world views and beliefs

[Morpheus]

I don't think that you are what you believe, because beliefs can change as one gains knowledge and yada yada.. You can believe in one thing and then violently oppose it later.
People are amorphous. It's hard to handle, so we try to fake being concrete by clinging to beliefs and opinions.

Beliefs are what dictates the way you see the world and how you go about interacting with it. What are we defined by (or perhaps we just can't be defined. Propably, but it's hard not to try at least) if not by our relationship to the world and people around us?

What I am saying is, that as your beliefs change, so do you. And by beliefs I don't mean the things you manifest, as many of those are likely to be self-deceptive, but things you intuitively take to be true.

 

[TaylorS]

Basically Secular Humanism with Buddhist elements. I often call myself a "spiritual atheist". Basically:

There is an objective reality that exists outside of our perception.

This reality is capable of being comprehended, but only in an approximate manner. By testing our mental models of reality we get a better and better approximation of reality.

Reality can be divided for purposes of clarity and convenience into spheres I call Cosmos and Psyche. The Cosmos is the objective "outer" reality, while the Psyche is the subjective "inner" reality. Psyche cannot exist independent of Cosmos. This is not a division between "natural" and "supernatural", all reality obeys the "natural laws" of the Cosmos.

There are 2 types of entities in the Cosmos: Fundamental particles (the basic things that make up the physical universe) and emergent processes. Emergent processes can only exist because the fundamental particles exist, but have properties and natural laws that cannot be reduced to the fundamental particles. Life (Biology), Mind (Neuroscience) and Society (Sociology) are the most important emergent processes in human experience.

The Psyche is composed of 2 overlapping entities: Mind (psychology) and Spirit (Spirituality). By "Spirit" I do not mean a incorporeal self that survives one's physical death, because the self is an illusion, but instead is conduit by which we connect with the inner truths of existence and the inherent Oneness and Unity of reality where we realize that we are not "things", but processes. These entities overlap because there are many forms of psychological training, like meditation, that strengthen the workings of the Spirit and test our own mental models of the Psyche.

The Oneness and Unity of reality implies that we are an intimate part of the workings of the Cosmos, and thus selfishness and the many ideologies and rationalizations use to justify it are inherently self-defeating and not only hurt others, but also hurt ourselves.

 

[MrWindUpBird]

Wow, I feel really out of place posting here after reading the previous posts.

I'm a Catholic. I'm generally pretty terrible at following all of the ceremonies and such that I'm supposed to, but I believe fully in the moral teachings and the way it views the world.

I think my greatest inspirations are Thomas Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, and G.K. Chesterton, in that order. I haven't read much Chesterton, though.

The most important part of my faith is the practical tenets that govern day to day life; I think that Catholicism and Christianity in general lay out a pretty good framework for that. I figure that I need to master the small things before I start worrying about bigger theological questions.

As far as my worldview... I think there are good people and bad people, but that those thought of as bad are generally acting on what they know to be right, and that there are people many times worse than terrorists or corrupt CEOs. I guess I'm a bit of a human rights crusader at (bleeding) heart.

 

[DevilDoll]

Wow, I feel really out of place posting here after reading the previous posts.

I'm a Catholic. I'm generally pretty terrible at following all of the ceremonies and such that I'm supposed to, but I believe fully in the moral teachings and the way it views the world.

I think my greatest inspirations are Thomas Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, and G.K. Chesterton, in that order. I haven't read much Chesterton, though.

The most important part of my faith is the practical tenets that govern day to day life; I think that Catholicism and Christianity in general lay out a pretty good framework for that. I figure that I need to master the small things before I start worrying about bigger theological questions.

As far as my worldview... I think there are good people and bad people, but that those thought of as bad are generally acting on what they know to be right, and that there are people many times worse than terrorists or corrupt CEOs. I guess I'm a bit of a human rights crusader at (bleeding) heart.

You are not out of place at all. There are all kinds of religious beliefs represented on this forum. I believe Christianity is not as represented in this thread because Barnabas stated that he was in the mood to learn, and seeing as he is well versed in the Christian faith, I assume he was looking for people to make posts about beliefs that he is not as familiar with. So don't worry you really aren't out of place.

