I think "Personal" might be a better place to put this than "Main," but anyways...

Let's discuss the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence! :D And/Or the theories/attitude held by you and/or others!

I believe the pursuit of life is the pursuit of knowledge. My greatest goal in life is to further myself. Selfishness is my ultimate goal. Anything I think and anything I create is mine. I believe that everyone is entitled to their own creations that they make with their own intelligence. Be it artistic or musical intelligence, whatever results from that intelligence is the property of the creator. The pursuit of life is the pursuit of knowledge and furthering my art and intelligence.

I bumped the topic in Suggestions, I wanted to say more...but I didn't read the whole thing yet...

Anyway, I got a theory of life, an incomplete theory actually that I've been working on piece by piece for a while now.

This is a lot fyi, and it may be hard to follow, so I don't expect many to get through this whole post without getting bored 2 minutes in.

Anyhoo, my take on life:

Imagine a huge, seemingly endless ocean, and in the middle of that ocean is an even bigger mountain on a continental scale.

The ocean and the mountain alike are populated by all the living human souls on Earth.

Now finally, at the very top of this mountain are clouds. Clouds solid enough to walk on. You can call it heaven, you can call it the sky, I like to refer to it as Cloud 9 (no reference to anything, no secret meaning behind the word, I just like the way it sounds).

As many may know, it is commonly classified as human nature to desire that which we can't have. So with that being said, its logical to say that everyone has a desire to reach Cloud 9. There's just something about it, that attracts us to it. But there is one simple problem, there's this huge mountain in the way (Ironic too because this mountain is also the path to Cloud 9). Many will try to reach the clouds, only to find themselves falling down to the ocean later.

Before I move on, I also want to clarify what the ocean symbolizes. Frankly speaking, the ocean represents contempt humanity. It represents the time in everyone's life when they become contempt at where they are now, with no further ambition to climb the mountain anymore. Basically the point in life where you "settle down". the ocean is in a sense, a force that works to calm down human ambition. Not necessarily a depressant because the mountain also contributes.

With that being said, there's almost an implied cycle:

As people grow, they climb the mountain, often aiming to reach Cloud 9, but as they climb higher and get older, the journey get's harder and they eventually fall into the ocean and become contempt at where they are now.

Of course this is all metaphoric and symbolic. The ocean is essentially the start and end in everyone's life, the mountain represents our journey, and Cloud 9 is the seemingly reachable cause that drives you to climb the mountain.

Although, this covers a lot of how I envisioned this, there are still holes in this idea. There are exceptions I have yet to consider, and there are parts that are contradictory. I feel there is more to add, but this is all I could sum up for now. Thus, this is an incomplete philosophy...
But thanks for reading~

Green Tea ~

Why are we here? What purpose do we really have? What is truly right and truly wrong? These are the questions which trouble us to this day.

Good Lord, there was a philosophy thread??
Shiiit...

I would post so much but my theories are much to complicated for your human brains. But I will recommend you people look up the multiverse theory. It's very interesting.

>>6 Useless comment is useless. Are you role-playing? Please say you are and not that egotistic.

>>6 Either you are role-playing 'The Truth' from GTA SA, (if so please stop and actually contribute, this is a forum not an RP site) or, you are actually that conceited. If that is the case, you are probably the type of person that thinks "nobody likes me because everybody else is dumb and I'm smart" instead of accepting the fact you are a know-it-all douche that enjoys the smell of his own farts.

I have tons of theories about our life and universe; not all is philosophy, though.

1. Everything that ever happened in time is still happening as we speak, including everything that will happen and our infinite multi-universes and parallel worlds/dimensions. I.E. You are being born right now, you are dying right now, your first dog you got when you were 6 is dying now, that tree that is like 40 years old in your front lawn is just a seed right now, you are being born out of a waffle with demon horns right now.

