Nihilism

>> False. A negative ends is not insured in every, or even most, scenarios. This is evident. In this particular scenario there are both a negative AND a positive effect each way. It just comes down to weighing which direction gives more positive. If you're really in the mood for a soda than having one might be more positive, but if you have too much soda or unhealthy food as it is than it may be more beneficial not to. A very simple answer from my side: give me any situation, any action and I can give you a negative result. Anything, even in the smallest of portions can have a negative result. There is no such thing as pure positivity, from which, I might add, I never stated there was no such thing as positivity. I merely stated there was nothing like pure (mark my words) positivity. I acknowledge the opposite being true, as well. >>First, there's two completely unconnected statements there. Secondly, on the first one, it depends what you mean. I got genes from my grandparents, other than that I haven't inherited much else. I'm the complete opposite of my family. They are hard-core conservative Christians, I am a completely anti-religious Socialist. Thirdly, on the first one, why does it even matter? What does this have to do with your resolution? Fourthly, on the second statement, what is wrong with wanting more? That is a very, very good thing! It would reeeeally suck if we didn't have the desire to always make things better. You're completely missing the other side of the coin. They are unconnected because they are two answers to both of your statements. And you may not have inherited any of their ideals, but you have inherited a part of their way of living, through how you were raised. It is only natural to adept to your surroundings and take over certain activities and actions the people around you perform. It matters because you don't have control over all aspects of your life, and as such, if you were raised in a certain manner, you will behave in a certain manner, for example in a depressing way. Fourthly, it is wrong to always be wanting more. In fact, I believe it is one of the seven deadly sins, namely Greed. Dissatisfaction leads to different images on life, trying to solve your dissatisfaction by making up new things, like some religions or moral beliefs. >> Of course there's a part of them that wants it to be better! I can tell you right now that I am the happiest person I know but I also have the most passionate dreams about making things better. Some say my dreams are a little too idealist, a little too large. But my dreams don't depress me, pursuing my dreams plays a large part in my happiness. It might be natural, that doesn't exclude the fact that it is still a sin. To always want better things, no matter the consequences, leads to madness and eventually, destruction of that person's conciousness. >> If someone sees a slaughter? They want might want to stop it, you say? I was not under the impression that this is a bad thing. Again, it is the desire for positivity. You have yet to dismiss how this could actually constitute a not only viable but essential construct for both morality and purpose. They want to stop it because according to the brain it might be dangerous for the body. It isn't thinking any heroï¿½c things like "Oh, let's not kill that guy because he is human even though he will kill me otherwise.". Nope, all it thinks is "Kill, then get the F*CK out!". I'd say that is immoral. >> Don't you see the error you make here? ALL things we think and feel are chemical reactions in the brain. That doesn't make it any less real! Rather, it confirms that it is. You say "that makes you look at things more positively", you not only acknowledge positivity here but you show precisely why it is a good thing. A life style centered largely around love is a MUCH happier one. And happiness is your intrinsic purpose, which you have yet to dismiss. I have never stated otherwise, but that just doesn't matter. For this subject, it doesn't matter what causes the other emotions, because I only stated there not being anything like genuine love. That the same feeling can be felt for anyone in any emotion is irrelevant. The subject is love, and the question is if true love exists. >> The mistake that you are making here is to base morality off of survival. That would be committing the naturalistic fallacy. I contend that a society that would save the weaker is actually more reasonable, and as such more moral, because it is a society that can obviously be seen to sustain more happiness within it's populus. The main purpose of a being is to survive. We human beings have done something slightly different. We do not just want to survive, we want to live happily, which is a feeling based off of survival. In short, the main purpose of our beings is still survival. >> Your measure of "true happiness" seems to be a world in which we don't want anything. I think this is sadly mistaken. It's my wanting of things that plays a large part in my happiness. Not wanting anything means happinness. If you have no need for anything, that means you arealways satisfied and thus always relatively happy. Seems logical to me. >> This makes absolutely no sense. Death is not morally superior, it is AMORAL. It has nothing to did with morals because, like you said, you feel nothing. Feeling is upon what I base my morality and purpose. I pursue things based on positive feeling. Consider this a score. A positive feeling gives you a +1 or something higher. A negative gives you a -1 or something lower. According to the moral system which I came to through reason which has not been refuted, morality and pleasure lies in having the highest score at any given time. Dieing is amoral and gives a score of 0. Now you may be thinking that we are all going to reach zero anyway because we all die, so what's the point? But death does not take away from any of the points you had before, it just means that it stops getting added to. So you still have an intrinsic purpose to pursue positive and avoid negative. The rational base for morality and purpose is upon this. If you do not feel anything, you cannot feel the positivity or negativity you got in your previous life. Therefore, it doesn't matter what you do in life, as any feeling gotten in life is quickly swept away by death. The ultimate end that exists for all beings in creation doesn't judge. It simply throws our lives away. Everyone, no matter the circumstances, feels the same in death.