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/mos... verse 39.) Consider that: God's purpose is for our eternal be…

Meh. Invisible man in the sky not doing it for me. Too much pain and suffering on this planet. I used to believe in God. Until I learned about the Holocaust. One death camp survivor wrote: "If there's a God he owes me an apology.

Thanks for your commment. I belive in a being who said "Blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.", and who is utterly able to keep that promise. Our current vision is limited. I have found that one can know this for oneself, not just because someone said so, and doesn't have to believe "fairy tales". There's more at my web site, how I learned this. (not selling anything, but honest feedback is appreciated.)

Re: Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

#107

Post by loafer-project »

tgflynn wrote: post #98
loafer-project wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the context of the game a lot of them actually do. In this view there is ultimately only you playing with yourself, so there can‘t be any unwilling participants. They are all seen as masks of god.

Yes, but as long as you don't realize you're wearing a mask the suffering seems very real. It seems to me there remains a reality to that suffering even when the ego self that suffered ceases to exist and it's unjust to discount it.

But when the ego self ceases to exist, to whom is it unjust then?

Re: Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

#108

Post by lcall »

PlunkettBoy wrote: post #103
lcall wrote: post #99

God said: "...men are, that they might have joy." ( https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-... verse 25, "men/man" meaning people, of course, as below.) And He also said: "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." ( https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/mos... verse 39.) Consider that: God's purpose is for our eternal be…

Meh. Invisible man in the sky not doing it for me. Too much pain and suffering on this planet. I used to believe in God. Until I learned about the Holocaust. One death camp survivor wrote: "If there's a God he owes me an apology.

You make an important point about pain and suffering, and I should have added: there are reasons it happens, and it might be summarized as: 1) we are in a "fallen" or very imperfect world, and things happen that are hard, even evil sometimes. 2) Part of the purpose of life is to learn from our choices, and also to grow from going through and doing hard things. 3) We sometimes make choices that hurt others, and all will be judged according to their knowledge, and will have an opportunity to choose better, at some point. 4) We knew at least some of this before we came to mortality, and we chose to come here. 5) Direction in general and personally are available to each of us, if we seek it. And one can know for oneself if this is true, or not--not just having to believe what another mortal tells you, with no real/good corroboration and testing/verification (with which I am satisfied).

Everyone will be healed and have opportunities to choose right from wrong along their path, and rewards/punishments correspond to our choices. Forgiveness is available to those who choose that path.

(Edits: minor clarification.)

Re: Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

#109

Post by tgflynn »

loafer-project wrote: post #107
tgflynn wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but as long as you don't realize you're wearing a mask the suffering seems very real. It seems to me there remains a reality to that suffering even when the ego self that suffered ceases to exist and it's unjust to discount it.

But when the ego self ceases to exist, to whom is it unjust then?

To the ego self that previously existed and previously suffered.

Is it OK to torture someone as long as you make sure to kill them afterward ?

Re: Ask HN: What's the Point of Life?

#110

Post by loafer-project »

loafer-project wrote: post #107
tgflynn wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but as long as you don't realize you're wearing a mask the suffering seems very real. It seems to me there remains a reality to that suffering even when the ego self that suffered ceases to exist and it's unjust to discount it.

But when the ego self ceases to exist, to whom is it unjust then?

> To the ego self that > previously existed and > previously suffered. > Is it OK to torture someone > as long as you make sure to > kill them afterward ?

In this view the ego self existed before, but only in so far as I exist as the character in a novel, while I am reading it. So I would say yes, it is OK to torture a fictional character if it makes sense in the context of the story.

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