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Aw, and here I was ready to give my two cents into the whole democracy vs dictatorship discussion.
Even though, my two cents aren't even my own, it's just the comments of other people that I've read about, and which I've come to agree with (I personally don't think that much on economics or politics, not my cup of tea).
My views on dictatorship
My views on democracy
Which one is easier to fix?
However, the topic I was really thinking about during my seminar these last few days is: artificial happiness.
This topic was brought up twice recently. To set the context, let's assume that there's no afterlife, souls, or anything like that to deal with, and we are just biological machines.
Emotions as chemical reactions that can be controlled.
Would it be wrong somehow to have pills that can set our mood to whatever we wanted? A way to be always blissfully happy as needed? Is it okay to manipulate our feelings like this? (and who says we aren't doing that already when we cheer-ourselves up?)
Would it be ok to become happiness-junkies?
If you could control your emotions on a whim, would you?
My own opinion.
Or that's what I think.
Even though, my two cents aren't even my own, it's just the comments of other people that I've read about, and which I've come to agree with (I personally don't think that much on economics or politics, not my cup of tea).
My views on dictatorship
My views on democracy
Which one is easier to fix?
However, the topic I was really thinking about during my seminar these last few days is: artificial happiness.
This topic was brought up twice recently. To set the context, let's assume that there's no afterlife, souls, or anything like that to deal with, and we are just biological machines.
Emotions as chemical reactions that can be controlled.
Would it be wrong somehow to have pills that can set our mood to whatever we wanted? A way to be always blissfully happy as needed? Is it okay to manipulate our feelings like this? (and who says we aren't doing that already when we cheer-ourselves up?)
Would it be ok to become happiness-junkies?
If you could control your emotions on a whim, would you?
My own opinion.
Or that's what I think.
In use of any alteration there is a need for discipline in the user to maintain what was to be maintained and remove what has to be removed (e.a. change/alteration).SK7000 said:
If you could control your emotions on a whim, would you?
Case:
I can enjoy a few drops of whiskey for a whole evening while others feel the need to chug down a liter a day. Obviously I do this for flavour and enjoy the taste while the other group enjoys the numbing effects of alcohol. Methods can have mulitple effects and changes and it us to the user to be rational about them and up to society to eduacate the masses to be able to make such a rational choice or limit those that can not.
Rant
The morality behind the questions asked by SK7000 I'm missing here. What is the big question being asked? If the answer was supposed to be binary than, Yes.
We have made this point about it before If I recall correctly I believe we managed to agree that experiencing happiness and understanding/analyzing it are linear independencies.
Considering this could we also consider forced happiness to then be self-destructive? Or would we able to make a method of some kind in which we induce happiness directly as experience by isolating that area specifically and disabling the rational component to have such an effect in the first place?
I would be interested to understand your views better and for that I believe I need to know exactly what the parameters of "induced" happiness involve.
Well, I've been thinking myself about why this question gets to me and why it seems so important.
If life's purpose where to be happy, what living is left when you can just take a pill to achieve that?
In fact, assuming we don't have to worry about earning enough money for shelter, feeding and medication, why does it rubs me the wrong way to conceive of a life that's little more than being a happy vegetable eternally hooked on a happiness-inducing drug?
"Induced happiness" is indiscernible from any other kind of happiness.
In brief, think back on your most joyous occasion in life. That moment where you couldn't feel better, that moment you cherish because, regardless of what was achieved (or how), it brought a great feeling of satisfaction with your own self. Now imagine being able to feel that great by simply taking a pill every day.
So, if you can achieve Nirvana in such an easy, accessible way, what possible motivation would there be to do anything else?
From a logical stand-point, it seems hard to say "we shouldn't do that," yet I just don't feel comfortable with the concept of living that way.
If life's purpose where to be happy, what living is left when you can just take a pill to achieve that?
In fact, assuming we don't have to worry about earning enough money for shelter, feeding and medication, why does it rubs me the wrong way to conceive of a life that's little more than being a happy vegetable eternally hooked on a happiness-inducing drug?
"Induced happiness" is indiscernible from any other kind of happiness.
In brief, think back on your most joyous occasion in life. That moment where you couldn't feel better, that moment you cherish because, regardless of what was achieved (or how), it brought a great feeling of satisfaction with your own self. Now imagine being able to feel that great by simply taking a pill every day.
So, if you can achieve Nirvana in such an easy, accessible way, what possible motivation would there be to do anything else?
From a logical stand-point, it seems hard to say "we shouldn't do that," yet I just don't feel comfortable with the concept of living that way.
I don't know if you can necessarily change your emotions at will. I don't see why you'd want to. Why would you want to make yourself angry or sad?
However, people can easily alter their emotions using a variety of natural or chemical reactions inside the body. How you feel is really only based on the chemicals being released inside of you anyway. The easiest ways to feel good physically are things like drugs or alcohol.
A healthier, but more mentally strenuous approach would be things like meditation.
Basically, how we feel is up to us. A person can change how they feel just by deciding they don't feel that way. Some people can convince themselves that they don't feel at all.
Being happy isn't something we can really measure against any accepted control. What makes me happy (which, in my case, I don't ever really GET happy) may piss someone else off. Happiness is just a concept.
However, people can easily alter their emotions using a variety of natural or chemical reactions inside the body. How you feel is really only based on the chemicals being released inside of you anyway. The easiest ways to feel good physically are things like drugs or alcohol.
A healthier, but more mentally strenuous approach would be things like meditation.
Basically, how we feel is up to us. A person can change how they feel just by deciding they don't feel that way. Some people can convince themselves that they don't feel at all.