2. The exact opposite will end up being the same. I.E. If you take black and white, the colors will obviously switch but so will their names. So black becomes white and white becomes black not only in just color but also in name and relative position/location.

3. Row row row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily merrily merrily merrily, life is but a dream.

If you want to add on, question, or disprove any of those theories please do so; I'm interested in debating about these things :D

I have a theory of existence that stems from a symbol i have tattooed...well how all the symbols on it connect. The infinity sign is an infinitely looping symbol symbolizing eternity of time. Then there is the symbol the ouroboros, the serpent devouring it's own tail which is a symbol of the circle of life and eternal life. If we look at both of these symbols at a literal level it creates some curious thought. Look at the infinity sign: a symbol that time is neverending. Well based on that either we are not the only intelligent life in the universe, when the sun goes nova there goes the entire universe, or there is the possibility of the mobius strip effect where things are infinitely repeated. This would mean after the universe completely ends it would start anew with same or similar results or possibly even different results....but this is just my musings on the topic

I've read most of the theories here and I found them all interesting.

My theory is simple.
There is no God, there are Gods and Demons.
You can become God and rule over a part of universe or a part of your mind. There is no physical Heaven or Hell they are only in your head.

You are the most important person in your life however that doesn't mean you should be arrogant and selfish.

It's not wise to turn some one down and look serious/angry all the time. It's wise to listen to their story, say thank you and smile because in the end you are going to learn something about that person. Even if it's fake put on a smile, don't let them know that you don't like them.

When an argument has nothing to do with you stay out of it.
It is very tempting to join in and let them know what you think but trust me, you are better of just listening.

Don't give advise or opinions unless you are asked to.
You'll understand why.

Sometimes losing means winning.

Avoid trouble and negative behavior, these will only put you through more struggle.

When in pain you should always talk to some one that makes you happy.

Understand the power of brain.
You are always in control.
People, Media, Your own body ect- They are all in control until you realize the power of your mind.
Never listen to what has been said when it comes to preference, listen to what you think.
Break your own limits
You are always right because no one can prove you wrong.
Even if they do who can prove them right? Machines? Other people?
What makes them right? There is nothing we can be certain of.
Everything you see and experience in your life might be a one big illusion.

There is a lot of things I would like to talk about but I think this thread is long enough and I don't want to take up too much space.

If you want to talk with me about Philosophy, Life, Existence,
The reason for life, feel free to message me on one of these. I would be more than happy to listen to your theories and views.
Also, if you were 'God' of this world what would you change?

MyAnimeList: Kokazoo22

Facebook: Kazuki Kuro (It's fictional so my avatar will be Anime)

YouTube: Kokazoo22

>>11 I'ma add you on MAL :D

To keep this thread interesting I'm just gonna make some points/rebuttals here. I hope you dont take these offensive as these are just to invoke critical questioning among all of us.

>>2 I dont think there is such a thing as "Pursuit for Knowledge " as a final goal. Knowledge is a means, not an end. In a parallel analogy: you do not create a hammer just because you are happy to have a hammer, but because you want to utilize that hammer for a greater cause.

>>3 If this is your personal view, I dont think this unique from the universal idea of "Hardwork Leads To Reward". Considering that this "mountain" is the only way to reach cloud9. Characterizing the "mountain" as hardship, "growing old" is technically part of the mountain. I'm not saying that it is flawed, I'm just pointing out that this is also what majority of people think.

>>9 1 and 2 are unarguably true (at least for me). I would love to hear how do you characterize "life is but a dream."

I just have one thing to say that everyone should think about: "Time and space started at some point. Or it didnt."

>>13 I'm part of the philosophy that everything in the end will ultimately prove to be unreal and or a dream. I have no proof for it, though, but it's the same thing as not having proof that this world is real, either.

