151–160 of 182 posts
This is actually why I am so concerned with (as in: working towards) the elimination of all jobs. "But what will people do?" I am often asked, as if the worth of someone is determined by their job. They can write bad poetry or watch TV, but I suspect and hope that a lot of the time will be spent with others. Humans are social animals.
So, just tons of STDs and overpopulation?
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> I would say fooling your mind is not easy. Just responding to this: fooling your mind is not hard. Even very rational, skeptical minds engage in self deception all the time. Our minds are so unbelievably malleable. We are all wired to be prone to biases and unexamined schemas. These just look different for rational types. On the other hand, it is possible to achieve results by not fooling your mind, but simply by r…
> reframing one's own thoughts. Who is this entity that is reframing the your thoughts. Is it also not you? This is some sort of psychotic thinking to divide yourself into many parts, one part passing judgments and rulings on the other. This sort of thinking of is at the root of why we are so conflicted and full of suffering. This just perpetuates that style of thinking without examining why we are so divided in the…
Personally, going to Church has helped me suffer less with loneliness. I've made meaningful friendships, and relationships with people from all sorts of backgrounds. It has given more meaning to my life than anything I found at work, or by random socialising. Of course, YMMV. Please take this as a random anecdote, not as evangelism.
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Sure, having sex is more fun than being lonely.
Until the consequences of finite resources kick in...
"needing some comfort, had been showered instead with practical solutions to a practical problem, which had just upset her even more" When something bad happens to someone you care about, don't say "What happened?" That focuses on the problem. Maybe they don't want to talk about it. Ask "Are you OK?" You can always say this even if there's nothing wrong. If they say "Yes, why?", they're your friend. If they say "Fine…
Unfortunately, "I'm fine" is a strongly ingrained default reaction in some circles. I feel this largely depends on culture (e.g. the British 'stiff upper lip' ideal) and negative media influence (personally, I'm thinking of the misguided idea of 'real men don't cry'). How do we get through that barrier?
There is a difference between emotional intelligence and willingness to freely express emotion. "I'm fine" in many cases just means "no, thank you".
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They were generally family groups that very much depended on each other constantly for survival. The social dynamics would be very different than what can readily be imagined today. Harassing someone whose existence is necessary for you all to eat tomorrow or to avoid getting eaten by wild animals is going to be quite a different situation. Applying the fad buzzword for children being mean to each other in suburban m…
"Harassing someone whose existence is necessary for you all to eat tomorrow or to avoid getting eaten by wild animals is going to be quite a different situation." Then again, harassing someone who depends on you is entirely different. Then again, bullying someone so that you ensure pecking order and he does what you want and is beneficial for you a bit more in situation with scarcity is different too. Suburban middle…
We're paying the price for the proliferation of existentialism, and it's flavor of capitalism and justice. "You're on your own" is good when reaping rewards and thriving in a meritocracy, but not when you need help, are losing, or just want warmth. But a healthy dose of loneliness is what has us reaching for each other. So we should all just give in, and reach for each other. Natural feeling tend to take care of them…
How are you defining "existentialism" here?
From "No Exit", by Jean-Paul Sartre, 1944.
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Is the implication that people knowing that would be more or less likely to downvote? I mean, Kaczynski was certainly not writing calm and evidence-based prose, but he's regularly cited as saying something seminal and interesting regardless. I don't think "there's no evidence, that's pure propaganda" is untrue , but it feels like a strange objection to raise for anyone aware of what the work is. Aren't manifestos usu…
I criticize Kaczynski's philosophy because it drove him to try to kill people (and he succeeded at least once). I don't care how "seminal" and "interesting" it is. To me, his philosophy is condemned by where it led him. (Yes, I realize that a different person could have raised the same ideas without using a bombing campaign to try to publicize them...)
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I criticize Kaczynski's philosophy because it drove him to try to kill people (and he succeeded at least once). I don't care how "seminal" and "interesting" it is. To me, his philosophy is condemned by where it led him. (Yes, I realize that a different person could have raised the same ideas without using a bombing campaign to try to publicize them...)
Judge the content not the man.