(November 15, 2016 at 5:28 am)robvalue Wrote: If me being me is represented in some weird relationship with some other thing, I don't really care to be honest. What difference does that make? [1] I can learn about me just fine without having to worry about how it materialises with respect to some.... I don't even know what to call it. [2] If I could find some alternate way of learning about me, via this.... weird thing, then sure. That would be useful, I guess. Have you done this? Have you learned about yourself in some real way by nonstandard methods? If so, how did you attribute it to this in any meaningful sense? [3]
I have no idea where you're getting any of this from, or what is has to do with Catholicism. [4] Did me being me turn into a man and go around molesting lepers? [5] It seems you've buried God in the actual meaning of words, or reality just being reality. If it's more than that, I can't grasp it I'm afraid.
I appreciate you trying but I'm going to have to give up in a minute.
1) Well if you don't care you don't care. Certain kinds of relationships will matter to you, and some won't. I am saying, the more you know about your relationship with "being", the more it will matter to you.
2) Good! That means you're breaking free of the poor conceptions you've been (rightly) finding rationally unsatisfactory.
As far as learning about yourself, you're right. But if this relationship truly lies at the most fundamental part of "yourself", then your understanding of yourself is missing its most fundamental aspect... perhaps that's something to care about? I'm not you, so maybe not.
3) Sure. If the most fundamental part of being-me is a relation with god in the same way that the most fundamental part of being-you is the same relation with god, then WE are related at the most fundamental part of being-me and being-you. WE share a REAL relationship, not merely a socially convenient/coerced one.
On a plane more important to you, being-an-animal is a different relation with god than being-Rob or being-me is a relation with god. Even so, the fact that there is a relation with god at the most fundamental part of being-an-animal means that WE share a REAL relationship with animals which demands respect. The differences between that relationship and the relationship between being-Rob and being-me guide possible actions between animals and us which demand care.
4) I'm getting this from my own philosophical method. Bringing in Catholicism seems a bit premature, don't you think?
5) Ah! Now this is perhaps a way to paint a clearer picture, but it will draw on Christian ideas. please understand them only as a hopefully helpful analogy
You-being-you is not god-being-god. (You ≠ god)
You-being-you is a participation in god-being-god.
You-being-you did not "turn into a man" named Jesus.
God-being-god united to itself man-being-man (which is a participation in god-being-god) in the person named Jesus.
Jesus-being-Jesus is a union between man-being-man and god-being-god.
