|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2005 1:22 pm
Now, this isn't yet another matrix-indulged thread on "what's real" or anything about knowledge per say, mind you. No, this isn't something that has been haunting my mind for quite some time now.
How much do we really know about the world? Sure, we've all read whatever is there to be read about the earth and the sky, but we haven't witnessed 1% of any of our knowledge about the world, about societies or anything else.
And hell, I don't even know if you people out there are real after all. Maybe you're just thousands of gaian bots programmed to interact with me.
I mean, as far as I know, the earth is flat and is 4,000,000 km² in size (longest distance I have travelled. In fact, I have no way of to prove said distace either. And enough parenthesis). For all I know, the US is a completely made up TV shows and movies subject. The show is having a high rating now too, with all that war on terror saga. Real controversical. That's good television.
Makes me wonder how much of what I know is actually true. Want an example? The invention of the airplane. Here in Brazil we're taught that Santos Dumont, a brazilian man of french heritage invented the first airplane, while the US believe it was actually done by the Wright brothers.
And there's always the things that I don't even have absolute sure about. Namely, creation theatories. Hell, the evolution theory sounds goddamn reasonable to me, but what if the farity tale is true and man actually first came from a puddle of mud™ and the first woman from a spare rib?
So, enlighten me. Am I just being unfoundingly paranoid? Have you ever thought the same? Are we really doomed to never confirming most of the things we've been taught?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2005 3:16 pm
To be quite honest, the fact that I don't know a damn thing has been proven to me again and again. So I just take it for granted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 2:48 pm
Setting aside some of my more strange personal philosophies, knowledge is relative, like most things. People compose their worldview in a manner that makes sense to them. Whether or not it is 'right' or 'wrong' relative to another worldview shouldn't be the issue. So long as it helps that person navigate and survive in life, it is serving its need. So regardless of what a person thinks they know or does know, so long as it serves, it is all one needs. If the person includes as a need the expansion of knowledge, that's an extra.
Course... I'm not sure I agree with anything I just said. Probably because I think ultimately it's relative anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 10:27 pm
A few weeks ago, I was walking through the campus of a local college with a couple friends when I mentioned I might attend to psychology there a few years from now. Right there, a friend of mine said "Really? You'd be in the building right next to the one I'm gonna go to. The suicide building". When I asked why was it called like that, he told me that's how screwed up many people got while philosophizing around there at night.
I didn't at the time, but today I think I kind of get them. After realizing all that on the first post, I thought, what the hell am I doing here anyway? I can't change the world. Not that I particularly want to, but it doesn't make a difference whether I'm here or there, doing this or that. How messed up is that?
BUT luckily for me, I'm no idealist. I'm no visionary. I don't give a s**t. Life is swell.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 7:53 am
MightyHikaru A few weeks ago, I was walking through the campus of a local college with a couple friends when I mentioned I might attend to psychology there a few years from now. Right there, a friend of mine said "Really? You'd be in the building right next to the one I'm gonna go to. The building". When I asked why was it called like that, he told me that's how screwed up many people got while philosophizing around there at night. I didn't at the time, but today I think I kind of get them. After realizing all that on the first post, I thought, what the hell am I doing here anyway? I can't change the world. Not that I particularly want to, but it doesn't make a difference whether I'm here or there, doing this or that. How messed up is that? BUT luckily for me, I'm no idealist. I'm no visionary. I don't give a . Life is swell. Excellent outlook. Personally, I used to think I had a crappy life...then it was proven to me that I didn't. I used to dislike myself because I didn't know what I had then...now I dislike the world for taking what I had from me.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:50 pm
Pesonally, I think you're trying to understand everything too much. I don't think it really matters what's out there. All you need to understand is what's directly around you, and how it effects you. Not why it's there or how it came to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 6:21 pm
Tyl0r Pesonally, I think you're trying to understand everything too much. I don't think it really matters what's out there. All you need to understand is what's directly around you, and how it effects you. Not why it's there or how it came to be. But, then we wouldn't be philosophizing, now would we?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 6:52 am
