Philosophical musings on Quanta & Qualia;  Materialism & Spiritualism; Science & Religion; Pragmatism & Idealism, etc.

That’s the point!
Don’t worry about God’s purpose
for you . . .
Create your own purpose
Set your own goals
Make your own point.

Post 19.  March 01, 2018 continued . . .

What’s The Point?

   Why Bother?

What's the point of philosophical wisdom? Understanding how G*D (Nature) works will give you the direction of Nature's flow. With that true bearing you can calibrate your own life to go with the flow, to follow the Tao. Otherwise, by personal experience you can learn that it sucks to go against the current. Most religions portray their deities as capricious tyrants; so it's deemed wise for his subordinate sycophants to kowtow to his every whim, up to the point of self- or infant-sacrifice. However, there is no way to "harm" or offend the aloof deity of Neo-Deism, who exists well beyond the reach of our earthbound hubris & wickedness, and whose only known laws are those governing Natural systems. Since we don't need to be concerned with pissing-off the deity, there's no need for strictly religious rules and creeds.

What's the point of spiritual orientation? Spiritual experiences & feelings are holistic aesthetic phenomena that don't reveal much to philosophical analysis or scientific probes. We simply feel what we feel, and try to rationalize or justify in retrospect. But Neo-Deism is for those who feel a need for both rational facts and emotional feelings, in order to see the full spectrum of the world in which we are immersed. If there's a god out there, we want to know it; if not, we're willing to deal with it. Part of the religious experience is the social aspect, which has been called "collective subjectivity" : "are you feeling what I'm feeling?" Yet, most of us are insecure enough in our own beliefs, that we need some ego-boosting positive feedback from our fellows. But it's still wise to be wary of confirmation bias, which simply tells you what you want to hear, rather than the unvarnished truth.

What's the point of the irresolute BothAnd attitude? Embracing the B/A principle allows us to enjoy our aesthetic response to the lovely & scary faces of the world, without being menaced by imaginary demons, or being conned by preachers of romantic fantasies. It gives us both the comfort of faith, and the security of skepticism. The result is neither a blind leap into nothingness, nor a retreat into a cave of darkness.

What's the point? To paraphrase Cheech & Chong, "atheists don't need no stinkin' point!" But spiritual philosophical people do. 

End of Post 19

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