Search results

I think that gambling is only wrong when it either leads to a self-destructive addiction or when it causes you to deprioritize earning your money. I disagree that investing money is "gambling". It's only gambling if you don't know what the hell you are doing. The smart investor researches the...

Re: Similarities between the philosophical concepts of Vedantic Atman and Buddhist Em [/SIZE] The hatred was real, just not permanent. What was illusion is that the players on the other side were "the enemy". eudaimonia, Mark

It seems to me that consciousness comes from life, and that consciousness does not "live" in a body, but is an expression or aspect of the activity of that body. That said, it is an open question of whether or not one's subjective experience (to the extent that one can even be said to "own"...

If "why do we exist?" means "for what purpose do we exist?"... we exist for our own purposes. This question suggests another question: "which purposes matter to us?" In other words, "which purposes are choiceworthy?" That's where things get interesting. eudaimonia, Mark

Now I am disagreeing again, at least in part. We aren't "controlled" by misperceptions. We are mislead by them. There is a difference. IOWs, we make a decision -- a freewilled choice -- based on false information. Garbage in, garbage out. Misperceptions cannot take away free will, but...

My pet theory is that the most fundamental act of free will is to select one's attitude towards something. How about healthy, happy, fulfilling lives? Do we have to? Not necessarily. I don't mean "fight" in that sense. That depends on one's reasons. If you are fending off someone who...

Personally, I think the Buddha was closer to the truth. It isn't desires as such, but excessive clinging to desires when they can't be fulfilled, that causes dissatisfaction. eudaimonia, Mark

As I see it, this is a "noble suffering". Not all suffering is an evil. I think that largely depends on one's attitude. If one demands that one's hopes be fulfilled, and soon, then one will be dissatisfied with "life itself" when those hopes fail to materialize in short order. However, if...

I don't. It all depends on how an individual relates to those things. They may be "baggage" for her, or they may be opportunities for education (those magazines), or simple enjoyments. There is a valuable distinction to make between ridding oneself of possessions, and ridding oneself of...

Thanks. While I'm not a Buddhist, I tend to agree with the idea of interdependent arising (added to this: the possibility of emergent properties), and I think I agree with the views on free will mentioned by Snoopy, citizenzen, and The Undecided. They make good sense to me. eudaimonia, Mark

Are you saying that the Buddhist view is that there are only "pre-meditated", but never spontaneous or reflexive, acts of free will? I think I can agree with that. Still, it sounds a bit paradoxical to suggest that there is no free will in the present, for how could one consult one's...

I consider myself an atheist, but if I had to wrangle a metaphorical god out of my worldview, I'd go for a form of endotheism (literally, a god within). Basically, god would be our perfect selves in potential, that which our inner daimon/genius/higher-self would point the way to with a...

Anything? Try studying secular philosophies. You don't necessarily need to go to religion to find meaning. eudaimonia, Mark

What gives you this idea? My repugnance on this issue is for bad science. You need look no further than that. There is no need to play armchair psychologist and speculate on dark motives or secret psychological problems that atheists may have. I don't assume that theists have psychological...

Assuming that this is true it will have no impact on the case for intelligent design whatsoever. Any intelligent design advocate could simply say that this feature was "designed in" to the universe. In fact, they'll probably try to put a spin on this idea by suggesting that a timeless God can...

Unless they are Old Testament Hebrews? eudaimonia, Mark

Examples? eudaimonia, Mark

Agreed, and well put. eudaimonia, Mark

Dogbrain, you didn't even try to answer the questions. I'd like to see you answer these revised questions: - How do you get comfortable with the idea that your faith teaches that some people [will be in the condition of] hell for eternity? - Does that sit well with you? - Will you be...

Meaning? eudaimonia, Mark