GENIUS FORUMS

Leyla Shen wrote:Is this an example of what you would consider to be an indifference to the herd?

Yes.

I'm not sure I know what you mean. He was asking you what the difference is between differentiation and identification, no?

Yes, that’s correct.

And what is the difference again?

I think the true nature of reality is described by the concept of Game. Whatever limits exist may have been created as rules of the game by the consiousness that partitioned itself into individual entities to create the game condition. We are instances of the ultimate chess player that is playing b...

I saw a TV show about this and, IIRC, they said the towers are built to collapse downwards instead of toppling over. They are built over a cylindrical structure that collapses like a squeezebox.

I am not speaking of politics in the voice of the politician. Indeed, I am speaking about the state of the world, not the state of politics. What's the difference? To me, whenever people talk about nations and the issues surrounding them, it's politics. "Musharraf", "G. W. Bush"...

Outside of moving to a secluded island all by yourself -- or suicide (and I reckon I could argue that suicide was a very herdly activity), just exactly how can you be entirely separate and exterior to the herd, Matt? You could be emotionally outside of it, like someone with autism. You wouldn't sha...

Being human - being civilized - takes a lot of training. Maybe it would make us feel too hopeless if we realized that we don't have to stop when we reach the "human" level? Most people, most "civilized" people, go to school, go to college, get a job, and then peter out as far as...

I think the "herd" mentality sees it as taboo to question the essence of basic behaviours and cultural formations. It stems from pride in racial heritage, the hubris of inherited cultures as being somehow the best way, and also a sense of humility about it all, the idea that "my"...

Matt, an indifference to the herd is exactly that: a lack of importance either way. I am happy to shake someone's hand, or not, as long as I am looking them dead-straight in the eyes at the same time -- or not. Why, if I am indifferent, would I fret for one second over the idea of being considered ...

What was it that succumbed to his existence?

You won't offend me, Marsha. I know I can't keep up when it comes to politics. I have in fact spent a little time studying politics and U.S. and world history, but I eventually made the decision to avoid studying politics. A week's worth of study is enough to hold a conversation on a specific topic....

Yeah. I get the impression that he often wrote down his thought processes backwards to make them more dramatic, too.

Edit: Deleted some stuff.

I’d like to play “herd’s advocate” for a bit here. By all means. but when normal people, herd people, do things like teach a child to shake hands, they're not thinking along the lines of "Oh man! This kid needs to learn how to be a better part of the herd!" What they're thinking i...

I do not enjoy killing animals either but I eat meat. I have eaten plenty of deer meat that has been given to me. There are millions of deer around here. Tons of 'em. See them dead on the roadsides every single day -- killed by cars. Wasted meat. There are tons of deer around Michigan, too. Even ar...

I was reading the "Hugs and Handshakes" article in Genius News, found here: http://www.users.bigpond.com/drowden/issue5.htm#handshakes_hugs and I've been thinking lately about the use of words like "herd" to try and communicate some philosophical point. I suppose I'm still enchan...

Do you have any interest in Buddhism? Yeah, I like Buddhism. I'm about sick to death of Buddhism right now, though, because I've spent the last year or so reading virtually nothing but sutras and Zen texts, so I'm pretty worn out on it. - for example. Are you able to decipher poetry? It depends on ...

It wasn't Genius Forum per se that was hacked, it was the whole EZ-Board service, so you'll probably have to ask them, not that they would tell you anything if you did.

Sevens, What are my spiritual interests? I don't think I understand the question. The nature of Reality is my spiritual interest. There is no other spiritual thing, so any other type of interest wouldn't be spiritual. What sparks my mind? Just anything new that makes me think differently about mysel...

What do you visualize as the Truth? I don't know, I don't think I can really describe it. Stillness, I guess. A moving thing is "in" motion, but motion itself can't move. Similarly for change, finitude, mind, etc. In a developing person it seems separate until it logically cycles back to ...

Actually, it wasn't totally meaningless. I do think that the desire/ability to refine something towards perfection is a good thinking trait. Although it's best to refine one's understanding of Truth, if you can't manage to do that, refining the refining skill itself is the next best thing, I would t...

I can see how you might say that no one should be allowed to own a gun until age forty. The supposition is that a more mature person would not kill himself or others with it. Well, no, the supposition is that an older person would think a little longer before using it. It's a fact that younger peop...

Beware of patting backs, and huddling! What did Sir Nietzsche speak of that? Please refer to a snippet, over in my corner - under 'Behavior.' Thanks. Now what did I do? Man, I've been getting so ganked lately. I don't understand what you're trying to say -- it's a meaningless opinion. It took me tw...

I like your translation better. You can tell that you spent more time refining it than Kaufmann. Can't really fault Kaufmann for not perfecting every little nuance, though, since he did translate quite a bit of material.

DavidQuinn000 wrote:They were just a couple of egotists chasing Nobel glory, weren't they?

There are scientists with a touch of genius, and then there are:

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/ ... h-medicine

???

So the genius is the janitor of the current thoughtscape. He's one of the few who sees the mess and feels compelled to clean it up. Think about how often every philosopher who wrote got sidetracked into dealing with current events instead of remaining exclusively on universal knowledge. This must be...

Here's Kaufmann's version: It is a comfort to me to know that above the steam and filth of human lowlands there is a higher, brighter humanity, very small in number (for everything outstanding is by its nature rare): one belongs to it, not because one is more talented or more virtuous or more heroic...