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words I had to look up for this entry:
erudite
words I thought I knew how to spell and had to double-check:
benevolent, Nietzsche
words I know how to spell and kept typing wrong over and over:
kernel
We went to dinner Friday night with a group of friends in honor of an old friend visiting. He left us two years ago to join the Church. We all thought it was so crazy. I mean, there we were, five atheists and one Christian. Never mind how he had been such a strong agnostic in the past. Turns out he is leaving the Church for a time to sort out some issues before rejoining. Mainly physical (problems sleeping, repetetive-stress injury), and mental (depression). His next step to priesthood was seven years of intense schooling, during which he was afraid he would merely ignore his problems and pop out at the other end just as screwed up. So he's taking a few years off to sort himself out before starting his seven-year stint. He said it was to maintain his faith and purpose. Coming from anyone else, I would question how serious he was about this whole priesthood thing. But this is a tremendous person that we all have incredible faith and respect in, in large part because of his honesty and dedication. If anyone can complete such daunting tasks, he can.
Anyway, doing the survey below has nothing to do with him or any of the conversation on Friday (which in no way was religious or philosophical, just fun and interesting - he is a mesmerizing speaker who will do well if he becomes a priest who does sermons!). But after completing it, I realized it was kind of odd to be thinking of these things now, because of this random survey I found, when V's joining the Church was the last time I ever gave any of this religion shit any thought.
I got this philisophical survey from ilovewords.
1. Did the universe come into being through an act of divine creation or is it the result of a gradual process of growth?
I don't believe in divine creation, but how can something grow out of nothing? If the universe is a "result of a gradual process of growth", didn't some kernel have to exist in the first place in order for it to grow? And if so, how did that kernel come into being? Problem is, I've always had this tendency to flip that argument over to gods. If "God" created everything, who created him? And if someone or something else created "God", wouldn't that person/thing be "God"? Long nights of circular thoughts in my head lead to ideas like: what if "God" is a temporary job, that gets passed on from one NOB to another? What if we're all gods, and earth is just where we go slumming for a vacation from being omnipotent?
2. Are the trees, stars, and people really "there," or are they mere creations of our minds?
They are SO there.
3. Is the human individual the crowning achievement of a growing and creating universe, or is he a mere speck of dust in unlimited space?
Speck. Really, really small speck. In the grand scheme of things, we're one heartbeat away from a catastrophe wiping us out, natural or self-made, doesn't matter.
4. Can we mold the universe to our liking or will it eventually destroy us?
Every time I read something mind-boggling about physics, I am more convinced that there is so much more about the universe we don't understand. As we know more, I believe we may be able to shape the universe in some ways, or at the very least use it to our advantage in ways that bend the current laws of physics. This, of course, will take millenia to figure out, which will all be moot if we blow ourselves up.
Supposedly, the universe is caving in on itself and will eventually be destroyed. I hope we discover that's not true, because then you have to wonder, shouldn't something happen after that? Another big bang from the explosion??? Anyway, more mind-numbing circular thoughts...
5. Is the universe friendly or unfriendly to man, or is it merely unconcerned?
There are no morals in the universe. Every item, person, action, ideas, etc just is. It is man that assigns moreal judgement to these things.
6. Has some divine power set standards of good and evil for all times, or are good and evil matters of local culture?
Morals are culture. They are defined by, as well as define, cultures. The universe is math, not wishes and hopes and judgement calls.
7. Is good in the very nature of things, or is it something which we can decide for ourselves?
There is no such thing as "good", only what we label as good. Therefore, I guess we're deciding for ourselves.
8. Is goodness and badness a matter of relation of an act to other acts?
Since I believe that "goodness" and "badness" are labels, they can be used as sweepingly or stingily as the person assigning them deems. Some people believe the ends justify the means, other people don't. Most people believe that using medicine to cure someone would be a "good" thing. But what about the years of animal testing that went into developing that medicine? Some people think that testing is good and necessary, and others think it is bad.
9. Is God a person, like man, but more ideal?
I don't believe in anything even remotely resembling the Christian "God", or any other gods I've heard/read about. I think the idea of "God" may have come about to enforce moral judgements, as well as explain the unexplainable.
10. Are we free individuals who can make our own choices without hindrance, or are we determined by a fate over which we have no control?
That is a fascinating question that I personally have a difficult time answering. Because I just don't know. I don't believe in fate, but I want to believe in fate. Then, if you think about physics and time travel and the concept that time and space aren't linear, then it would seem that everything that is and was and will be already exists, is still existing, will always exist. Even if only in a parallel universe. Concepts like these I have a vague awareness of, but for the life of me can't really wrap my head around, so I just smile and nod and try not to think about them too much. I might get a headache.
11. Can we determine tomorrow in any significant sense, or is it all determined for us from the beginning of time?
Didn't I just answer that question?
12. Do our ideals, hopes, acts, and wills mean anything in thr universe?
They don't mean anything to the universe, but they mean something to us, the people and things in the universe. And since our increased understanding of physics can help us control and bend the universe to our liking, our "ideals..." don't "mean" anything, but they affect everything.
13. What is the soul?
It's just a fancy word for consciousness. What happens to consciousness after the body dies, I can't say.
14. Is there a future life in which good is rewarded and evil punished, or does death mark the end of everything?
I don't believe in any next life that punishes or rewards this one, but I also don't necessarily believe death is the end of us. I think that makes me an agnostic, or, as I like to call it, a "soft atheist".
15. Is the state a human creation which has been brought into being to serve man, or is it something that has divine origin?
