A little bit of a personal crisis

[Simon Moon]

So, basically with SilentVex, we have an atheist but not a critical thinker. Which us fine, as long as he understands that he really does not have a good reason for 'Aether' and a 'soul that continues after we die' beliefs.

"Personal thoughts, feelings, and soul searching. That sort of thing" is not a path to truth. Whatever conclusion that is derived from this method is most likely wrong. And even if somehow he did happen on the truth, how would he test it? How would he verify that his feelings actually coincided with reality?

.

[Violet]

There is no path to truth. There is only what you believe, and what you do not believe, as you walk in your world. The truth is meaningless to you, but the illusions will have meanings abound.

As for testing... Vex could always embrace Silence. I'd rather they died for me, but ehh... I'll take a soul when it's offered.

[Simon Moon]

There is no path to truth. There is only what you believe, and what you do not believe, as you walk in your world. The truth is meaningless to you, but the illusions will have meanings abound.

Sure there is a path to truth, or at least a path to what is likely to be true. That is a method that follows demonstrable evidence, reasoned argument and valid/sound logic.

Do you disagree that using the above method is the most reliable method to use to assure your beliefs map accurately reality?

The truth is extremely meaningful to me. I care whether my beliefs are true, or at least likely to be true. I also want to eliminate from my mind as many false beliefs as possible.

Truth is not subjective. Are you one of those people that thinks that everyone has 'their own truth'?

As for testing... Vex could always embrace Silence.

A great method for meditation, and the advantages that come from that.

A bad method to test if an existential claim is true.

If embracing silence told someone it is true that they can fly, would you let them jump off a high building?

I'd rather they died for me, but ehh... I'll take a soul when it's offered.

Not sure what this means?

[ignoramus]

To the OP.
We all have weird thoughts and pet theories.
I try to convince myself every other week of a different reason of why we exist!
In the end, I DO realise that they are just wishful thinking.
Why? Because if I cannot prove it , then it is obvious that it exists in my head only.

It seems to me that you are having trouble letting go of the (afterlife) remnants from being religious, and trying to fill the void with a more technical (godless) answer.
This doesn't make it any more real, my friend.

Also, to still say things like "deep down inside", still tells me that you haven't shrugged of the "mysterious soul" notion.

I believe you are half way there. The final step to being an atheist, is to accept science and discard all else. This means not filling in the god gaps with other unfalsifiable ideas. Also you mentioned that you cannot believe in a god who is so fucked up.

I will hazard a guess and say that you may still be inclined to believe in a god like entity if "god" wasn't so fucked up....
I don't think you want to dispell god just yet, just the bible version.

[Violet]

Sure there is a path to truth, or at least a path to what is likely to be true. That is a method that follows demonstrable evidence, reasoned argument and valid/sound logic.

There are only paths to what seem true to you. Demonstrability, argument, and logic... meet subjectivity, sensibility, and circuity. You convince yourself that you know what is, when all of that is only your confidence... you know many things, and to you these are true.

But to the universe, you know only facsimile.

Do you disagree that using the above method is the most reliable method to use to assure your beliefs map accurately reality?

Reliable here and now? Perhaps. So reliable there, or yonder? So reliable then, or later? Perhaps not.

And really, how would you know? You are so small, insignificant... on a speck within a speck you are but a speck. What you know, and what is, are the difference between your reality, and reality.

The truth is extremely meaningful to me. I care whether my beliefs are true, or at least likely to be true. I also want to eliminate from my mind as many false beliefs as possible.

Then... what is 'the truth', and how could I possibly understand it? I am myself so small as you, and the closer I come to understanding the nature of all: the further I am from understanding the true nature of all.

All things are true... somewhere, somewhen, someone... somewhat, if something somehow is not true HERE or NOW or THIS... it is true THERE or THEN or THAT.

That which we see is not that which is ultimately, unless we happen to be incredibly lucky such to see truth though it be utterly imperceptible to us.

Truth is not subjective. Are you one of those people that thinks that everyone has 'their own truth'?

Everything is true. It cannot be any other way, assuming logic be the way we believe. Even should everything constitute nothing whatsoever, it would STILL be true, because everything exists. Everything must be for any something to be.

Everyone believes they have their own truth, whether they believe that truth applies to others or only to them. I understand the limitations of a sensing being... and we have no more an understanding of the objective universe than a microbe would have of our intersubjective one.

And that... is certainly true, whether or not it convinces you.

A great method for meditation, and the advantages that come from that.

A bad method to test if an existential claim is true.

If embracing silence told someone it is true that they can fly, would you let them jump off a high building?

Embracing silence would likely involve such a jump, and ultimately, Vex is right, to an extent. We are made of star stuff... and when we go to rot, other beings are made of us.

Vex fails to understand that it isn't about one spirit coming together in reincarnation... it is of a universe that is ONE, and shall always be ONE. The differences that we see, individuality... illusory.

Not sure what this means?

It means I appreciate my collection, and enjoy boasting to other Deadgods.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Hello everyone, names Vex and uhm, I'm having a little bit of an, I guess you could call it an identity crisis. I'm hoping the lovely folks out there could help me a little bit with this.