>>14 Wait, in that case do you believe that the entire "dream" universe revolve around human life? Who knows if other races out there even have the same type of 'life' as we do. To base the entire, incredibly complex universe off a basic restive state performed by humans and selected other species is quite illogical. In fact, the theory is disproof in itself and the proof that the universe is real is the obvious complexity of it and the minute capabilities of human life. Also, assuming that it isn't real wouldn't that assume there is some reality out there that we just can't comprehend which assumes that you either think we are part of some 'humans' dream or we are all part of intelligent design on a mass scale.

I am incredibly sceptic so I find anything hard to believe unless it's been proven. I believe that everything basically hinges off Nothing however. And I am not talking about nothing, but rather the pure absence of thing. What I am trying to describe simply stops existing as soon as you define it, we can never comprehend it because it is not there. I think of it as a wall, everything there is and ever will be/happen is a small indent against said wall. But for everything thing there is, there will be trillions of other spots for things that could be that are all filled in by 'Nothing'. If we ever broke through that hypothetical wall, I believe we would find the sort of state that Buddhists search for, pure enlightenment. In that state everything exists, but nothing exists at the same time. All that philosophy of mine stems from when I read 'The Heart Sutra'. The concept of that 'Nothing' that cannot be defined still amazes me as much as the day I first started thinking of it.

>>14 Actually I'm sorry, on review what I wrote to you looked way harsher than I intended it to be. Originally I didn't mean to be shitting on it, rather I was curious about some aspects I don't get, I just got kind of carried away.

Unintentional sass, sorry 'bout that.

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this isn't philosophy but i just want to say im extremely happy with this thread. all the theories were so intriguing and i can imagine we're having like, a discussion in a big meeting room where everyone is calm. like socrates school!
k that was random

>>18 Socrates school. Does something like that exist? CVuz I'd be in there so fast.

>>19 I think maybe he meant Socrate's school.

>>15 I understand your points. And because there's no way to proof the "dream philosophy" I don't fully believe it, either. I go back and forth because everytime I try to think about it I end up contradicting myself. "What if all our memories never happened and they're all fake memories and really the universe only started existing a few second ago?" "But I'm living right now, living those 'memories'" "Those could also be fake!" And so on.

I understand your theory about a wall. I believe that to an extent that everyone has their own wall in their head, and when we break it we reach peace/englitment. I don't believe there's a giant "wall" that all humans have to break outside of us, if that's what you meant. To be honest I actually just think about these things; never read much about philosophy unless you count Chakras. I did try to read a bit of Joseph Campbell before, though. And even though his books are incredibly interesting I'm still a bit too young to understand them so xD

>>16 It's ok; you weren't that harsh and I completly understand :p

>>20 You got me all kinds of confused. I've been trying to sort that out what the difference was and then how you pronounce it. Saw-cratees or So-craytes

This thread is getting so amazing with all these views, this is pretty good reason why there should be a philosophical tab on this site, or even the main. I'm so anxious to add rebuttals but i'm held up studying for finals...

>>21 Oh god yeah, I know those feels. So many nights spent lying in bed searching for proof that everything isn't just put there and didn't all start a milisecond ago. I used to think that with colours as well "what if we all see colours differently" and such, then I realised that how light is projected is all based off its wave length and you can effectively prove we all see it the same off that. If only there was something like that for reality as well.

Oh and the wall I was talking about is completely metaphorical. Not even metaphorical because in my opinion it doesn't exist (It's made out of pure absence of thing). The Heart Sutra is just a couple of paragraphs and a Mantra that you can find anywhere, even on the net. Apart from that, I've never really gotten round to reading philosophy.

>>22 I always thought it was Saw-Cra-Tease, quite possibly was wrong though, don't ever remember it being spoken to me. Also I meant Socrate's school as in it isn't a philosophy school dedicated to Socrates but rather the school that Socrates started to teach men "how to think".

>>24 ...Once again, not much of a difference except who made the school. You're trying to confuse me. But from what I've read and what you're saying, we are talking about a philosophy institute, right? That's seriously all I wanted to know. If I ever visit Europe I just want a lil look-see.