I don't quite understand if I'm reading the question right. Is this somehow referring to an undefined "state of being", undefined through type-o; or is "state" a word for government/s? I will go with interpretation "b", in which case: governments were created by humans. To control people, not to serve them.
16. Does man have the right to rebel against his rulers and create a new kind of state?
Um, yah. It's in our constitution for a reason. Inalienable rights and all that.
17. What is the best kind of state and what is the worst?
Mwahahahaha! I could go on for hours! I believe that true-communism is the ultimate utopia: with no central government and everyone living on communes, defining their own laws in small groups, with everyone pitching in to get the necessary things done, and using the rest of their time to work on art and science. Unfortunately, man cannot live this way. The earth would quickly devolve into anarchy and chaos. Because of this little thing that is our greatest strength and our greatest weakness: ambition. All of that taken into consideration, I want to live in a Star Trek-esque technocracy, where the daily essentials are provided for (food, shelter, etc.), there is a government to ensure things run smoothly, and people are not necessarily rewarded, but acknowledged and appreciated for their merits. Because the goal is to advance the species, not any one individual. I believe this one is next to impossible as well. That pesky ambition again.
18. Why do we establish schools and pay for them?
I think it started out as a nice idea. It's difficult for any one person to know everything. Most people specialize. And wouldn't you want specialists teaching your kids, instead of just you? Because you may know alot about words and baking and fixing cars, but Bob over there knows a hell of a lot about math. These days, I think there are too many rules, too many requirements, too many mandates. Crazy people run school boards and ban books. Neighborhoods don't have good schools because they can't afford it. Government either steps in to heavily or lightly to do anything constructive.
19. Is education designed to make free men or to make men who will serve blindly to an all-powerful state?
I think we want education to create free-thinkers, people who can survive on their own and succeed in life. But too often public schools just want kids to pass tests, to get along in society, to think like their peers, to follow rules. Those things are nice for the teachers and administration, but it sucks for those kids.
20. Who shall control education, the people or the state?
I believe that government should only be benevolent, but I think humans are impossible at that. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, etc. As long as we have governments focusing on the wrong things, they will suck at controlling education. However, communities aren't doing a great job either. America is fucked. So we all need to get more political and change it. Right after I finish watching my "Law and Order" reruns...
22. Is matter a creation of mind, or is mind merely another kind of matter?
Is energy "matter"? Because I think that consciousness could be definied as energy. And if the mind is consciousness which is energy which is matter... There ya go!
23. Can mind be superior and free from matter, or is ti so tied up with matter that it is doomed?
I do believe it's possible that the mind can transcend the body. How, I don't know. Is it wishful thinking for some sort of "after-life", quite possibly.
24. Is matter the source of all evil in the universe?
Objects are neutral. They hold no moral judgements, save those assigned by individuals. I think that moral judgements are the source of all evil in the universe.
25. How can mind remain pure and at the same time inhabit a body?
The use of "pure" here sounds like a moral judgement, which I shall ignore, because I find them irrelevant. If your merely asking if the things the body experiences affect the mind, or our consciousness, I would give you a loud "hell yah!"
26. Are we born with our ideas and they become conscious in time, or do we get them from sense experiences?
We are born as a "blank slate", with a physical, dna-based leaning in certain directions. Opinions, religions, thoughts, etc are all developed as we experience the world, and the people, things, and events here. There is no "gene" for racism. That's learned. There are genes that affect chemical dependency, but it takes experience for you to crave such things to begin with, let alone grow dependent on them.
27. How can we be sure that out thinking is correct?
"Correct" is another moral judgement. There is no such thing as "correct" or "incorrect" thought. Only ideas and viewpoints and opinions that I respect and esteem and aspire to, rather than look down upon.
28. Is thinking significant in the universe or is it a mere sham?
Thinking is part of creativity and learning. Creativity and learning lead to advancements in science, which we use to control and/or alter our universe, as well as advancements in culture and art and ways of thinking, etc, which then affect our human "universe".
29. Which philosopher do you most relate to and why?
I don't remember the names of philosophers, except Nietzsche, whom was a scary mother fucker from what I remember (but whom my dictionary seems to suggest I might appreciate, odd...). My only philosophy class ever helped me develope a personally meaningful and logical response to Christianty: the Christian god is defined as all powerful, all loving, and all knowing. Babies are murdered, women are raped, weather kills innocents, etc. Either
a) god does not know about these things so he's NOT all knowing,
b) god does not care about these things so he's NOT all loving,
c) god can't do anything about all of these things so he's NOT all powerful, or
d) a varying mixture of all three.
In any of these cases, I could see that whoever created the universe may have been a nice guy with his heart in the right place, but if he doesn't have the power/inclination to do anything about the hell on earth parts of life, then why does he deserve worship? Appreciation, sure. Worship? Obediance? Um, NOT.
Anyway, a large chunk of Philosophy 101 at the UW was all about various philosophers trying to prove/disprove God's existence, and the whole of the class gave me that lil' mathematical formula, which I am very grateful for.
30. So, you think you're more erudite than me, do you?
Hold on, let me look that one up... OK, erudite seems to mean "learned". While I did spend many of my earlier years listening to circular arguments in my head, believe myself to be amazingly open minded to new ideas, and took a philosphy class in college, all of these things amount to a very personal world view and knowledge. I latched on to the things that I liked knowing, and quickly forgot the rest. Therefore, I don't think I'm any match to a true scholar. Are YOU a true scholar? I have no idea. The person credited to creating this survey has a locked diary. We'll never know, now will we?
