Your life repeated forever
- Burning ghost
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Your life repeated forever
We should live our lives as if we will have to live them over and over again for "eternity".
How would this view of life help you live a good life and how may it lead to you living a bad life - please, no dancing around the concepts of "good" and "bad" you all get the gist of what is meant here. Also, note this is not a case of believing this will be so only a means of comporting yourself in life and living it to the full.
For me I really do like this thought. For example it works in one way because it makes me want to make my life interesting and full of diverse experiences that I would be more than willing to live over and over again. It also seems to counteract the pull of hedonism, because generally any hedonistic act suffering consequences, so the wisdom must be applied in life rather than seeking out mere ephemeral pleasures that will likely lead to deep distresses later on in life. So here there is both a reason to expand my field of interest and yet do so with moderation; which then speaks to me that life is essentially about exploration and expansion, both physically and mentally.
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Re: Your life repeated forever
The proof of this comes from the general theme of "hedonism bad, wisdom good" which I find a little ironic because I actually think a life of hedonism would be better suited for this. Why would I want to experience new things and spend my time contemplating things - knowing full well these new experiences won't be new every other time I live through them, why spend time seeking knowledge and wisdom - just to have to relive the process of thinking through the same stuff over and over again. Hedonism on the other hand, often feels good no matter how many times you do it. There was no reason for me to dissect that but I figured you'd want a direct appraisal of your idea since you've expressed dissatisfaction at people sidestepping your moral questions.
- LuckyR
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Re: Your life repeated forever
- Burning ghost
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Re: Your life repeated forever
I was looking at this more along the lines of "If you had only one book to read for the rest of your life which book would you choose?" kind of idea. Get it? So in this respect if you had ot live out your life again and again, what is it do you think you'd find yourself wanting to fill your life with to make it worthy of repetition?
What do you thin kare the benefits and limits of this idea?
In regards to "hedonism" I thinks it is generally a naïve approach. It assumes we know what will be the most pleasureable thing for us to do, whereas what I would suggest (through exploration and strife) would certainly lead to a "better" life. I don't really equate "pleasure" with "a good life", or I'd simply become a heroin addict and find myself dead within a few weeks no doubt. Hedonism is framed as the greatest "net pleasure" and this net pleasure may be great in a short lived life, but by consequence it may cause untold damage and distress to those living around you ... so I don't see how hedonism, as a long term plan, makes the slightest bit of sense if you care about other people, or ironically, yourself.
I have an impression of you now. I've upset you someone with something I said and offended your sensibilities. If you ever calm down please feel free to address the OP rather than create a strawman to burn (and now I hate you for using the overly used term! haha!)
In the vain hope you are not what you present, I was referring to "wisdom" as the greatest good for all rather than the greatest good for the individual. I should have made that more explicit. I occasionally miss things out though when I assume they are obvious.
note: this is not a psychological test. I have asked for your opinion on the negatives and positives of the posed idea rather than your views about my quick example of how to respond to the OP.
Here, have some negatives too ...
The bad points of this view may lead to being to free-wheeling and taking too many risks. To live your life ina kind of free-fall and never really attaching any meaning to life in regards to establishing a stable life. On one hand it may suit some people more than others depending on their personality. As an over all view of life it may make you look at life as inherently meaningless and spiral you into depression by taking the perspective as life as a continual and essentially repeating pattern.
To sum up, I am looking to see what uses you see in this idea that can be put to either positive or negative use. For me it seems the message of the idea is generally looking at a means to balance life as if it were an objective item of investigation. Don't get stuck in a rut and don't run where angels fear to tread. Like any view is possesses contradictory arguments.
- Burning ghost
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Re: Your life repeated forever
Certainly a good negative example! It really boils down to where the person sees the middle ground to be. In this circumstance I could only hope that such an adventurous person would explore enough ground quickly enough to establish that what is best for them to do is slow down. At the extreme ends of the spectrum such people will likely die quickly from hysteria or catatonia (as is naturally the case.)
Do you think this idea is more or less beneficial to the more or the less adventurous person? Of course that is a bit of a loaded question and primarily what this idea makes me think about - "Where is the 'middle ground' ?", and how we establish such subjective opinions and adjust them.
