Glenn the Great
01-09-02, 11:53 PM
Hello everyone, I'd like to use this topic to share with everyone my personal philosophies on the universe and existence in general.
I've given it a lot of thought over the last several years, and I've come to some conclusions that make more sense to me than anything else. The purpose here is not to persuade anyone, because the very nature of my philosophy makes it impossible for anyone other than myself to simultaneously accept this. As I said, I just want to share and see what you people think.
First of all, I believe that I am the only soul that exists. By "soul," I mean observer. I am the sole observer that has ever existed, and nothing exists without my observation. Take note that I make no differentiation between "direct" and "indirect" observation. All observation is "indirect" in my book, because even your senses have some degree of error, and I don't believe in placing fine lines on any sort of spectrum. For example, I was born in 1984, and if someone "supposedly" made an observation in 1970, it was actually I that made that observation, and that even came into reality when the energy of that observation passed from one person to another until I learned about it. Anything that cannot be perceived/detected, or that is unobserved, does not qualify as being an active part of existence.
Next, there was no existence before my birth. Everything actually started when I first became aware. Some would be quick to point out conflicts in cause-and-effect, or something having to do with time, but I see time as something frozen that never really changes, but is just "there." It is only my observation (facilitated by my brain) that makes time "seem" to make things move. Cause-and-effect is neither universal if the theory holds true that a system can exist in which time is undefined, such as might be found at the core of a black hole, or before ~4*10^-44 seconds after the big bang, or whatever the current measure of the Planck Time is.
Next, I believe that there is no such thing as free will. My body and mind, as well as everyone elses, moves automatically according to the laws of physics. In a sense, all that will happen has already happened, but it is my observation that makes it seem to not be so. I've learned that existence is defined by the "observation." I am the one who observes, and for all that I will ever experience in all existence whatsoever, will completely consist of what I feel, and not anyone else. Every other person and animal besides myself does not really feel, but is just an organic machine. My body is the same way, and my perception is forced to listen to my thoughts and feel what I sense. In the purest conceivable sense, the universe is nothing but a matrix of mathematics, and it is the structure of my brain coupled with my observational soul that makes the world seem the way it does. The world seems as such as so that my body can operate towards its goal of bettering itself and operating efficiently in the world.
There is no "God" in the traditional sense, but actually my perception is in fact this "God," or most certainly the "center of existence." That is how it is, and that is how it will always be. Even if I were to switch bodies with someone, lose my memories and take on theirs, it would still be "my" observational perspective.
As far as the purpose of this life I currently live, since my mind runs purely on a positive/negative feedback system, I would say that the purpose of life is for myself to achieve the highest about of pleasure/happiness possible. No one else (or their products such as the law) should have the right to stand in my way. I realize though that other people cannot help it when they decide to give me equal treatment to these human golems. That is the curse of my life, and I'm quite sure that all of my troubles will be gone when this brain perishes, for in it is contained all of my memories and goals. I'm quite sure that when I die, my universal perspective will not end, but my memories will all be gone. I often fear that I'll reincarnate into the next brain available, and be doomed to live an imperfect life over and over again. The laws of physics are to blame. Because of such phenomena as entropy, a truly perfect world cannot exist unless your standards are set very low, and your brain is designed to find contentment in what we would call "imperfect" things. I dream that someday the fantasies I daydream about could sometime come true and be experienced as I experience things in real life. I've developed the idea that the human mind can be tricked if reengineered properly, and the best solution to making human fantasy manifest would be some sort of computer simulation our brains would be hooked to, similar to what is featured in "The Matrix." I often wonder though if the fantasies I cherish so much will just be things that fade without ever being realized after the moment this brain dies.
I've given it a lot of thought over the last several years, and I've come to some conclusions that make more sense to me than anything else. The purpose here is not to persuade anyone, because the very nature of my philosophy makes it impossible for anyone other than myself to simultaneously accept this. As I said, I just want to share and see what you people think.
First of all, I believe that I am the only soul that exists. By "soul," I mean observer. I am the sole observer that has ever existed, and nothing exists without my observation. Take note that I make no differentiation between "direct" and "indirect" observation. All observation is "indirect" in my book, because even your senses have some degree of error, and I don't believe in placing fine lines on any sort of spectrum. For example, I was born in 1984, and if someone "supposedly" made an observation in 1970, it was actually I that made that observation, and that even came into reality when the energy of that observation passed from one person to another until I learned about it. Anything that cannot be perceived/detected, or that is unobserved, does not qualify as being an active part of existence.
Next, there was no existence before my birth. Everything actually started when I first became aware. Some would be quick to point out conflicts in cause-and-effect, or something having to do with time, but I see time as something frozen that never really changes, but is just "there." It is only my observation (facilitated by my brain) that makes time "seem" to make things move. Cause-and-effect is neither universal if the theory holds true that a system can exist in which time is undefined, such as might be found at the core of a black hole, or before ~4*10^-44 seconds after the big bang, or whatever the current measure of the Planck Time is.
Next, I believe that there is no such thing as free will. My body and mind, as well as everyone elses, moves automatically according to the laws of physics. In a sense, all that will happen has already happened, but it is my observation that makes it seem to not be so. I've learned that existence is defined by the "observation." I am the one who observes, and for all that I will ever experience in all existence whatsoever, will completely consist of what I feel, and not anyone else. Every other person and animal besides myself does not really feel, but is just an organic machine. My body is the same way, and my perception is forced to listen to my thoughts and feel what I sense. In the purest conceivable sense, the universe is nothing but a matrix of mathematics, and it is the structure of my brain coupled with my observational soul that makes the world seem the way it does. The world seems as such as so that my body can operate towards its goal of bettering itself and operating efficiently in the world.
There is no "God" in the traditional sense, but actually my perception is in fact this "God," or most certainly the "center of existence." That is how it is, and that is how it will always be. Even if I were to switch bodies with someone, lose my memories and take on theirs, it would still be "my" observational perspective.
As far as the purpose of this life I currently live, since my mind runs purely on a positive/negative feedback system, I would say that the purpose of life is for myself to achieve the highest about of pleasure/happiness possible. No one else (or their products such as the law) should have the right to stand in my way. I realize though that other people cannot help it when they decide to give me equal treatment to these human golems. That is the curse of my life, and I'm quite sure that all of my troubles will be gone when this brain perishes, for in it is contained all of my memories and goals. I'm quite sure that when I die, my universal perspective will not end, but my memories will all be gone. I often fear that I'll reincarnate into the next brain available, and be doomed to live an imperfect life over and over again. The laws of physics are to blame. Because of such phenomena as entropy, a truly perfect world cannot exist unless your standards are set very low, and your brain is designed to find contentment in what we would call "imperfect" things. I dream that someday the fantasies I daydream about could sometime come true and be experienced as I experience things in real life. I've developed the idea that the human mind can be tricked if reengineered properly, and the best solution to making human fantasy manifest would be some sort of computer simulation our brains would be hooked to, similar to what is featured in "The Matrix." I often wonder though if the fantasies I cherish so much will just be things that fade without ever being realized after the moment this brain dies.