For example, does the rejection of theistic doctrines entail nihilism?
Can there be anything without meaning?
Etc etc...
What is meaningless?
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Brian Peacock
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What is meaningless?
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Details on how to do that can be found here.
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
Re: What is meaningless?
I don't believe that there can be such a thing as meaningless to humans and possibly other animals with a brain and central nervous system. Maybe to plants and germs.
Libertarianism: The belief that out of all the terrible things governments can do, helping people is the absolute worst.
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Brian Peacock
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Re: What is meaningless?
Just a little thinking brought me to the same conclusion, yet nihilism (in whatever form) broadly suggests that meaning is somehow intrinsically absent, in human experience and/or in everything.
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
.
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
Re: What is meaningless?
Yet even nihilists write books expressing their viewpoint. As long as you've got love and hate of things then those things have meaning. The only nihilist without meaning is a dead one.
Libertarianism: The belief that out of all the terrible things governments can do, helping people is the absolute worst.
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Brian Peacock
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Re: What is meaningless?
Thats a slogan begging for a t-shirt.Animavore wrote:The only nihilist without meaning is a dead one.
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
.
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Forty Two
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Re: What is meaningless?
Meaning is made of thought. It isn't a thing. Meaning is whatever a human thinks is meaningful.Brian Peacock wrote:For example, does the rejection of theistic doctrines entail nihilism?
Can there be anything without meaning?
Etc etc...
Everything can be without meaning. Existence is. Meaning is an opinion or value judgment placed upon things and events by humans.
“When I was in college, I took a terrorism class. ... The thing that was interesting in the class was every time the professor said ‘Al Qaeda’ his shoulders went up, But you know, it is that you don’t say ‘America’ with an intensity, you don’t say ‘England’ with the intensity. You don’t say ‘the army’ with the intensity,” she continued. “... But you say these names [Al Qaeda] because you want that word to carry weight. You want it to be something.” - Ilhan Omar
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Tero
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Re: What is meaningless?
It all depends on the mood and the chemicals in your brain. If there is only suffering, there is no meaning.
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Brian Peacock
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Re: What is meaningless?
I don't know about that. An opinion means something, for sure, but Meaning isn't just an opinion about something. That startling rustle in the bushes has meaning: Wind or creature? Prey or predator? Dinner or Death? etc? That rustle in the bushes is information, and in that sense Meaning seems tied to information, experience and to the environment, and to the circumstances in which they impact on each other.Forty Two wrote:Meaning is made of thought. It isn't a thing. Meaning is whatever a human thinks is meaningful.Brian Peacock wrote:For example, does the rejection of theistic doctrines entail nihilism?
Can there be anything without meaning?
Etc etc...
Everything can be without meaning. Existence is. Meaning is an opinion or value judgment placed upon things and events by humans.
When a nihilist tells us that there is no meaning or value in anything they appear to be disregarding certain types of information which, as information does, populate their experience - and yet a nihilist is not without experiences and knows, for example, what it means to poke a tiger with a stick or to try and stop traffic with their chin.
To say that there is no meaning or value in anything is a meaningful thing to say, for the nihilist, but I suspect that nihilists only mean that certain types of things have no meaning or value - perhaps mostly those things which others say they do find meaningful and valuable. IF so then the nihilist is not merely disregarding certain type of information pertinent to their own experience, but also on some level they are disregarding the experience of others where they consider the experiences of others to be populated by information they don't care for or consider meaningful enough.
Nihilists are a funny breed.
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
.
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Hermit
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Re: What is meaningless?
Perhaps there is an unspoken word missing, as in nihilism holds that there is no ultimate meaning, the sort of absolute values somewhere out there in the ontological sky. Of course that means (lol) that nihilism does not recognise "lesser" meanings, such as those gained through empiricism as meaningful. That, however, is an "insight" nihilists habitually ignore in their day to day lives.
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops. - Stephen J. Gould
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Xamonas Chegwé
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Re: What is meaningless?
A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return.
Salman Rushdie
You talk to God, you're religious. God talks to you, you're psychotic.
House MD
Who needs a meaning anyway, I'd settle anyday for a very fine view.
Sandy Denny
This is the wrong forum for bluffing
Paco
Yes, yes. But first I need to show you this venomous fish!
Calilasseia
I think we should do whatever Pawiz wants.
Twoflower
Bella squats momentarily then waddles on still peeing, like a horse
Millefleur
Salman Rushdie
You talk to God, you're religious. God talks to you, you're psychotic.
House MD
Who needs a meaning anyway, I'd settle anyday for a very fine view.
Sandy Denny
This is the wrong forum for bluffing
Paco
Yes, yes. But first I need to show you this venomous fish!
Calilasseia
I think we should do whatever Pawiz wants.
Twoflower
Bella squats momentarily then waddles on still peeing, like a horse
Millefleur
Re: What is meaningless?
I think that humans who are intelligent enough to ponder existence and find absolutely no meaning to their life, do and can suffer from depression to the point of suicidal tendencies. There was a guy who frequented ratskep who was very dismayed by his nihilistic tendencies - Andrewwhatever, I forget his exact name. Such thoughts can obviously have a negative impact upon one's previous aspirations and motivations. I don't see the point in sticking our heads in the sand over the issue.
On the other hand, even though I'm a theist [of sorts] I am inclined to think that hedonism would suffice to give sufficient meaning to my life if I were not of that persuasion. Honouring one's nature, and all that.
On the other hand, even though I'm a theist [of sorts] I am inclined to think that hedonism would suffice to give sufficient meaning to my life if I were not of that persuasion. Honouring one's nature, and all that.
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laklak
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Re: What is meaningless?
Andrew4Handle? Yeah, he didn't have the cheeriest outlook I'd ever encountered.
Yeah well that's just, like, your opinion, man.
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Brian Peacock
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Re: What is meaningless?
But he seems to have appreciated our favourite German import after Grolsch - George Fridrich.
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
.
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
.
Details on how to do that can be found here.
.
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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surreptitious57
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Re: What is meaningless?
No meaning to anything at the end of the day. It just is. It has a function but no purpose
Learn that and learn to overcome the nonsensical fear of death and you have it cracked
Keep your emotions to a minimum and keep away from all other human beings much as
possible and make sure you have something to do to pass the time while waiting to die
I do not recommend this but it works for me and so I would not change it for anything
Learn that and learn to overcome the nonsensical fear of death and you have it cracked
Keep your emotions to a minimum and keep away from all other human beings much as
possible and make sure you have something to do to pass the time while waiting to die
I do not recommend this but it works for me and so I would not change it for anything
A MIND IS LIKE A PARACHUTE : IT DOES NOT WORK UNLESS IT IS OPEN
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