I'll bite.
(There's a tropical storm going on around me so I'm kinda bored.)
Hi. Wassup?
No worries.
:rolls up sleaves; clears throat:
Preliminary Background:
What is your age?
In my head I'm 27. The guy in the mirror looks nearly 70 (get a haircut, dude!). My passport says that neither of these is true.
What is your current academic status (student, former student, alumnus, etc.)?
Left school at 19.
(If applicable) How far along in your studies are you?
I've never studied. I was away that day when there was a lesson on How To Study.
I've never stopped learning, though.
What is (was) your major?
None.
I had a thing for maths and I'm a published poet. Go figure.
Why are (were) you in college?
I wasn't.
What are your future plans/goals?
None.
Briefly describe your family background.
Welsh father, Austrian mother. This makes me a mongrel.
Social Structures
Describe your current relationship with your family.
Distant. Like half a planet distant.
Describe your social life.
None. Unless you count sexual gratification.
But I enjoy antisocial media like this forum.
Are close relationships with friends/family important? Why or why not?
I don't do "close". Classic Aspie: IQ of 155 and no social skills.
Which is more important: the personal life or the professional life?
Neither. The cerebral life FTW.
Ontological
What is the source of power and success?
Right now, with wind searing through the gaps in the window frame and lightning smiting the ground 30 floors below me, I'd say Zeus and Thor are having a pissing contest to prove who got da power!
Regarding success... 'low expectations' is a virtue.
What is the origin of the universe?
That's an easy one.
A time traveller with a poor sense of humour.
What is the origin and destiny of humanity?
There was no first human.
It's destiny is to be a footnote in ecological history.
Is there any form of spiritual dimension of reality? If so, briefly describe it.
Nope. But there is a spiritual dimension of Ethics. It's called 'wishful thinking'.
Do incorporeal beings exist?
That's a hard one.
Please define 'being'
Please define 'exist'
Please define 'do'.
But literature exists so in that sense Gandalf exists, incorporeally.
How do you define ‘God’?
I don't. I let the cult-followers or the personal-god believers define their own. When they do, it's fairly obvious that...
![[Image: 2012-09-03-GodEgo.jpg]](https://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-09-03-GodEgo.jpg)
How do you define ‘truth’?
A label (true/false) for a proposition for a given epistemology.
Epistemological
How do you know what is true?
I pay attention to my deception-detectors.
Is there an objective standard by virtue of which one can distinguish truth and falsity, and if so, why is it a reliable standard?
Usually, maths.
Assuming no objective truth exists, how can you correctly form and evaluate truth claims?
By assessing the validity of the epistemology. There are four major epistemological fails; if I may immodestly quote myself:
![[Image: 2087myt.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i66.tinypic.com%2F2087myt.jpg)
Axiology
Are morals and ethics subjective or objective?
Neither. Metrics are either subjective or objective. Morals are contextual.
How do you know right from wrong?
The spelling is different.
Can science explain the origin of moral values and concerns? How so?
Yup. The origin is as explicable as is the immune system / limbic system. A moral system is simply the cognitive version of those.
How would you describe a “good person”? A “bad person”?
It's easy to tell them apart. Look at the colour of their hats.
Also, if they belong to a criminal organisation that covers up the systematic rape of children... that's generally considered bad.
Unless you're a pope.
What would an “ideal society” look like?
China.
Do people act purely out of self-interest?
Nope. Even Paul Ryan loves his children.
What is the most important moral attribute (i.e. love, justice, equality, selflessness, etc.)? How do you define it?
Courage.
It's the only virtue that can't be faked.
What is mankind’s single biggest problem?
Mankind.
(I was tempted to go for 'womankind' but nah, it's men).
Is there a solution to this problem, and if so, what is it?
Genocide.
Mother Earth is working on that.
On TTA, we grouped them all into one section so that they could copy each other's answers.
(There's a tropical storm going on around me so I'm kinda bored.)
(February 28, 2018 at 11:41 pm)stretch3172 Wrote: Greetings!
Hi. Wassup?
(February 28, 2018 at 11:41 pm)stretch3172 Wrote: ...