Being happy isn't something we can really measure against any accepted control. What makes me happy (which, in my case, I don't ever really GET happy) may piss someone else off. Happiness is just a concept.
I'm going to do something .... different. And I'd like a response from anyone willing to try to see and understand my point of view. As I said before, I don't believe anyone can truly understand anothers point of view so approximations will obviously suffice.
I will attempt once more for reasons I care not to explain attempt to share my views with others. If you easily succumb to negative thoughts and feelings don't read this at all
I will attempt once more for reasons I care not to explain attempt to share my views with others. If you easily succumb to negative thoughts and feelings don't read this at all
I like it. That pretty much sums up my view on the purpose of life. As i mentioned a page back, life's purpose is only to live. We survive just so we can generate more life. beyond that our actions have no purpose. Surviving for the sake of survival.
as for your call on sociology and philosophy, all semantics i say. Is the very concept of a government not a philosophical topic? The very idea of putting a person with the same flaws and limitations as any other man in charge of a group of men is in many ways ridiculous. But i do agree we did stray pretty far from the philosophical side of it so i do agree to move on from said topic.
here's a new topic for you:
Are Security and Privacy two things which are mutually exclusive, or do they have an inverse effect upon the other?
I personally believe that the two function much like a seesaw. There can of course be a happy balance, however i always find folk who demand privacy then complain of the lack of security in regards to the things they choose to keep private.
as for your call on sociology and philosophy, all semantics i say. Is the very concept of a government not a philosophical topic? The very idea of putting a person with the same flaws and limitations as any other man in charge of a group of men is in many ways ridiculous. But i do agree we did stray pretty far from the philosophical side of it so i do agree to move on from said topic.
here's a new topic for you:
Are Security and Privacy two things which are mutually exclusive, or do they have an inverse effect upon the other?
I personally believe that the two function much like a seesaw. There can of course be a happy balance, however i always find folk who demand privacy then complain of the lack of security in regards to the things they choose to keep private.
Survival isn't even very important. Not if someone doesn't want to survive. It's not so easy sometimes. There's a lot of pain that people hide. Pain that keeps someone from really knowing another person.
I like what Mnessie said, but I'm sure he feels it's not about his words being liked or disliked. As for me, I have no philosophy. Not one to live by, anyway. I lead a wretched life, and I serve no purpose. Only to help someone emotionally every once in a blue moon.
People should do what makes them happy. They should occupy their time with the things they like. If someone is truly in need, they should be helped. If someone is sad, they should be made to feel better. If something is wrong with someone, they should be fixed. If they can't be fixed, they should be protected and as comfortable as they can possibly be.
But the things that can be helped with nurturing and care and love and affection are limited.
Security and privacy. Security is for prisons and celebrities. No network is completely secure. And privacy does not exist on the Internet. No matter what you're promised.
I like what Mnessie said, but I'm sure he feels it's not about his words being liked or disliked. As for me, I have no philosophy. Not one to live by, anyway. I lead a wretched life, and I serve no purpose. Only to help someone emotionally every once in a blue moon.
People should do what makes them happy. They should occupy their time with the things they like. If someone is truly in need, they should be helped. If someone is sad, they should be made to feel better. If something is wrong with someone, they should be fixed. If they can't be fixed, they should be protected and as comfortable as they can possibly be.
But the things that can be helped with nurturing and care and love and affection are limited.
Security and privacy. Security is for prisons and celebrities. No network is completely secure. And privacy does not exist on the Internet. No matter what you're promised.
When you people speak of medicine that can bring happiness first thing that come to my mind is placebo effect. Though it's true there is medications that stimulus our thoughts. I mean there is medications for deppression and other similiarities.
Depression medication can make you suicidal. Ironic, no? No medicine can make you HAPPY. There's medicine that can make you feel good inside. There's medicine that can help with physical pain, which will improve your mood. There's even medicine to make people think or behave more normally.
While there is medication for depression, it's not supposed to make you HAPPY. It's supposed to make you feel less chronically shitty. I hear pot can lighten someone's mood. But there's nothing you can just ingest and instantly become happy.
While there is medication for depression, it's not supposed to make you HAPPY. It's supposed to make you feel less chronically shitty. I hear pot can lighten someone's mood. But there's nothing you can just ingest and instantly become happy.
Ah Emmy, that's why my question was for an hypothetical case. I didn't say we have happiness-inducing drugs, I was just wondering what would be the consequences if we actually got there, and such became easily accessible to people.
My life philosophy. Or is it my philosophy about life philosophies?
@Bringerof_D: About privacy versus security: See, there is a relationship here, in my opinion. Privacy is required by the people who want to attack your safety, or else their plans will be stopped before coming into action. Thus, absolute security requires complete awareness of everybody's thoughts and actions.
My life philosophy. Or is it my philosophy about life philosophies?
@Bringerof_D: About privacy versus security: See, there is a relationship here, in my opinion. Privacy is required by the people who want to attack your safety, or else their plans will be stopped before coming into action. Thus, absolute security requires complete awareness of everybody's thoughts and actions.
If there was a drug that could produce happiness and clarity within the human mind I would take it everyday religiously.
Mnessie
11 months agoPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.
Sociology is the scientific study of society.[1] It is a social science (a term with which it is sometimes synonymous) which uses various methods of empirical investigation[2] and critical analysis[3] to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity.
Democracy VS Dictatorship is Sociology not Philosophy!
Talking about hitler in this context is aimed at history and the question of proper system of government is sociology .
As I said before. I won't ask anyone to stop talking but don't say it is not off topic when it so obviously is from the fact I stopped talking about it.