I'll start off by saying I 100% do not believe in a god or any powerful deity/supreme being. However I do have beliefs that don't involve a god of any sort.

I believe that all of life is comprised of energy, Aether, and when we die it flows into essentially this grand Life stream of aether spanning all of existence, more specifically Earth. When we die we rejoin the complete stream, and remain for a variable length of time until returning to earth in some form, be it human, animal, plant, etc. When we die again we join up with our complete set of aether and basically remember everything of our past lives, and eventually are reborn and come back through the infinite march of time. This cycle of rebirth is an Aetherflow.

Recap: All of life composes Aether that follows an individual Aetherflow that goes from one life to the Lifestream and back.

This being said, some of my friends and I are not quite certain if my Aether beliefs make me distinctly *not* an atheist, or if my lack of belief in a deity is all that is required to be able to appropriately and logically use that term to describe myself. Or if it's really up to me.

Your thoughts?

YOu may or may not be atheist. You certainly are not evidence-based.

[Simon Moon]

If you do not believe that there is an objective reality that humans have a chance to discover, then we may have nothing more to discuss.

Here 3 examples of things that I think are objective truths:

1. Existence exists.
2. The logical absolutes are true.
3 A physical universe exists.

Here's a thought experiment:

Imagine a universe identical to this one with the exception that there are no conscious minds to observe it. The above 3 things still exist in that universe.

Sure there is a path to truth, or at least a path to what is likely to be true. That is a method that follows demonstrable evidence, reasoned argument and valid/sound logic.

There are only paths to what seem true to you. Demonstrability, argument, and logic... meet subjectivity, sensibility, and circuity. You convince yourself that you know what is, when all of that is only your confidence... you know many things, and to you these are true.

But to the universe, you know only facsimile.

Do you disagree that using the above method is the most reliable method to use to assure your beliefs map accurately reality?

Reliable here and now? Perhaps. So reliable there, or yonder? So reliable then, or later? Perhaps not.

And really, how would you know? You are so small, insignificant... on a speck within a speck you are but a speck. What you know, and what is, are the difference between your reality, and reality.

The truth is extremely meaningful to me. I care whether my beliefs are true, or at least likely to be true. I also want to eliminate from my mind as many false beliefs as possible.

Then... what is 'the truth', and how could I possibly understand it? I am myself so small as you, and the closer I come to understanding the nature of all: the further I am from understanding the true nature of all.

All things are true... somewhere, somewhen, someone... somewhat, if something somehow is not true HERE or NOW or THIS... it is true THERE or THEN or THAT.

That which we see is not that which is ultimately, unless we happen to be incredibly lucky such to see truth though it be utterly imperceptible to us.

Truth is not subjective. Are you one of those people that thinks that everyone has 'their own truth'?

Everything is true. It cannot be any other way, assuming logic be the way we believe. Even should everything constitute nothing whatsoever, it would STILL be true, because everything exists. Everything must be for any something to be.

Everyone believes they have their own truth, whether they believe that truth applies to others or only to them. I understand the limitations of a sensing being... and we have no more an understanding of the objective universe than a microbe would have of our intersubjective one.

And that... is certainly true, whether or not it convinces you.

A great method for meditation, and the advantages that come from that.

A bad method to test if an existential claim is true.

If embracing silence told someone it is true that they can fly, would you let them jump off a high building?

Embracing silence would likely involve such a jump, and ultimately, Vex is right, to an extent. We are made of star stuff... and when we go to rot, other beings are made of us.

Vex fails to understand that it isn't about one spirit coming together in reincarnation... it is of a universe that is ONE, and shall always be ONE. The differences that we see, individuality... illusory.

Not sure what this means?

It means I appreciate my collection, and enjoy boasting to other Deadgods.

[Violet]

If you do not believe that there is an objective reality that humans have a chance to discover, then we may have nothing more to discuss.

Why would humanity ever discover the reality that is all realities? That reality would not apply to them unless they lived in all realities.

A curiosity: why do you feel they've a need to understand the indivisible all?

Here 3 examples of things that I think are objective truths:

1. Existence exists.
2. The logical absolutes are true.
3 A physical universe exists.

1. Under A=A, A!=!=A, A/!=A... necessarily true.
2. This is the entire crux of our intersubjective world. It is irrelevant objectively.
3. Why does it have to be 'physical'? What does that even mean?

Here's a thought experiment:

Imagine a universe identical to this one with the exception that there are no conscious minds to observe it. The above 3 things still exist in that universe.

The second and third are particularly debatable... hence: metaphysical mental masturbation.

Not that it matters much, since the universe has been around only since last Thursday, and is a low-class video game akin to our 'The Sims' for a sentient race to which our "logic" applies to no more than "magic" does to us.

At least, that was the dream as of ten seconds from now.

[Mr Greene]

Lifestream? Last I checked it was called the nutrient cycle.
If you're going to waffle on about some spiritual brain fart you need a term other than 'energy'.