Thank you in advance for your time and willingness to help me out with this project!
No worries.
:rolls up sleaves; clears throat:
Preliminary Background:
What is your age?
In my head I'm 27. The guy in the mirror looks nearly 70 (get a haircut, dude!). My passport says that neither of these is true.
What is your current academic status (student, former student, alumnus, etc.)?
Left school at 19.
(If applicable) How far along in your studies are you?
I've never studied. I was away that day when there was a lesson on How To Study.
I've never stopped learning, though.
What is (was) your major?
None.
I had a thing for maths and I'm a published poet. Go figure.
Why are (were) you in college?
I wasn't.
What are your future plans/goals?
None.
Briefly describe your family background.
Welsh father, Austrian mother. This makes me a mongrel.
Social Structures
Describe your current relationship with your family.
Distant. Like half a planet distant.
Describe your social life.
None. Unless you count sexual gratification.
But I enjoy antisocial media like this forum.
Are close relationships with friends/family important? Why or why not?
I don't do "close". Classic Aspie: IQ of 155 and no social skills.
Which is more important: the personal life or the professional life?
Neither. The cerebral life FTW.
Ontological
What is the source of power and success?
Right now, with wind searing through the gaps in the window frame and lightning smiting the ground 30 floors below me, I'd say Zeus and Thor are having a pissing contest to prove who got da power!
Regarding success... 'low expectations' is a virtue.
What is the origin of the universe?
That's an easy one.
A time traveller with a poor sense of humour.
What is the origin and destiny of humanity?
There was no first human.
It's destiny is to be a footnote in ecological history.
Is there any form of spiritual dimension of reality? If so, briefly describe it.
Nope. But there is a spiritual dimension of Ethics. It's called 'wishful thinking'.
Do incorporeal beings exist?
That's a hard one.
Please define 'being'
Please define 'exist'
Please define 'do'.
But literature exists so in that sense Gandalf exists, incorporeally.
How do you define ‘God’?
I don't. I let the cult-followers or the personal-god believers define their own. When they do, it's fairly obvious that...
How do you define ‘truth’?
A label (true/false) for a proposition for a given epistemology.
Epistemological
How do you know what is true?
I pay attention to my deception-detectors.
Is there an objective standard by virtue of which one can distinguish truth and falsity, and if so, why is it a reliable standard?
Usually, maths.
Assuming no objective truth exists, how can you correctly form and evaluate truth claims?
By assessing the validity of the epistemology. There are four major epistemological fails; if I may immodestly quote myself:
Axiology
Are morals and ethics subjective or objective?
Neither. Metrics are either subjective or objective. Morals are contextual.
How do you know right from wrong?
The spelling is different.
Can science explain the origin of moral values and concerns? How so?
Yup. The origin is as explicable as is the immune system / limbic system. A moral system is simply the cognitive version of those.
How would you describe a “good person”? A “bad person”?
It's easy to tell them apart. Look at the colour of their hats.
Also, if they belong to a criminal organisation that covers up the systematic rape of children... that's generally considered bad.
Unless you're a pope.
What would an “ideal society” look like?
China.
Do people act purely out of self-interest?
Nope. Even Paul Ryan loves his children.
What is the most important moral attribute (i.e. love, justice, equality, selflessness, etc.)? How do you define it?
Courage.
It's the only virtue that can't be faked.
What is mankind’s single biggest problem?
Mankind.
(I was tempted to go for 'womankind' but nah, it's men).
Is there a solution to this problem, and if so, what is it?
Genocide.
Mother Earth is working on that.
(February 28, 2018 at 11:46 pm)Aoi Magi Wrote: Maybe we should just compile an FAQ of sorts with links to the previous threads since the questions are pretty much the same every time, and are being posted quite frequently these days?
On TTA, we grouped them all into one section so that they could copy each other's answers.
The PURPOSE of life is to replicate our DNA ................. (from Darwin)
The MEANING of life is the experience of living ... (from Frank Herbert)
The VALUE of life is the legacy we leave behind ..... (from observation)
The MEANING of life is the experience of living ... (from Frank Herbert)
The VALUE of life is the legacy we leave behind ..... (from observation)
