The Purpose of Life

Brayton · December 11, 2008, 11:10pm

[quote]Vicomte wrote:

In a situation where there are only two possibilities about which one knows absolutely nothing, logic dictates they are both equally likely. quote]

I’m not sure I understand your reasoning here. In a situation where there are two possibilities about which one knows absolutely nothing, logic does not dictate anything at all. Logic has nothing to do with your ignorance or lack thereof.

I think what you mean to say is that in a situation where there are only two possibilities about which one knows nothing, then a claim on either side is EQUALLY VALID. Equally valid in the sense that neither belief has anything going for them, so they’re on equal footing.

But that certainly does not imply that there’s a 50-50 chance and they’re equally likely. The nature of the world determines what is likely about it, not the ignorance or wisdom of its inhabitants.

That_One_Guy · December 11, 2008, 11:31pm

[quote]Brayton wrote:
Vicomte wrote:

In a situation where there are only two possibilities about which one knows absolutely nothing, logic dictates they are both equally likely. quote]

I’m not sure I understand your reasoning here. In a situation where there are two possibilities about which one knows absolutely nothing, logic does not dictate anything at all. Logic has nothing to do with your ignorance or lack thereof.

I think what you mean to say is that in a situation where there are only two possibilities about which one knows nothing, then a claim on either side is EQUALLY VALID. Equally valid in the sense that neither belief has anything going for them, so they’re on equal footing.

But that certainly does not imply that there’s a 50-50 chance and they’re equally likely. The nature of the world determines what is likely about it, not the ignorance or wisdom of its inhabitants.[/quote]

I like to use an argument of this type with people who take the side of the debate (for instance) for the Christian God. They say they are sure that the other gods and religions are wrong, but I tell them that they’re god is just as likely of existing as Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy.

So how can they say the Greek gods didn’t exist, yet their god is The god with absolute certainty?

detazathoth · December 12, 2008, 12:05am

God Damn you Vicomte , you said my arguement before me!

Makavali · December 12, 2008, 1:40am

The purpose of life is to put in in her pooper.

Ace_Rimmer · December 12, 2008, 3:48am

[quote]Makavali wrote:
The purpose of life is to put in in her pooper.[/quote]

I believe the correct parlance is 'STICK it in her pooper.Nevertheless,sir,this was the finest post I have had the pleasure of reading recently.
I salute you.

Makavali · December 12, 2008, 9:15am

I lied. The purpose of life is to show it to her. And THEN stick it in her pooper. While squatting.

While drinking a gallon of milk.

Brown_Lifter · December 12, 2008, 4:39am

[quote]Neuromancer wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
And I still say tortoises suck hard on a metaphysical donkey dick.

Turtles FTW!

Heretic!!![/quote]

“Oh, a very useful philosophical animal, your average tortoise. Outrunning metaphorical arrows, beating hares in races… very handy.”

That_One_Guy · December 12, 2008, 6:05am

[quote]Brown_Lifter wrote:
Neuromancer wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
And I still say tortoises suck hard on a metaphysical donkey dick.

Turtles FTW!

Heretic!!!

“Oh, a very useful philosophical animal, your average tortoise. Outrunning metaphorical arrows, beating hares in races… very handy.”[/quote]

I love those little theorems and paradoxes. A couple of weeks ago I came across them in a google search but I forgot the name of them =(. Care to give a name-drop?

I especially enjoyed the one about never being able to get from point A to point B paradox, I liked that one.

The_Bambino · December 12, 2008, 7:16am

[quote]Vicomte wrote:

Vicomte wrote:
Camus was the most down-to-earth, in my opinion.

[/quote]

Huge fan. Have read all his stuff. Twice.

Vicomte · December 12, 2008, 9:53am

[quote]Brayton wrote:
Vicomte wrote:

In a situation where there are only two possibilities about which one knows absolutely nothing, logic dictates they are both equally likely. quote]

I’m not sure I understand your reasoning here. In a situation where there are two possibilities about which one knows absolutely nothing, logic does not dictate anything at all. Logic has nothing to do with your ignorance or lack thereof.

I think what you mean to say is that in a situation where there are only two possibilities about which one knows nothing, then a claim on either side is EQUALLY VALID. Equally valid in the sense that neither belief has anything going for them, so they’re on equal footing.

But that certainly does not imply that there’s a 50-50 chance and they’re equally likely. The nature of the world determines what is likely about it, not the ignorance or wisdom of its inhabitants.[/quote]

Since we cannot absolutely know one way or another, it’s not ignorance so much as a condition of the mathematics. If there is an actual, absolute, correct answer, seeing as there is no way of knowing it, from any given two choices they must be equally true. I understand what you’re saying, but you’re assuming there is a right answer that we just don’t know. I’m assuming that because we can never know the answer (at least in our present state), that ignorance is a law of the argument, not a variable. If that makes sense.

Like Schroedinger’s cat, only you aren’t given the option to look in the box, ever. Remove the possibility of your intervention(because your intervention is impossible) and both options are not only equally likely, but they must be equally true, as there is no absolute truth to be gained no matter how much time passes. It’s parity by default.

Make any sense?

Vicomte · December 12, 2008, 9:56am

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
God Damn you Vicomte , you said my arguement before me!

[/quote]

Yeah, but I bet you didn’t have that bit with the abyss and the balloons.

It’s not like anything I’ve said hasn’t been said before, I’m sure.

detazathoth · December 12, 2008, 2:24pm

[quote]DickBag wrote:
THE_CLAMP_DOWN wrote:

This is philosophy. There are no definates. No rights. No wrongs. Deal with it.

practise what you preache, whos to say there is no wrongs or rights?? this is “philosphy”

and you actually are backing up my point in this post of yours.

there are rights and wrongs, its wrong to think the earth is flat, it was wrong for jj thompson to say the atom was like a plumb pudding with electrons bedded into it at random.

some things are just wrong, CLEARY wrong. elitaballa cant squat 500 pounds, for him to give advice on how to squat 500 pounds in just 3 months would be very wrong. for me to teache arabic to students would be wrong, because i dont know arabic.

for someone to say “we are here to reproduce, nothing more”
as if it were a fact is wrong.

stating facts is a Privilege for people who know. otherwise, uneducated billy joe from the country should be allowed to run his mouth about everything and anything, regardless of how racist, or sexist he is.

the take home message in my original post, was have an open mind, because you really just don’t know what your talking about. Neither did JJ Thompson.

Deal with it, clamp down. next time you get a question from someone, have a bit of respect and reply to it, instead of replying indirectly to someone elses post about the same point.

snob[/quote]

Thank you Hume

; )

detazathoth · December 12, 2008, 2:27pm

[quote]Vicomte wrote:
detazathoth wrote:
God Damn you Vicomte , you said my arguement before me!

Yeah, but I bet you didn’t have that bit with the abyss and the balloons.

It’s not like anything I’ve said hasn’t been said before, I’m sure.[/quote]

Agreed, that was nice image you have there.

THE_CLAMP_DOWN · December 12, 2008, 3:16pm