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It seems that you just did. :) eudaimonia, Mark

What makes something sacred? (In your opinion.) I'm not asking what you consider to be sacred. We've covered that in different threads. I'm asking what it means for something to be sacred. Is it purely subjective and arbitrary? Or is in a sacred thing sacred in itself, regardless of a...

Human potentials are part of nature, and the most important part in relation to us. You think too small. ;) eudaimonia, Mark

Not necessarily. For example, the Sun itself has been getting brighter and hotter naturally over the past few billion years, and this trend continues. In half a billion years or so, this could very well lead to climate and atmospheric changes that could end life on Earth for good, so that Earth...

My spirituality seems to be nearly the precise opposite of yours on this issue. I find the sacred in human powers and potentials. Even while walking alone in the forest, which I experience as peaceful, the forest is still sacred in relation to my experience of it. To put this another way, if...

The great accomplishments of human genius and creativity are what I experience as profoundly sacred. (Basically, it is the ends-in-themselves of human life that are sacred for me. All together, it is human happiness and flourishing that is sacred.) For example, I've been to Cape Canaveral to...

Re: 'This place is Sacred' - Genuine experience of hallowed ground? Devotional hyperb Ever been to Cape Canaveral? It was a religious experience for me. eudaimonia, Mark

How does one come by the end in mind? Is that a choice too? eudaimonia, Mark

I don't think I have ever felt destined for anything specifically. Sure, I have my "callings", such as to spend time thinking about philosophy and science, and doing computer programming, because I deeply enjoy such things. But I have never had a sense that this would put me in a particular...

Yes, I agree. Many people seem to live their lives on "autopilot". These people have a dimmed awareness of life issues. Raising one's awareness takes effort, and many people are averse to effort. Expending this effort is perhaps the most fundamental form of will. As a computer programmer, I am...

I hate "lifeboat" questions. They are inevitably tragic, and at root unresolvable (at least in my ethical system). They invite "answers" in ways that say nothing about the non-lifeboat issues of day to day life. E.g., one might be tempted to answer the OP question in a utilitarian fashion, but...

I'm doing the Limbo as a virtuous non-believer. But this is the best result for me. I get to hang out with Aristotle and his buddies. That means I made it to my Heaven. ;) eudaimonia, Mark

I don't see that karma or rebirth have anything to do with making up for past deeds. It's simply cause and effect. eudaimonia, Mark

I hit my twenty minute editing limit. I meant to add that comparing the value of lives almost begs a utilitarian analysis. If one French soldier might kill two or more innocent Russians, does that justify killing the French soldier? The issue isn't truly one of a calculation of the value of...

Napolean is invading Mother Russia. If the French conquer Russia, they might easily enslave, kill, or otherwise abuse Russian peoples. You are a soldier in the Russian army. You consider the possibility that your wife and daughter might be raped and killed unless the French are stopped. What...

Strangely enough, a few do. They don't pray to God, of course, but pray as if there was a God listening. eudaimonia, Mark

I think he meant that "life is suffering" is one of the noble truths of Buddhism. eudaimonia, Mark

I personally wouldn't use the word "compassion" to convey that concept (for nitpicky dictionary definition reasons), but I agree that this solves the problem neatly. There are forms of benevolence that don't assume suffering as a starting point, and seek only to enhance the lives of others...

That's not any consolation at all. It's still like saying: "Thank goodness there's evil in the world!" Compassion is admirable, but I'd prefer for my highest values to arise from positive causes and conditions. That way, I need not desire evil to exist to give meaning to my existence...

Why do you believe in your monotheistic God? eudaimonia, Mark