(May 9, 2015 at 6:17 pm)wallym Wrote:

(May 9, 2015 at 4:28 pm)Cephus Wrote: But the initial belief in a flat world is irrational, thus anything based upon that belief is also irrational.  There is absolutely no reason in the modern world for anyone to believe that the world is flat but that doesn't stop some people from belonging to the Flat Earth Society (although I suspect it's largely a joke these days).  At the core of rationality is the ability to reason and these people are not reasoning their way into their beliefs, they are using pure and unrestrained emotion.  That makes their beliefs irrational by definition.  Their beliefs are not reasonable nor rational nor logical.

You can only spin this so many ways.  The religious are as ridiculous as people who believe in unicorns or leprechauns.

Do you really think it was irrational for the people 1000's of years ago to believe the world was flat?  

A modern example is Free will.  Most people believe in free will.  It looks like it's probably not real.  I don't think people living their lives like free will is real are irrational.  They are just mistaken about a premise on which they are basing their conclusions.

Do you understand the distinction I'm trying to make between faulty premises and being irrational? 

No, but 1000 years ago they had no information that demonstrated it was unreasonable.  Today, that is not the case.  A person 1000 years ago might have gotten away with all manner of irrational positions.  They cannot get away with it today.  There is a difference.

I just posted a related topic in the Off-topic section. I am philosophically torn on the subject of death sometimes. On one hand, I think that the fact that our lives are finite underscores the importance to deal kindly with each other and make the most of our brief lives. There's beauty in our fragile and ultimately doomed existence. But on the other hand, it's infuriatingly unfair. Rational me knows that once I die, the point will be moot and it won't matter one way or the other since there won't be a "me" to ponder my fate, but emotional me lashes out in rage sometimes at the unfairness of the finality of death in an existence that we have no choice in. We a born on this amazing, yet (for now) inescapable world, where death could take us at any time through no fault of our own and through circumstances that entirely beyond our control, and that scares the hell out of me sometimes. But I always just go back to the fact that there's nothing I can do about it so worrying will do me no good. One day I'll die and there is nothing I can do about that.

I like to ask this question: Which idea is scarier? The possibility that one day you will cease to exist, or the thought that you will never cease to exist? Like GLaDOS says in Portal, "One day they woke me up, so I could live forever. It's such a shame the same will never happen to you."

(May 9, 2015 at 3:33 am)whateverist Wrote: I suspect death will be a cinch.  No expertise required.

Easy enough to say, if you're a rookie.

(May 10, 2015 at 11:42 pm)Astrogod07 Wrote: There's beauty in our fragile and ultimately doomed existence.

Right. And shit smells great and it tastes SO good.

There is nothing good about forced death. Optional death may be something good for someone who has lived as long as he or she wants to and doesn't want any more. Otherwise, it SUCKS. It's silly to philosophize about genital crabs. Just get rid of the damn things if you can. If you can't, be honest and admit that they SUCK.

(May 11, 2015 at 1:01 am)AFTT47 Wrote:

(May 10, 2015 at 11:42 pm)Astrogod07 Wrote: There's beauty in our fragile and ultimately doomed existence.

Right. And shit smells great and it tastes SO good.

There is nothing good about forced death. Optional death may be something good for someone who has lived as long as he or she wants to and doesn't want any more. Otherwise, it SUCKS. It's silly to philosophize about genital crabs. Just get rid of the damn things if you can. If you can't, be honest and admit that they SUCK.

Except we can't get rid of it, so we might as well try to find some beauty in our mortality.  I do admit that it sucks, but that's just the way the universe works.  A song can be both sad and beautiful.

(May 9, 2015 at 8:09 am)Mister Agenda Wrote:

(May 4, 2015 at 2:27 am)AlternativeArtStyles Wrote: Yes, but then what is the of being a king or a pawn if all of your efforts are for naught?

What's the point of a story that lacks an ending?

The period at the end of the sentence contributes to its meaning.

I have no qualms with ceasing to exist. It is a mere reality.

Being dead has many advantages over being alive.  For example, many of you will gain by no longer having a fear of death.

It has bucket loads of advantages. I've been reading the literature very keenly, and I was sold a long time ago.

Just the thought of nonexistence is more appealing than an afterlife...especially if I have a chance of burning.

I suppose the atheistic view is truly summarized by the statement: "Hakuna Matata".