Plato2
|
PhilosophyHey, it's me, and where has everyone gone? Oh well, anyway today I am talking about my hobby of philosophy. After reading "Atlas Shrugged", I started to wonder about different schools of philosophic thought. It occurred to me that there are only two basic types of philosophy. Since all philosophy is based on an axiom (starting thought), then there are as many types of philosophy as there are axioms. As far as I can see, there are only two basic axioms. A philosopher's starting thought is either that they do exist or they don't. From there, all branches of philosophy are spawned.
While it is perfectly valid to assume that one does not exist, I can't help but wonder if assuming that one does not exist is worth the effort. If one assumes that they don't exist, then that person is in rebellion against the basic belief of humanity. Human beings function in a world that makes that basic assumption that people exist. So any writting on non-existence will be hard pressed to change the way people think. Anyone who thinks that no one actually exists will find themselves surrounded by people who believe exactly the opposite. From that starting point, is any work on non-existence even worth the trouble?
I believe the reason non-existence philosophy never became widely accepted is because of all the unpleasant questions it raises. If one does not exist and all life is an illusion, is there any incentive to do anything at all? If everything one does is fake and will have no effect on anything that exists, then why even wake up in the morning? Making the assumption that one does not exist begs the question of why one doesn't just commit suicide and end this farcical unreality?
Life is good. This is not some corny phrase, it is a statement of fact. Life gives people the ultimate option to try and change their fate. No matter how waited the circumstances, their is always some aspect of control one has over one's own life. This is why life is preferible to death. While life offers almost limitless options, death is one option and a very permanent one.
If the non-existence belief is correct, then why don't we all commit suicide? Well, because even if life is an illusion, it is a pleasent one. And if by living in an illusion offers one the choices of an actual existence, then living in the non-reality has as much meaning as a reality. So in the end, while making the assumption that one does not exist is a valid axiom, the implications of such a thought are devastating. Please, choose life over the finality of death.
_______________________________________
 Indecision is the key to flexibility.
|
Nerameshu
|
Good job Plato! Only two grammatical mistakes! lol
Though it interests me, I'm not big into philosophy, but it seems like the people whose axiom is that they don't exist believe sometimes that they simply live in the dream of another person. After all, how can a nonexistant person have any effect on another person, wether they exist or not?
|
Kayko Sagouro
|
hm, that reminds me of a thought that i had a while back: We are all connected. Through the actions you commit today, you are affecting someone you don't even know. If one person knows ten people, then those ten people know ten more, and so on and so forth. That way, someone that lives in say, Alaska, is connected, whether knowingly or not, to someone in say, Australia.
I don't know about you guys, but i think it's kind of unnerving...
|
|
|
|