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Originally Posted by thef0x  I live an extremely positive and optimistic life as a physicalist and an atheist.
I accept no cosmological reason for my existence, making me a nihilist.
I believe, as an existentialist would, that I, therefore, as a meaning-assigning creature, create my own purpose and/or meaning in life.
I've decided on my purpose and it creates an incredible drive in my life. Not believing that this place is an illusion and a place of suffering (which sounds NEGATIVE to me, a complaint about religion) makes me realize I have an finite time here, and helps me focus on all that I want to be and do.
I totally reject spirituality, paranormal dimensions and/or external consciousness, and even the soul. These beliefs are idealized behaviors that people assimilate to explain their reality.
I use a logical and rational system of behaviors to explain my reality.
So you can keep your beliefs and I'll keep mine. I do believe, however, that I can communicate in a much more naturalistic and phenomenological manner, which is appealing.
So I think you're whole last paragraph there was pretty narrow minded. |
The very fact that you are here, spending your valuable time reading and considering concepts of reality that are in oppostion to your own speaks volumes about your true motives. Clearly, you crave answers to your questions about existence that are not satisfied by your claimed atheism and nihilism.
Nobody here claims to have scientific proof of God or "subjective reality" or reincarnation, etc. It's just something that makes more sense to us than a purposeless, only-physical universe. I put it to you, therefore, than unless your purpose on these boards is simply to practice your skills at "debunking" metaphysical theory and promoting atheism, then you are surely fooling yourself about your true motives here.
If you are such a logical person, as you claim, then where is there any logic to ethical and moral behavior in a universe where only oblivion awaits everyone regardless of their deeds? In such a universe, why wouldn't everybody lie, cheat, and steal their way (or worse) to a much more pleasureable and comfortable life if they truly believed this was the only life they would ever experience, and that there was absolutely no benefit nor consequence either way for how they achieved such lives?
Allowing for fear of earthly punishment, imprisonment, etc, there is still PLENTY of negative behavior one can engage in which does not risk these consequences that clearly many people DO engage in all around us; but there are just as many, including yourself, assumingly, that behave with ethics and morals anyway. If there is NOTHING beyond this life, then I put it to you that your moral and ethical behavior is NOT logical at all because you could achieve a much more pleasureable and comfortable, one-shot existence were you to exercise much less moral and ethical behavior. The real question then becomes: Why don't you?
And this is the most solid evidence for the existence of God, whatever you imagine him/her/all-that-is to be. Because deep inside, we just KNOW there is more to our existence that what we witness through our physical senses, and we KNOW that it truly is important "how you play the game."
Black holes are scientific realities that defy all "logic," and yet you probably believe in their existence. Where do you think all that physical matter that gets sucked into them goes?
You're the one who is actually delusional, or you would not be here, period. You simply haven't yet heard the argument that will cause all this metaphysical stuff to "click" inside your physical brain. Heck, the fact that you even use the word "belief" speaks volumes about your true self. "Belief" implies that there is the possibility for change; "Knowledge" implies truth. So you BELIEVE you're correct about the nature of reality, but you basically admit that you do not KNOW. And that's why you can't leave this site because you're not satisfied with your current belief, but you're frustrated that our beliefs are unable to supply you with the real KNOWLEDGE you truly crave.
~ RS