>>25 Socrate's school would have ended a long time ago in ancient Greece. The Socrates school would probably still be going if it was founded in his honour.

That was the difference I was trying to put out there. And no, I don't think there is a philosophy institute like that, doesn't each uni have its own kind of thing like that?

>>26 It's possible for a school to have been started and passed down, yeah? But for thousands of years... I guess not.
Yeah, there are philosophy classes. But I just thought a school, like in ancient Greece, entirely dedicated to philosophy would be nice. Like a church is dedicated to finding salvation, this school would find the meaning of life or something of the sort.

>>27 I'd go there, too xD
In school, when you take philosophy classes you just learn what other past philosophers have said. So it's kind of boring to me.

>>24 I thought of another reason for the whole "dream philosophy" thing. Fake memories. You heard about that, right? You can photoshop someone as a child into a picture, and most likely they'll "create" a memory instead of just simplying saying "no, that didn't happen when I was a kid" if you show it to them. (I actually heard about this before I watched Vsauce but he used a good example so I stole it xD) It's kinda scary to know that any of our memories could be fake. If I put it that way that's a big reason why I tend to believe we, or even I, are just in a big dream or memory or something intangible of the like. Because our world, by my point of view, seems to be based off of memories we don't even know are completely true.

>>28 Yeah, I suppose with an idea like that there is no way to simply disprove it. I'm just going off the 3 facts of:
1) There is no point to having memories implanted
2) If they were, I doubt the database of knowledge would be so complex
3) Humanities (especially individually) power is so minute and weak in the grand scale of things, if this is all put there or a dream you would think our race would be a little more of the centre of everything.

>>29 Saying it like that makes me think of scientology. But I'm not saying an outside force is controlling us, more like everything we know can't even be proven to be true. And if everything is fake/made up it's either our own imagination's doing, or the cosmology of the universe.

>>28 Moving on with that, too, dreams can change your memories. I have a bad habit of remembering my dreams as memories because mine are often very long and realistic. That always makes me think twice about my memory, even regarding smallest things.

I probably shouldn't comment here yet, though .-. I don't have any long philosophical rant ready.

>>31 But then the question is, what if the dream was real and your memory was the dream? It's impossible to tell until you talk to someone else who was there with it.

Okay, I'll shut up now. I'm about two lines away from slipping into a dream tangent.

>>33 Well that's interesting. But I've never met anyone who had the same dream as me, even if they were in it so it'd be hard to prove.

My philosophy is if you try, you can do nearly anything. For what is accomplishment without one trying?

>>33 I can remember a few of my dreams, I doubt they were real.

>>34 >>36 I'm not saying I think they're real, but rather discussing the possibility that you're remembering real events as dreams or vice versa. Say you have a dream that you fell in a creek and nearly drowned. Who's to say it never happened if you don't remember anyone else there with you? It could be a dream or it could be a memory. Even if you remember your sister was there, if they don't remember it, does that mean it's a dream or does it mean your sister is ditzy and can't recall the situation? That's the kind of thing I always wonder with my dreams because I've gotten them and reality mixed up way too many times.

>>37 A few days ago I had a dream that my bath-robe was chasing me around the house and I had to reach the beach because it hates salt water. Half way through we started playing monopoly. By the end, somehow we had started playing scrabble. If that is the true reality sign me up, is a hell of a lot funner than this.

>>39 Rofl

>>37 There was a documentary once that said dreams could be connections to memories/events in our past lives. Though personally since most of my dreams involve anime and my old school, I don't think that's the case xD
Maybe you just have really realistic dreams unlike me lol.

