Mind Boggling - Page 3

David Sklansky · #21 10-12-2005, 07:37 AM

"But people don't live that way. They deny God, purpose, meaning and morality then they complain about injustice or suffering."

Wrong. Much more than half the people on this earth barely give any of these subjects a second thought. Just like zebras don't.

NotReady · #22 10-12-2005, 08:08 AM

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We instinctively survive, and we are set up to "enjoy" various chemical states in our brain.

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What if "rape,pillage and burn" causes me to have an enjoyable chemical state in my brain?

Trantor · #23 10-12-2005, 08:08 AM

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What a waste of the human mind and body.

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I hesitate to get into this again because I feel I've done it to death and get very few informed responses. Since you say you're new, I'll have another go.

If God doesn't exist all human effort is a waste.

Read Ecclesiastes. Read any existentialist. Read the quote I've given a couple times from Bertrand Russell.

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The statement is unclear because you don't say in what respect it is to be considered a waste, ie from what viewpoint.

The human being ( the phenotype) is simply the human gene's (the genotype's) way of perpetuating itself. The "purpose" of the human as a person/body is nothing more than to perpetuate genetic information. That is, it's only pupose is as a "tool" to carry out the human genome's purpose. So, even if there is no God, human effort is not a waste to the extent the genome's "purpose" is carried out.

The basic philosophical mistake it to believe human life has any purpose distinct from perpetuatuion of the human species by reproduction of the genome.

NotReady · #24 10-12-2005, 08:12 AM

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Thus if God doesn't exist, many people who might have cured cancer did in fact waste their time if they studied a noon existent being.

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This argument does nothing to establish ultimate meaning, it assumes it. If there's no ultimate meaning what difference does curing cancer make? For something to be a waste of time there must be a reason not to do it. For anything to have a reason it must not be based on irrationality. If irrationality is ultimate, everything is irrational. Thus it is impossible to waste anything.

NotReady · #25 10-12-2005, 08:14 AM

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Wrong. Much more than half the people on this earth barely give any of these subjects a second thought. Just like zebras don't.

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I wouldn't know. I can't read their minds. You have a poll that establishes this?

Even if it's true, what about the other half?

Trantor · #26 10-12-2005, 08:17 AM

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We instinctively survive, and we are set up to "enjoy" various chemical states in our brain.

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What if "rape,pillage and burn" causes me to have an enjoyable chemical state in my brain?

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Then if you sucumb to raping etc to enjoy the chemical state you would join the other rapists etc who also sucumbed. If you don't sucumb you won't!

Your question must be trying to make some point but I don't see what it is.

NotReady · #27 10-12-2005, 08:17 AM

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The basic philosophical mistake it to believe human life has any purpose distinct from perpetuatuion of the human species by reproduction of the genome.

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How can mindless matter have a purpose?

NotReady · #28 10-12-2005, 08:28 AM

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Your question must be trying to make some point but I don't see what it is.

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If the highest standard is to enjoy chemical states and raping gives me that chemical state then why shouldn't I rape? Because it's wrong? How can that be if there are no absolutes and the universe is meaningless?

Trantor · #29 10-12-2005, 08:28 AM

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The basic philosophical mistake it to believe human life has any purpose distinct from perpetuatuion of the human species by reproduction of the genome.

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How can mindless matter have a purpose?

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I should have continued putting purpose in quotes. I meant "purpose" in the sense the purpose of a battery is to store electrical energy. "Function" would have been clearer, I guess.

NotReady · #30 10-12-2005, 08:35 AM

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"Function" would have been clearer, I guess.

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Ok, function. Why should I care about the function of mindless matter? What does its function have to do with morality and value judgments? Since the universe is meaningless and the human race is doomed what difference does it make if the genome function continues?