Starlock Setting aside some of my more strange personal philosophies, knowledge is relative, like most things. People compose their worldview in a manner that makes sense to them. Whether or not it is 'right' or 'wrong' relative to another worldview shouldn't be the issue. So long as it helps that person navigate and survive in life, it is serving its need. So regardless of what a person thinks they know or does know, so long as it serves, it is all one needs. If the person includes as a need the expansion of knowledge, that's an extra. Course... I'm not sure I agree with anything I just said. Probably because I think ultimately it's relative anyway. I have a similar idea of life. There is no 'absolute truth', so to speak, that a living, conscious being can comprehend (Assuming there is no God, which I will not attempt to prove no matter what you say. It's an assumption). Knowledge, and, in turn, truth, is relative. A single person's truth may differ considerably from the truth of the masses, but both are still truth, simply because it's impossible to prove anything without some sort of assumption of truth, which in turn cannot be proved to be true. God, I just confused the hell out of myself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:06 am
Corrupt Harmony Starlock Setting aside some of my more strange personal philosophies, knowledge is relative, like most things. People compose their worldview in a manner that makes sense to them. Whether or not it is 'right' or 'wrong' relative to another worldview shouldn't be the issue. So long as it helps that person navigate and survive in life, it is serving its need. So regardless of what a person thinks they know or does know, so long as it serves, it is all one needs. If the person includes as a need the expansion of knowledge, that's an extra. Course... I'm not sure I agree with anything I just said. Probably because I think ultimately it's relative anyway. I have a similar idea of life. There is no 'absolute truth', so to speak, that a living, conscious being can comprehend (Assuming there is no God, which I will not attempt to prove no matter what you say. It's an assumption). Knowledge, and, in turn, truth, is relative. A single person's truth may differ considerably from the truth of the masses, but both are still truth, simply because it's impossible to prove anything without some sort of assumption of truth, which in turn cannot be proved to be true. God, I just confused the hell out of myself. Actually, absolute truth can't be understood by any living being, even if there is a God. Trying to understand God is like trying to comprehend some of the things born in the mind of H. P. Lovecraft, I swear it. Anyone here tried to read The Call of Cthulhu recently? But, as a response to your confusion...are you saying that truth cannot be proven true, on the simple basis that truth, in and of itself, doesn't exist? I'd tend to agree with that, even though thinking of the implications of it is quite disturbing...imagine a world where existence was based on personal reality. Nothing about you would be certain...things you think that only you know about yourself...someone else "knowing" something about you could change anything. Suppose someone decided one day that you were bald. Imagine that. There are so many other possibilities that scare the hell out of me...but this is a thinking forum, and there are ladies present, so I won't go there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2005 2:04 pm
Well... Douglas Adams did say something that if someone found the answer and question, the whole reality would be replaced with something even more incomprehensable...
MightyHikaru... have you compared life somewhat to an RPG? I mean seriously... (and yes, I recognize the difference between real and games... but hear this out.)
1. Sometimes it feels like I'm just traveling around... and hitting triggers for certain things to happen. As simple as talking to someone to going through a string of events for one thing to occur... it's almost like making plots move.
2. People I talk to, some could be compared to NPCs. What I mean is that my friends are like "party members" that could come with. Sometimes, I feel like thinking that I'm just one... and that the story interpreted by me (aka life) currently has something else going, with me involved.
3. Only has one other person I have talked with as a friend even thought to bring up the "other people are NPCs?" question. He didn't phrase it like that... but like "Do you ever wonder if other people have thoughts, think different things and such?" It's hard to fathom what every single person is thinking...
I can compare. I have been to Japan and back before I was 5, and I remember some things about it... but I recall not being able to see out the window. It was blackness... so, if your view was used... there could have been nothing, and it was just a "transistion" from one actual location to another. sweatdrop
Sometimes I feel like I have to trigger something, or sometimes I have been sidetracked and do multiple things before doing what I originally planned. Like... going to get a drink, I'm told to walk the dog. I go walking the dog, let her out the back after coming back, and then I end up doing something else. That task then leads to being asked something else... and eventually I go and get my drink that I had come out of my room for.
Of course... the norm would be never to think of such things, because it'sn't how things are. You assume that there isn't anything to life... assume that the other person you talk with is actually there...
Because, well... technically there is at least one other out there that is possibly thinking that you, MightyHikaru, are an "NPC" that interacts...