>>39 I'm talking about realistic dreams :V

>>40 Everyone has all kinds of dreams, but you can only remember certain ones. Some people don't remember any, hence claiming to "not dream," at all. I remember probably a few dreams a week, give or take; if I have a night where I don't sleep well, I can remember eight or nine dreams from just that day. Like everyone else, I have some crazy fucking dreams. But not all your dreams are crazy - people have realistic ones, too. I personally get these stupid fucking realistic dreams that sometimes go on for a week at a time. Or even just a realistic one that goes through the day that leaves me thinking it's the next day when I wake up.

But yeah, realistic dreams are probably just as common; I think the reason people don't remember them as much is because they're not as fantastical as their, uh, bathrobe dreams.

>>41 I tend to remember my dreams most of the time. Unless I wake up and then fall back asleep, I hate that...But I actually have a dream diary that I record everything I remember about dreams. The closest I personally ever get with realistic dreams is about a cult run by a sadist who looks like Slender Man.

But I do agree with you. Most people probably don't remember them because they aren't as exciting...

Btw, does anyone know if it's normal to dream about you, doing whatever your doing in that dream, but in the dream you "remember" dreams you had, but then you wake up and you realize you never had those dreams that "you remembered?"
Maybe I should watch Inception...lol

>>42 Even if you dream a dream in a dream, doesn't it equally count as a dream you had?

>>43 Well a dream within a dream isn't a dream because it is part of a dream so in reality, it never happened. A dream within a dream is just an illusion of a dream caused by the dream.

Unless you're getting on some inception type shit in which case, I don't know.

>>44 But it's a dream itself :I even if it's a dream inside a dream, it's still a dream. I mean, maybe it's got less meaning, but it's still something your subconscious made up and showed to you when you were asleep, whether you saw it through another dream or not.

It's a dream in a dream which is still the same dream just an allusion of something that's happening. It's not a true dream but instead an allusion that you have when your sleeping. A dream is practically a word for unconscious allusion.

Can someone sum up key points so newbie people to the thread can jump in late without reading like, a shit ton of text?

That'd be greatly appreciated!

>>47 We are just debating and listing our beliefs on philosophy. Since it's philosophy, there are no facts (at least it hasn't been proven yet) so it'd be a fail to list anything.

>>47 Either post your own philosophy or, if you still need help shaping yours, read through some of the earlier posts and see if any of it fits with you.

New commer to the thread and i will start of saying that reading all of those have been really interesting
My theory kinda goes of the end of >>21 First paragraph except i believe that this is the only time period that exist or ever will exist
I believe that everything that has happened in the past didn't actually happen and is really only their in our minds so that things make sense to us, I also believe that not everyone is actually real but once again part of our minds that we as a whole have learned to accpet with that saying i have noway to prove that is true but then again we cannot prove that anything is real,

Here's my own view:

What if we actually live in multiple(or infinite) Realities and dreams are what links all of the happenings in those Realities to our "Instance of a Being." This instance is the "Me" that is linked to these Realities like an internet hub and dreams are like send/return data from all the "Me" among those realities. Though it does not mean that there is a one major "Me" that gets all the data, all the "Me's" are also hubs by itself and can send and receive data(dreams) but all of those "Me's" are just part of one Instance of a Being.

To explain non-realistic dreams; these Realities may be completely different from each other (different laws of physics, different mindsets, man-chasing bath robes, etc.). We happen to be in the reality where the truths we know are only true here(1+1=2, fire burns, etc.). Who knows, this might be the only Reality where we can talk about philosophy and be aware of this.

^

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My point of view:

Lazy ecstasy is pure enjoyment.

^

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Hm idk what else I could talk about involving philosophy from my prospective.
I will say one of the great things I love about philosophy is that, generally speaking, what applies thousands of years ago can still apply today.
Plato has a great book called "The Republic" which talks a great deal about government. It's surprising to read a book from centuries ago and have all of it still be true today.
An example is how he stated, from sitting on his porch and thinking centuries ago, that Democratic governments will become fat. 'Murica.