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Re: Your life repeated forever
I expressed an example Judaka. If you wish to oppose me at every opportunity so be it
If I recall my only other comment to you was constructive criticism, said only for your benefit, where do I oppose you at every turn?I have an impression of you now. I've upset you someone with something I said and offended your sensibilities. If you ever calm down please feel free to address the OP rather than create a strawman to burn (and now I hate you for using the overly used term! haha!)
I use the term "your philosophy" as in "the philosophy you came up with" which is living your life as though it were to be repeated forever. You stated your preference for the idea as it would devalue hedonism and promote an adventurous attitude and the pursuit of wisdom. My retort is aimed against those preferences. If all that matters is that the individual is happy then this kind of thinking is redundant, if that doesn't matter then it must be because something is prioritized above happiness which makes the idea "good only for promoting certain values".Either way I think it would be more genuine of you if you responded to the OP as it is presented. Putting words into my mouth will not likely get you a direct response. My philosophy? What are you talking about?
I also already dealt with the actual thought experiment by saying it would lead people towards hedonism because having a nice massage or dancing to music 100000 times is substantially better than reading the same book 100000 times. Whereas reading a book once versus having a nice massage, a real argument can be made here for the book. Heroine addiction is hedonistic but it's also an addiction and mental health issue, I don't think heroine should be treated like the "ultimate hedonist's experience" because it is very niche and not for everyone.
In the vain hope you are not what you present, I was referring to "wisdom" as the greatest good for all rather than the greatest good for the individual. I should have made that more explicit. I occasionally miss things out though when I assume they are obvious.
In the vain hope... You're funny. So you feel it's obvious that "wisdom" means "wisdom for all"? How can "wisdom be applied in life" without individuals applying wisdom to their own lives? I don't even agree that "wisdom for all" as an idea is coherent, since I think wisdom is subjective.
You posted your thoughts on a forum and I replied to them, I don't think I derailed your thread and we're talking about exactly what you wanted to talk about so I don't understand the issue here.note: this is not a psychological test. I have asked for your opinion on the negatives and positives of the posed idea rather than your views about my quick example of how to respond to the OP.
- Present awareness
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Re: Your life repeated forever
The idea that the consciousness that is contained within a human body is unique and individual, may also be false. Consciousness may be like water, identical in its composition. The only difference between a molecule of water and an ocean of water is quantity.
- Burning ghost
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Re: Your life repeated forever
This has nothing to do with reincarnation.Present awareness wrote: ↑December 28th, 2017, 9:31 am The main flaw with the idea of reincarnation, is that most people don’t remember having lived a previous life. Doesn’t mean we didn’t, but without memory of it, we may as well say that this current life is new.
The idea that the consciousness that is contained within a human body is unique and individual, may also be false. Consciousness may be like water, identical in its composition. The only difference between a molecule of water and an ocean of water is quantity.
- Burning ghost
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Re: Your life repeated forever
You obviously misunderstood me and I'll assume my misunderstanding of you was equivalent for now. It happens.
- Present awareness
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Re: Your life repeated forever
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Re: Your life repeated forever
What did I misunderstand?Burning ghost wrote: ↑December 28th, 2017, 10:16 am Judaka -
You obviously misunderstood me and I'll assume my misunderstanding of you was equivalent for now. It happens.
- Burning ghost
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- SimpleGuy
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Re: Your life repeated forever
- LuckyR
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Re: Your life repeated forever
Well, most folks think they are "normal" which statistically means "average". Thus if someone drinks more than you they are an out of control partier and if they drink less than you they are no fun.Burning ghost wrote: ↑December 28th, 2017, 4:35 amCertainly a good negative example! It really boils down to where the person sees the middle ground to be. In this circumstance I could only hope that such an adventurous person would explore enough ground quickly enough to establish that what is best for them to do is slow down. At the extreme ends of the spectrum such people will likely die quickly from hysteria or catatonia (as is naturally the case.)
Do you think this idea is more or less beneficial to the more or the less adventurous person? Of course that is a bit of a loaded question and primarily what this idea makes me think about - "Where is the 'middle ground' ?", and how we establish such subjective opinions and adjust them.
OTOH if some people are told they will get a "do over" they will experiment, others will try to hone their game, ie to optimize their outcome at the same task.
There is no universal rule.
- Burning ghost
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Re: Your life repeated forever
There is no "do over". You simply have to live again and again the same experiences so you cannot "optimize", and neither are you meant to take this thought literally.
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