GENIUS FORUMS

I don't pursue enlightenment for the sake of self satisfaction. That would be egotistical of me. I pursue it for the sake of perfecting my reason. And you find no joy in doing that or accomplishing that? Why would you want to perfect your reason unless you felt it was deficient and felt the need to...

I make the division because you think that our "desire" for food is the same as the egotistical desire for a certain states of consciousness. This has caused a great mess in your understanding, which no one has been able to make a budge towards correction at this point, it seems. Ok so yo...

Yes they are, but egotistical desires deals with the perception of imbalance in one's own psyche, or state of consciousness. Otherwise, normal desiring (such as for food or sleep) isn't any different than a river "desiring" to flow downhill. I just don't see the point in dividing desire i...

Orenholt, please note that I've been talking about egotistical desire. There is a difference. Egotistical desire deals with the conception of self and the assumption of its states. What would be a desire that isn't egotistical? Aren't all desires self serving in some way? The egotist is unaware of ...

Inexperience in what exactly? Philosophy? We need to be clear about this. By your current set of definitions, there's no clear cut reason or cause of our ignorance. Telling someone they're merely inexperienced gives them nothing as far as guiding them to wisdom (something you've all but admitted is...

Ignorance of course. But having desires doesn't necessarily mean that you're ignorant. What is the source of ignorance, and can we eradicate this source? Inexperience is the source of ignorance. It can only be eradicated by gaining experience and insight of some kind. This doesn't mean that it all ...

Apparently sexual activity that does not lead to reproduction of the species is prompted by an imperative to perpetuate self-concept, rather than a biological imperative to perpetuate the species. This is not an insignificant imperative, since preservation of self-concept through defense and assert...

I think the only thing we've then established is that human individuals have some degree of self-consciousness , meaning they can reflect on their own behavior and being. And on causality. For example a man can be conscious of his reactions to the presence of an attractive woman and even have thoug...

Well it's really hard to discuss a human behavior such as enlightenment without taking neurology and psychology into account. But that would mean you have some idea on what "behavior" would fit the enlightened. It would be a bold claim and perhaps you should wonder if your ideas on that b...

It would be fine with me but it seemed you were arguing for something else. The individual just cannot "know" on every level the value of each and every action in relation to survival. At the level of the genes perhaps but also genes do not have ego, self-interest, satisfaction or dissati...

Leyla Shen wrote: Let's fuck.

I am bisexual you know.....

I look forward to your answers... especially about why you insist on being snotty and suggest that Dan give me "the boot". Yes, I can see why that's the most important thing to you. Guess what? I'm going to let you suffer that one out. Well I was just wondering if you had any justificatio...

Russell wrote:What would you describe as the source of delusional thought?

Ignorance of course. But having desires doesn't necessarily mean that you're ignorant.

L: And, yes—you could do that. And it would be just as meaningless as your model of ego. O: Just because you disagree doesn't mean that it's meaningless. Well, yes it is, because I have explained why it is meaningless. All you are doing is conflating desire-ego-brain into a monolith; are you Cathol...

If we define ego as self rather than desire then yes, that is delusional in some ways or at least it appears to be very short sighted. Egotistical desire is selfish desire. There's no conflict of terms here as the ego regards the self as an inherent entity in the act of desiring. There's nothing wr...

Orenholt, do you hold the ego to be delusional in any way? Do you think it's possible to experience consciousness, without ego, even at least for just a short period of time? If not, what exactly does "enlightenment" mean to you if the ego, as you define it, cannot be transcended? What is...

Which is like saying: the species has no collective ego. The species has no "self interest". The species does not know of "satisfaction" or "dissatisfaction". And still it drives behavior, develops, moves through history, evolves, etc. The only way that the species can...

The reason we're interested in survival "as a species" is because we're too dumb and weak to survive on our own most of the time. No, the species is interested in survival of itself. Or perhaps as some cooperation of genes. Some people might value this consciously but many do not. Actuall...

In Lacan, the subject matter at hand, they are a component part of the symbolical order in the unconscious; signifier being sounds/images and the signified being related concepts. The signified as concepts represents consciousness (discernment/form/distinction) and signifiers the unconscious (assoc...

I know what signifies means. It means to make meaning or importance out of something. Images? How are images different than any other kind of expectation? And what are you talking about "whores"? Just because someone makes up a word doesn't mean that it and it's meaning are correct. I coul...

That the ego ideal doesn't exist and that it's a silly concept. Are you saying that people don't have images they strive to live up to? The Symbolic Order (the realm of the Ego Ideal) is language; signifier and signified. Are you planning to reach your goal/s without language? Of course people have...

Leyla Shen wrote:
And what follows from this "main point"?

That the ego ideal doesn't exist and that it's a silly concept.

My goal is to show that all human behavior is in self interest and that "selfishness" can sometimes be a good thing. How does the majority of human population not already resemble this? The majority may resemble it quite well but certain people might think that certain actions are NOT in ...

Empathy is a selfish mechanism too. It's an instinct built into us for survival as a species. You mean to say here that the species as a whole is now "selfish". But sneakily you have thereby created another type of self (the species) and therefore the former meaning of selfishness (advant...

Sorry I meant to say ego ideal instead of super ego. -_-'