Most namely, I think sometimes there are programs that are logins, and just maybe their purpose is to annoy. (From other threads... I have seen the same people in the same types of threads with almost the exact same post by them. It's... akward and many things I simply can't explain in words. gonk )
By posting this... I guess I risk the fact that people will see me as "sane". Then again... what is sane when you think that maybe you are going insane because you "know" that others never would think this? It's a scary thing. sad
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 12:04 am
aaarhus Well... Douglas Adams did say something that if someone found the answer and question, the whole reality would be replaced with something even more incomprehensable... MightyHikaru... have you compared life somewhat to an RPG? I mean seriously... (and yes, I recognize the difference between real and games... but hear this out.) 1. Sometimes it feels like I'm just traveling around... and hitting triggers for certain things to happen. As simple as talking to someone to going through a string of events for one thing to occur... it's almost like making plots move. 2. People I talk to, some could be compared to NPCs. What I mean is that my friends are like "party members" that could come with. Sometimes, I feel like thinking that I'm just one... and that the story interpreted by me (aka life) currently has something else going, with me involved. 3. Only has one other person I have talked with as a friend even thought to bring up the "other people are NPCs?" question. He didn't phrase it like that... but like "Do you ever wonder if other people have thoughts, think different things and such?" It's hard to fathom what every single person is thinking... I can compare. I have been to Japan and back before I was 5, and I remember some things about it... but I recall not being able to see out the window. It was blackness... so, if your view was used... there could have been nothing, and it was just a "transistion" from one actual location to another. sweatdrop Sometimes I feel like I have to trigger something, or sometimes I have been sidetracked and do multiple things before doing what I originally planned. Like... going to get a drink, I'm told to walk the dog. I go walking the dog, let her out the back after coming back, and then I end up doing something else. That task then leads to being asked something else... and eventually I go and get my drink that I had come out of my room for. Of course... the norm would be never to think of such things, because it'sn't how things are. You assume that there isn't anything to life... assume that the other person you talk with is actually there... Because, well... technically there is at least one other out there that is possibly thinking that you, MightyHikaru, are an "NPC" that interacts... Most namely, I think sometimes there are programs that are logins, and just maybe their purpose is to annoy. (From other threads... I have seen the same people in the same types of threads with almost the exact same post by them. It's... akward and many things I simply can't explain in words. gonk ) By posting this... I guess I risk the fact that people will see me as "sane". Then again... what is sane when you think that maybe you are going insane because you "know" that others never would think this? It's a scary thing. sad Well, that wasn't my intention, but that's an interesting analogy. A bit more radical that my personal views, I might add. The thing is, I'm not denying the existance of everything else I haven't personally witnessed. I'm questioning it. I don't think if you all out there are just NPCs interacting with me, that I'm being constantly watched or that nothing that I know is actually true -- I just don't know any of that, and never will for sure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:50 pm
MightyHikaru Well, that wasn't my intention, but that's an interesting analogy. A bit more radical that my personal views, I might add. The thing is, I'm not denying the existance of everything else I haven't personally witnessed. I'm questioning it. I don't think if you all out there are just NPCs interacting with me, that I'm being constantly watched or that nothing that I know is actually true -- I just don't know any of that, and never will for sure. Hmm... I guess I need to sort of try to explain... I'm not saying it's being denied... just that you can question it, and never really know. For example... a trick in games is to not have anything you can't see written... to cut on things like processing and such. The information is still there... but since you can't see the things say, behind you in a game, it's not going to bother attempting to show them until you look. With that said... I'm currently sitting in my room. The door is closed, my window blinds are shut... and I'm the only one here in the room. I could look out the window, see things there... but when I don't look, who is to say what happens? I don't know what happens if I don't look... so if it were a game... nothing would currently be there. I can't see the rest of the house, so logically if it was true things not seen weren't rendered... the only thing in existance to me would be my room. Sound though... who said you couldn't have background noise with the absense of sight? (It's just an extreme of what my dad called "reality bubbles", where the interpreted reality of an individual is a bubble. Goes to say that two people with contact physically share this interpretation, and the contents "mix".) About whether we are all bots or not... I could just say I know I'm not... but you wouldn't know that until you were to meet me. I know my friends on here are there... but there have been times I have wondered if it was them. Maybe someone else... but one usually assumes that the owner of the account is the player as well. ninja (I'm... not sure if what I'm saying is making sense. I'm probably making a fool of myself as well. sweatdrop ... hmm...)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:39 am
nothing i know nothing except my own personal delusions that i have constructed from the dawn of humanity, but that means s**t still
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:22 pm
aaarhus Well... Douglas Adams did say something that if someone found the answer and question, the whole reality would be replaced with something even more incomprehensable... Yeah, and he also said that it had already happened. I tend to agree with that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:24 pm
nothing i've known that and excepted it for some time now.
and no one else really knows anything either. i tried explaining that to my friend he just didn't understand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