Ok here is a philosophy thing I thought up and have found evidence throughout the things I have done and read. I have learned that people now a days continue down the religion path of not being openminded. See they pray to a God instead of respect him for a person. What kind of selfishness is that?! We all have power isn't it obvious? It's from the people "before" that have past it down to us. Even if you don't shoot electricity from your damn hands, you have another form of power wheather it be the mind or the body. Why pray to a higher power when we ourselves are the power already. Have faith in yourselves and each other. There is no such thing as weak in these terms. Not to mention I love worthy opponents both on my PS3 and in real life. Still I am all religions as I am not and I follow science and religion and all other things as if they are my own. I investigate and travel to other worldly places. You all should too at all costs. Don't just sit there in your churches or labs or wabisabi lair, get up and check shit out! Not to mention there is a way to finding out what places to find the truth, like taking every place a exlplorer has gone to and converting the letters of the places to numbers, once that is done add all those numbers and continue doing the same thing. Then you end up with a 9 or another set of numbers. You get the point. Anyway I may be rambling but rambling will help you guys out including myself lol. So pass this along you know, just get this out there that every religion, magic, and science, is a piece of a puzzle to the TRUTH! May the wind guide you all! (Bows)

>>58 People have been like this since humans existed. In fact I think the amount of judgmental people, whether religious or not, have graduated downward even in the last decade. A few centuries ago you couldn't be a religion besides Christianity without getting stoned. But today, I can go out in a bunny costume with yes, stares, but I doubt anyone would prosecute me for it.

And psychologically speaking, the majority of religious people believe their fate is in their own hands. They are internal thinkers who believe if they go to Heaven, or Hell, or wherever, it's their own doing and not God's fault. Again, with the if you lived a few centuries ago thing, people did believe that if you went into Heaven or Hell it was set in stone the moment you were born by God. But not now.

You need to find explanations for your philosophy from a better source instead of a few bad apples in a giant pile :p

>>58 One thing that that fails to get is the fact that not all people are meant to lead and create. There are those that are destined to be sheep, blaming them for that is pointless; they are just as necessary.

>>57 I actually personally believe that a well based senate would be better than a democracy at this point. Too many idiots with too much power...

Already posted my philosophy earlier, but I think I just grasped what I currently think may be the meaning to life. It's perfectly simple, to thrive. Whatever level you wish to thrive on is fine but the pure driving force behind all life is to thrive. You could live for your career, for the human race or simply for breakfast the next morning, you still want something to exceedingly succeed. Once people lose that desire (subconscious or not) they lose all will to live, and are driven to suicide. I can't believe I never thought of that before...

>>60 So basically you're saying that the reason, or a reason, we live is to live? Kinda ironic :p It makes sense, though. It may not be the reason why everything exists as it is, but the actual reason to live itself is why most people life. Some people keep living their lives for even the sake of living itself. If these kind of people try to say, stop someone from killing themselves, and then get asked "but why do I have to live?" they couldn't think of a reason and will probably begin questioning it themselves. I think everyone does have their own special "drive" to life, though it's unstable and could quickly go in ruin if it's something of tangible or external use.

For me, honestly, I think we live to learn and have fun. I believe that if you're here you have a reason or something which you need to learn and once you figure it out, the next time you die you get to go to Paradise. The only "Hell" I think there is is the "Hell" of life itself; not to say that life is Hell but when you include reincarnation or imortality it can very much be.

no matter how much you try to escape from it you cant get away from what you are a part of

my philosfy and way of life is be happy and enrgetic everyday live it the last day and if you fall down stand up and be stronger .

I'm not smart enough to write down some philosophycal thoughts, but I suggest you all to read the book "One, No one and One Hundred Thousand" by Luigi Pirandello. This book is very, very deep and it will probably change all of you. Guaranteed. ^^

I cannot prove nor disprove anything. I cannot know anything to be true, but I can assume it is - I will never know if my assumption is correct, however.
Google the 'Brain in a Jar' theory for more info on it.

Bam

^