Does nihilism mean you have to be a miserable twat? Discuss!

[Cunt]

[rachelbean]

As a taoist, my opinion isn't worth the electrons it takes to promulgate my bullshit.

Fixed that for you.

I think I've read more philosophy and spent more time studying it than you have diddling yourself, which, judging by the quality of your post, is a lot. Start a new thread on it if you like.

Indeed, I am woefully ignorant. I seem to have a long way to go to master such philosophical refinements as to how to make a successful argument from authority. If you could point me in the direction of some texts which explain this art, I will be eternally in your debt.

I confess, I have just this year begun properly studying the subject of philosophy, and would be delighted for any help along that journey you can provide.
I make no claims to any specific competence in the subject.

I am somewhat confused by something though, and I hope you can clear up my confusion. Your response, to my comprehension, was meant to imply disagreement with my assertions. Yet nowhere did you expound upon the nature of my error. If you would, I believe an exposition of the subject would be quite germane to this thread, and would be greatly appreciated. I confess to some dabblings in the issues of free will, determinism and nihilism, but I have not learned the subject to any respectable competence to speak of, and it is far down the list of subjects I wish to study, nearing the very bottom. If you could entertain me with your wisdom, I will be most appreciative.

I like you

[FBM]

The apparent lack of a teleology ruling phenomena (fuck Aristotle on this one) is just as potentially liberating as it is potentially depressing. You can be relieved that nothing you do can fuck up much for very long, or you can echo Pascal: "Le silence eternel des ces espaces infinis m'effraie." - 'The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me.' The latter is, IMO, what keeps many theists so doggedly in defense of their indefensible delusion(s). Whatever reaction you have to the awareness that nobody is running the show most likely depends on whether or not your mother breastfed you or some such trivia that you can't do anything about, anyway.

The Vinegar Tasters was right on target, except for the pessimism it erroneously allotted to the Buddha. But that's a topic for another thread...

[Rum]

As a taoist, my opinion isn't worth the electrons it takes to promulgate my bullshit.

Fixed that for you.

I think I've read more philosophy and spent more time studying it than you have diddling yourself, which, judging by the quality of your post, is a lot. Start a new thread on it if you like.

Indeed, I am woefully ignorant. I seem to have a long way to go to master such philosophical refinements as to how to make a successful argument from authority. If you could point me in the direction of some texts which explain this art, I will be eternally in your debt.

I confess, I have just this year begun properly studying the subject of philosophy, and would be delighted for any help along that journey you can provide.
I make no claims to any specific competence in the subject.

I am somewhat confused by something though, and I hope you can clear up my confusion. Your response, to my comprehension, was meant to imply disagreement with my assertions. Yet nowhere did you expound upon the nature of my error. If you would, I believe an exposition of the subject would be quite germane to this thread, and would be greatly appreciated. I confess to some dabblings in the issues of free will, determinism and nihilism, but I have not learned the subject to any respectable competence to speak of, and it is far down the list of subjects I wish to study, nearing the very bottom. If you could entertain me with your wisdom, I will be most appreciative.

I like you

A bit of a show-off though don't you think?

[Geoff]

As a taoist, my opinion isn't worth the electrons it takes to promulgate my bullshit.

Fixed that for you.

I think I've read more philosophy and spent more time studying it than you have diddling yourself, which, judging by the quality of your post, is a lot. Start a new thread on it if you like.

Indeed, I am woefully ignorant. I seem to have a long way to go to master such philosophical refinements as to how to make a successful argument from authority. If you could point me in the direction of some texts which explain this art, I will be eternally in your debt.

I confess, I have just this year begun properly studying the subject of philosophy, and would be delighted for any help along that journey you can provide.
I make no claims to any specific competence in the subject.

I am somewhat confused by something though, and I hope you can clear up my confusion. Your response, to my comprehension, was meant to imply disagreement with my assertions. Yet nowhere did you expound upon the nature of my error. If you would, I believe an exposition of the subject would be quite germane to this thread, and would be greatly appreciated. I confess to some dabblings in the issues of free will, determinism and nihilism, but I have not learned the subject to any respectable competence to speak of, and it is far down the list of subjects I wish to study, nearing the very bottom. If you could entertain me with your wisdom, I will be most appreciative.

I like you

Me too!

[Animavore]

Bunch of sycophants

[hiyymer]

Following on from a few threads earlier today I want to start an important debate! ..or is it?

Nothing means anything. Entropy wins and everything falls into chaos. We all die and nothing we do matters. Not s single thing you or I do will ever mean a damn thing except if you are lucky to one or two people around you very temporarily.

Life sucks and is pointless.

So! Is this a reason to be miserable?

I sometimes think whether or not this affects you emotionally is a matter of temperament rather than philosophical outlook.

Don't bother responding by the way. No point. But if you want to fill the pointless empty void of your life for a few seconds why not add a word or two. Meh.

Life may be pointless in the aggregate and deterministic, but that doesn't mean it's meaningless.

[Cunt]

Bunch of sycophants

Well, thanks! You are pretty good-looking yourself!

[Svartalf]

The reason to be miserable is the impossibility to make one's life pleasant, or to achieve certain goals that, even if they will be meaningless at some time in the future (like when nobody ever remember what you did), are still of personal significance to you.

I'm afraid I completely failed my life up to now, and fear there's no way I can significantly mitigate that before I'm too old to appreciate it anyway.

Maybe I should try to murder the sarkoshyt, so if he dies, I'll have done something good, and if I die, at least it's over.

[Rum]

The reason to be miserable is the impossibility to make one's life pleasant, or to achieve certain goals that, even if they will be meaningless at some time in the future (like when nobody ever remember what you did), are still of personal significance to you.

I'm afraid I completely failed my life up to now, and fear there's no way I can significantly mitigate that before I'm too old to appreciate it anyway.

Maybe I should try to murder the sarkoshyt, so if he dies, I'll have done something good, and if I die, at least it's over.

Don't be too downhearted. The thing with this nihilism stuff is that it matters not either way! You might feel a tad better if you reached some short term 'life goals', or perhaps you might not, but it matters not a jot, because really quite soon you will be no more, as will nobody else..here or anywhere.

Staying cheerful when living with this sort of consciousness is s bit of a challenge!

[Svartalf]

what matters is my own shallow satisfaction, it's not like there was anything greater... except maybe the satisfaction of whatever girls will take me to bed.

[Jason]

I confess to some dabblings in the issues of free will, determinism and nihilism, but I have not learned the subject to any respectable competence to speak of, and it is far down the list of subjects I wish to study, nearing the very bottom. If you could entertain me with your wisdom, I will be most appreciative.

I'm afraid not. Get ye to a library. The subject is not as simple as your simple post(s) would have it - that expends what little gratuity of wisdom I care to offer. You'd benefit from a 4 year undergraduate course in philosophy supplemented with countless uncounted hours of personal study and discussion with your peers/tutors/professors. After that you may deign to engage me. Alternatively, you can bask in the shallow praise and overt sexual overtones of your peers in this thread; in your place I'd opt for the latter.

Now fuck off.

PS. If you really want to engage me in a serious discussion, seek out a serious philosophy forum - I'm on all the premiere ones (not under this name naturally ).

[amused]

First of all, I really dislike threads that say: Discuss.

It's arrogant and seems to imply that the rest of us are here so that you may be amused.

Whether or not reality exists or not - It doesn't matter because the appearance of reality is persistent enough that you are better off acting as if it does. The rest is mental masturbation.

[Jason]

amused.

I'm amused.

[amused]

I am Spartacus!