(April 30, 2018 at 10:27 am)LadyForCamus Wrote:(April 30, 2018 at 9:29 am)Transcended Dimensions Wrote: Well, you can forget about that if you want. Besides, it was just a metaphor anyway. Instead, let me just say this. Here is an exercise I would want other people to perform. This would actually be a great example for people who take psychedelic drugs. If a person took a psychedelic drug and experienced the most profoundly beautiful bliss of his life, then he might report that it was a profoundly beautiful experience that was out of this world. If that same person later struggled with the worst misery of his life and did something with his life such as being there for his family or contributing to the world despite that horrible misery, then he might report that this was also a profoundly beautiful experience in his life even though he was unable to feel positive emotions.
I would want that person to actually think twice here. In other words, I would want him to compare the two mental states. If he pays close attention, then he should come to realize that mental state #2 (his intellectual/moral based values) is literally nothing compared to mental state #1 (the profoundly beautiful bliss he felt from being on that psychedelic drug). Once he discovers this, then this should reveal that positive emotions are the real perception of value while our intellect, character, and morality alone is not the real perception of value.
But if he still says to me that mental state #2 is the real perception of value in his life and that it's something far greater than mental state #1, then I have no way of knowing whether he is delusional and in denial or if he really is telling the truth. I am not inside his mind and I can't experience what he is experiencing to find out. As for me, I have payed attention to my mental states and, for me, my positive emotions are the real perception of beauty and joy while my intellect is not.
One last thing here. I don't think that both mental state #1 and mental state #2 are the real perception of value. Only one mental state can be the real perception of value and I think it's mental state #1 (the positive emotions along with the negative emotions since they allow us to perceive bad value). By the way. Perceiving and experiencing are the same thing. If you perceive the color red, then you are experiencing the color red and vice versa. So, when you perceive value, you are experiencing value and vice versa. Another example would be, if you experience hunger and thirst, then you are perceiving hunger and thirst and vice versa.
And I would like you to address the points and objections that I and others have made with regards to your OP, but you’re clearly not interested in doing that. That’s how this works, you know. You present your argument, your interlocutor responds to the specific premises they disagree with, and then you respond to those specific objections. That’s called, a discussion. You should try it some time. Maybe you would find fewer condescending memes posted in your threads that way.
I think I have addressed those objections. This seems to be a problem when it comes to debates and discussions. One person claims that their objections have not been addressed while the other person claims that they did address these objections. Also, I know my worldview/philosophy is like a religion. But I am actually undecided when it comes to the existence of god, the paranormal, and the afterlife. If it's the case that these things do exist, then my worldview would apply in the form of a spiritual belief or religion.
But, if we live in a universe where those things do not exist (i.e. a purely naturalistic universe), then my worldview would still apply. But it would take on a secular form. I would describe the religious form of my worldview to be Spiritual Hedonism, Divine Hedonism, or New Age Hedonism since it would be the hedonistic philosophy taking on a spiritual/religious form.
But hedonism in a purely naturalistic universe would simply be hedonism. By the way, hedonism is a philosophy which states that pleasure (the positive emotions) are the only good things in life and that displeasure (the negative emotions) are the only bad things in life. So, according to hedonism, the only way our lives can be good and beautiful is if we are having fun, enjoying our lives, and experiencing profound beauty and joy through our positive emotions.
