The Meaning of Life?

[themommawolf]

sheesh, sooo deep in here

There is LIFE the game and LIFE the cereal.

Therefore, you play games and you eat.
*nod*

[Jalpha]

I'm not sure what you're saying GenghisKhan44. Effectively nature makes us do everything. All of our actions are determined by chemical reactions and their effect is determined by the way experiences have shaped the structure of our brains. Many people seem to take that as a reason to accept who they are and where they are in life. Many never consider that the rules impressed upon us from childhood are not absolutes. That we do have power over our own mind, our own perceptions and we have the power to modify our own minds. To develop yourself to take the actions you choose instead of the actions you have been taught. Or something. These are hard concepts to properly communicate.

It's a debate on the existence of free will. Free will may not exist, but self control does. That's important to note because it means you are accountable for your own actions, regardless of what external factors are imposed upon you.

[dageir]

What is accountability? Does it have meaning?

[Jalpha]

It does in teh courtroom

[dageir]

But laws are just construct of the human brain?

[Jalpha]

That doesn't mean they are powerless. Ideas are powerful things. They can influence you life and the lives of others.

Ideas can be dangerous. I think that's why a lot of people are afraid of untested ideas.

[dageir]

But if our conciousness and action is based on chemical impulses, and the brain analyzes itself, how can we be certain that its findings are valid?

[Jalpha]

The scientific method.

[dageir]

Is the scientific method not also a construct of aforementioned brain?

[Jalpha]

What's your point?

I think therefore I am?

I can't be sure anything is real except my own thoughts?

Are you a figment of my imagination dageir, sent here to taunt me?

Where are you going with this?