 

[myself]

I'll just say I think life has no meaning and people are very skilled at driving themselves nuts asking questions that don't have answers. People always have to ask Why. Why? Why? Why?

yeah.

what is up with that?!

the answers that people make up for these questions... it's dangerous

so many crazies living in the world

hypnotized with the why

 

[Norton]

empiricism is view that you only believe what can be proved with empiricle data correct, just to make sure I understand.

Although empiricism is an important way to know things and something that everyone relies on and does (e.g., you test the laws of physics every time you drive your car), it's not the only way to know things. For example, empirical "proofs" in mathematics are never perfect, whereas deductive proofs can be perfect.

The Logical Positivists tend(ed) to be rigid in their belief that empiricism is the only way to know things. I think this is somewhat out of fashion. Interestingly, though, there is a relatively new field of philosophy called "experimental philosophy" that is based on the premise that at least some philosophical questions can be answered empirically.

 

[NeverAmI]

yeah.

what is up with that?!

the answers that people make up for these questions... it's dangerous

so many crazies living in the world

hypnotized with the why

It would be easier for you to just get in a rocketship, shrink yourself, and fly into my ear or something.

I don't know where to begin answering the question.


I'll just say I think life has no meaning and people are very skilled at driving themselves nuts asking questions that don't have answers. People always have to ask Why. Why? Why? Why?

Poor things. There are worse fates, I suppose. I'd rather be a questioning human living in the first-world than a pigeon. I always see them missing toes.

Good examples of existentialism. Not saying either of you are actually existentialists.

If I had to be classified, I would say I most commonly relate to pyrro skepticism. Of course, that is subject to change.

 

[Sam]

Prolly some sort of atheist/agnostic/buddhist/existentialist.

I'm interested in dwelving into ethical issues and different religions, morals, cultures, ethnographical studies of religions origins but I don't sort of follow any dogma nor believe in "the one", but nah I haven't got a very structured and coherent view yet

I'm very concerned about the environment and against all the materialistic ways we've developed and the media's carelessness and everything being so centered around marketing and consumption, and of all kind of deprivation, especially of nature and animals.

I feel so helpless and powerless against the culture and everything enhancing this way of ... living really, that I rely on stoicism these days.

I sign Kant's categorical imperative's second part "always treat other people, including yourself, as ends to a mean and never as means to an end"

 

[Barnabas]

Wow, I feel really out of place posting here after reading the previous posts.

I'm a Catholic. I'm generally pretty terrible at following all of the ceremonies and such that I'm supposed to, but I believe fully in the moral teachings and the way it views the world.

I think my greatest inspirations are Thomas Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, and G.K. Chesterton, in that order. I haven't read much Chesterton, though.

The most important part of my faith is the practical tenets that govern day to day life; I think that Catholicism and Christianity in general lay out a pretty good framework for that. I figure that I need to master the small things before I start worrying about bigger theological questions.

As far as my worldview... I think there are good people and bad people, but that those thought of as bad are generally acting on what they know to be right, and that there are people many times worse than terrorists or corrupt CEOs. I guess I'm a bit of a human rights crusader at (bleeding) heart.

thanks for posting, sorry if you feel a little left out, but i would love to know a bit more about my Catholic brothers and sisters.I would agree with you that the big theological questions arn't necessary for your every day faith but instead living out the basics as far more important. And i would like to agree with your inspiration Lewis is excellent and a bit of a hard read.

 

[myself]

I'm very concerned about the environment and against all the materialistic ways we've developed and the media's carelessness and everything being so centered around marketing and consumption, and of all kind of deprivation, especially of nature and animals.

I feel so helpless and powerless against the culture and everything enhancing this way of ... living really, that I rely on stoicism these days.

i relate to this 100%

i'll also add, i'm not interested in anything otherworldly.

why bother with eternity when we have real lives to live?

don't sweat it. we arent sinners and we arent going to get spanked forever when we meet our maker.

humans have done an excellent job of being greedy, power hungry, obsessive, stupid gluttons.

so how do we change things?

...

gotta be the best you can be

gotta find that person you mesh with

children are the future

we gotta raise kids that have a truly higher standard of living

we can point them in the right direction

we should be dancing and laughing a lot more, thats all i know. this is life, wtf.

 

[Stu]

class five vegan.

I consider myself a strict materialist but take into consideration that nobody really understands the nature of the forces which determine material outcomes.

I also believe that our ability to rationally think and perceive reality is based at its psychic core on irrational unconscious processes.