Philosophy on Werk Space

Basic Philosophy

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 16:22:35 -0500

For a post like this, the question is where to start and how much to explain. I will try to write as little as possible and point to other thinkers whenever possible.

Stoicism

I am a Stoic, especially in the tradition of Epicetetus. I was a Stoic before I was introduced to these works and reviewing the thoughts of many of the Stoics has made this very clear to me. I use the words of the Stoics and naturally engage in many of the practices.

Not a Slave to Superstition

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The word atheist is defined in relation to gods. I prefer the phrase “not slave to superstitions” of which belief in gods is but one of many that must be suppressed. There are natural tendencies in humans to be superstition and so suppression must be an active process.

Christians are slaves to superstition. Both conspiracy theories and gods fall under the umbrella of superstition.

This is placeholder content.

Discernment of cause

Are we good at discerning the truth of our reality? I would like to say, ‘yes, yes we are’ but I fear that we really are not very good at discerning our reality. If you are asked, ‘What causes the wind?, the tides?, the sunrise?, or fire?’ you might be able to give a reasonably accurate answer. None of those answers is directly obvious in itself. Your ability to correctly answer any of those questions depends upon a chain of knowledge that certainly was not available to our long-ago ancestors.

Government: meaning, methods, and maximizing

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This is a DRAFT

Why do we have government?

Basically governments exist to organize. A basic family group has it own organization that is not formalized. As we move from a single family group to a tribe of families and then to a organization of many tribes; we see the need to formalize structure to reduce internal conflict and to meet objectives.

What types of objectives would these groupings wish to achieve? I think it is best to start with basic survival. Generally, this will include: food extraction, food cultivation, resource extraction, resource distribution, self-defense, resource acquisition, and dispute mediation. Especially note that the last three items often include the use of force. In the modern world, some of these objectives are not performed by a government but instead by various legal structures from sole proprietor to multi-national corporation.

My Philosophy

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 16:22:35 -0500