Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Tractatus Illogico-Philosophicus
A Short Consideration of Human Existence1 Possible relationships of humans to the body
1.1 If we are our bodies,
when our bodies die, we die.
1.2 If we are contained in our bodies, when our bodies die,
we must go elsewhere or cease.
1.3 If
1) we are not our bodies
2) we are not contained in our bodies
the dying of our bodies does not matter.
1.4 If our bodies are expressions of our consciousness,
when we die, our consciousness can no longer use them for expression.
2 Life as chance or a miracle
2.1 Our existence is either a bizarre set of coincidences or a miracle.
2.1.1 If our existence is a bizarre set of coincidences,
a sense that there is a deeper meaning to life may also result.
2.1.2 If our existence is a mirace,
a sense that there is a deeper meaning to life is correct.
2.2 It is impossible to know which is the case.
2.2.1 A miraculous universe could furnish to the senses evidence of a random universe.
2.2.2 A probabilistic but meaningless universe could furnish to the senses evidence of meaning.
3 Life as waveform
3.1 Human existence may transcend the body in either a miraculous or a probabilistic universe.
3.1.1 In a probabilistic universe, human actions change the shape of the cosmos and the unfolding of history at least minutely.
3.1.2 In a miraculous universe, human actions may be of cosmological significance.
3.2 Death and transcending of death
3.2.1 If we define life as the inhabiting of a body,
we all will probably die.
3.2.2 If we define life as the quality of impacting the lives of others,
we all live forever.
3.3 Death and sentimentality
3.3.1 When we remember someone and allow those memories to affect us,
we are extending that person's life.
3.3.2 When we adhere to an old practice whose logic is no longer fully known,
we extend the life of the practice's originator.
3.3.3 When we consciously break from an old practice whose logic is no longer fully known,
we also extend the life of the practice's originator.
3.3.4 Every life is consequential.
4 Manner of living and relationship to the universe
4.1 When we live our lives as though we are only bodies,
it affects those around us,their lives, and ultimately the course of history.
4.2 When we live our lives as though we are contained in our bodies,
it affects those around us, their lives, and ultimately the course of history.
4.3 When we live our lives as though are bodies are irrelevant to our existence,
it affects those around us, their lives, and ultimately the course of history.
4.4 When we live our lives as though are bodies are expressions of our consciousness,
it affects those around us, their lives, and ultimately the course of history.
4.5 Our existences resonate forever through the cosmos,
whether we want them to or not.
5 Human existence as body and spirit
5.1 Our bodies are subject to death.
5.2 The consequences of our actions are not.
6 Spirit
6.1 Whether we feel our lives have meaning or not, we are part of an all-encompassing, unknowable but plainly present system that animates our universe.
6.1.1 The system as God
6.1.1.1 Some identify the source of this system, or the system itself, as God.
6.1.1.2 Others don't.
6.1.2 The stakes
6.1.2.1 The cosmological consequences of being wrong could be dire.
6.1.2.2 Or not.
6.1.3 The ultimate answers
6.1.3.1 One day we will find out.
6.1.3.2 Unless we don't.
6.2 Defining God and system
6.2.1 Must
1) the system of the universe meet the definition of God
2) God meet the definition of the system of the universe
for us to decide if there is a God?
6.2.2 Is it possible for the universe to have spirit without having God in our traditional sense?
6.2.3 Do these questions matter if we don't encounter God in the traditional sense?
6.3 Integrating God and system
6.3.1 To pass over in silence that of which we cannot speak is foolishness:
6.3.1.1 Doing so would require ignoring rainbows before the discovery of optics,
but without interest in rainbows, optics would never have been discovered.
6.3.1.2 To not ponder the meaning of human existence if it seemingly cannot be known,
assures that we will never discover if there is a meaning to life or what it is.
6.3.1.3 To not speak of God and spirit until we understand or know them
would likewise assure that we never discover the nature of God or spirit.
7 Where there is meaning in human existence,
it will be found in talking about that of which we cannot speak.
posted by gbarto at 10:00 PM