i’m 17, in my first year of college, confused, lonely, probably insane…full of questions and doubts about my future and meaning…in other words just like everyone else in the world probably!
my father is a pastor and he went to harvard. he is a smart man who knows a lot about theology and philosophy. but he can’t answer all my questions. i figure someone here might have some…i hope! despite my “background” i really don’t believe in God, any god, right now in my life. i think ecclesiastes though is pretty brilliant.
here are some questions i have been thinking about recently:
-is there really a point to knowing stuff? to being wise and shit?
-are some people destined for unhappiness? others destined for joy?
-is the theory of evolution valid?
-how much of our personalities are determined by genetics?
-do humans really have free will or are we just the product of nature and nurture?
-is there really a point to knowing stuff? to being wise and shit?
I gain pleasure from knowing stuff, even if I have no-one to talk to about it. Talking about it just brings more pleasure. It makes me sad I will never come close to knowing everything. That is my motivation.
-are some people destined for unhappiness? others destined for joy?
I’ve always thought of destiny as an excuse for not trying. You will be happy if you strive to be, though life can obviously get in the way. Some of us will be unhappy all their lives through no fault of their own, but many who are unhappy are so because they haven’t realised they have a choice about what they do with their life at every second of every day. I believe Sartre was rather keen on this view in Being and Nothingness.
-is the theory of evolution valid?
I think so. In fact I recently argued that it is no longer a theory but scientific fact and has been for 20 or 30 years now. I would particularly recommend to you Dawkin’s The Blind Watchmaker and The Selfish Gene, two of the best books explaining evolution available. It is my belief that the only way you can argue that evolution is not sceintific fact is if you argue a line of skeptism, namely that we have been puposefully decieved by a greater being. But then all scientific ‘facts’ go out of the window, not just evolution. And I imagine you get in to a car or on to a plane without these skeptical worries, why have none about those scientific facts and not evolution. Check the Science section for discussions about evolution. One I was majorly involved in was this one, though I must admit reading through it I am ashamed to see I gloated a little at the end.
-how much of our personalities are determined by genetics?
We are debating one side of that, specifically morality, in this thread.
-do humans really have free will or are we just the product of nature and nurture?
I’ve always thought that people who believe the latter are just misunderstanding the meaning of free will. But again, there have been a few debates about that in the past, browse the forums a bit and you’ll find one. Or start a new thread yourself!
I’m an atheist. Glad to hear that you like Ecclesiastes, i memorized about the first 8 verses as a child, it has always fascinated me, whereas the book of Job seems to fascinate most of the theologians (i’ve read Martin Buber and Paul Ricouer). I will respond to your questions in a later post.
Matt: It’s interesting that you cite pleasure as the main reason for gaining knowledge. However, often the acquisition of facts can lead to depression (for me at least) especially about the nature of the world, which makes me quite cynical. I feel like the more philosophy I read, the more confused I am, and this is not a pleasurable feeling. Yet… I continue in the pursuit of truth despite the personal displeasure it gives me. Not a critique of what you said…just a comment. btw I’ve never read sartre’s being and nothingness except a short thing about “pour-soi” which caught my attention…but i may look into it. on the evolution point, my uncle said that despite evolution being taken as a fact, that there are many scientific inconsistencies (he is not religious btw) and that there are non-christian scientists who are skeptical about evolution. i’ve done some reading too on my own and am…questioning…also, some christians believe that evolution is part of god’s plan. in the end, i want to know whether evolution is valid so i can know where to go with my religious beliefs; if evolution is true then christianity will lose some credibility whereas if it is not true, then creationism will be more likely to be true.
Proving evolution false, however unlikely, will never prove Creationism or make it more likely. Although Evolution and Creation theories are usually put side by side (mainly by religious folk) it is a misnomer because it is not a case of either or. It is just as likely that the world was created by a big Purple Salamander in the sky. Where is the proof for that? Well, it’s in a book I read. Essentially that is what the Creationists are arguing for. To sum up, disproving evolution does not prove anything else.
Having said that, inconsistencies in a scientific theory is not necessarily a negative. Science has no agenda unlike Christianity which is attempting to ‘prove’ the creation of the world by God. For a believer, there can be no inconsistencies or the whole lot falls down, which is why even in the face of an inestimable amount of evidence, some people still choose to deny evolution. Not because they’ve studied the facts genuinely but because their whole life will crumble if God is proved fallible. Science is able to stand up and say, “yes, we know this much, but we’re not quite there yet, and we may have been wrong in the past.” This is what differs science from blind faith.
-is there really a point to knowing stuff? to being wise and shit?
Was it Bacon (Francis not Roger) who said Knowledge is power? knowing more will help you better cope with your environment. It will expand your horizons, maybe even enable you to know yourself.
-are some people destined for unhappiness? others destined for joy?
“The mind is it’s own sovreign and can make a heaven of any hell and a hell of any heaven.” Milton (paradise lost?)
-is the theory of evolution valid?
A valid theory that has not been disproved. A very likely theory, perhaps the most likely posed so far.
-how much of our personalities are determined by genetics?
i would argue very little. Go to the thread Matt mentioned.
-do humans really have free will or are we just the product of nature and nurture?
We definitely think that we have free will (which doesn’t mean that we do, we could just think that and be part of some giant clockwork, a Clockwork Orange perhaps). But yes, i think we have free will.
I along with Matt recommend the selfish gene by Dawkins. I have read it, and it’s fun and informative. Sartre’s Being and nothingness is thick and complex but maybe you like that kind of thing. If you want something simpler that talks about the responsibility and authenticity that Matt alluded to, try the short work Existentialism is a humanism also by Sartre.
How are you doing today? These questions you are asking yourself are very familiar to me. I too questioned religion to try to see where in God’s plan I could find myself. I don’t want to bore you with the details of my journey, I’m only 23 and not that far from you age-wise.
You stated that the more knowledge you acquire the more depressed you get. I’m paraphrasing, but I know what you mean. Have you read Plato’s Republic? I’m sure you have. Your search for knowledge is much like that guy that is being dragged up out of the cave. The journey to enlightment is a hard, lonely one. At least it is for me.
ben: disproving evolution wouldn’t necessarily prove Creationism, but it would mean Creationism is possible, which is all i need at this point.
marshall mcdaniel: thank you for answering each of the questions. can you please tell me why you think free will exists? i’m in the process of trying to convince myself
smooth: today is normal. hi! it is hard for me too. but i shan’t give up even if it means giving ourselves over to the flames.
Lady Sphinx,
welcome to the board. It’s good to have you. I hope to see you around and read your posts. As pertaining to me, feel free to ask me any questions or just talk to me about anything that interests you. I am a very unjudgmental person, as long as I too am not judged - so fear not that I will judge you on any grounds. I think you will find us to be an intuitive, intelligent, and caring bunch who really love to discuss all facets of life. I hope you enjoy your time here, and may we enjoy having you here.
Thanks Magius. I myself prefer to judge ideas, rather than people.
I am sure that there are better posts on this subject here. But the idea of free will is almost something that you have to believe in, whether it exists or not. It provides a kind of impetus to one’s life.