what is nihilism?

It's only a problem for those who are spooked by "I don't know / I am unimportant."

And, as far as I am concerned, science is anything but prosaic, however you might intend the plural of the word. I find it alarming that people need some supernatural threat or connection to figure out how to treat people.

Though, honestly, I haven't bothered to read up on this thread. Just crashing boorishly about cyberspace, as I am sometimes wont to do.

I found science to be a great relief in my puberal quest for the things that mattered. I wondered about what those things were for quite a long time. I admit education plays an important part in this.

Well, I hope you found something that mattered at the end of it...

I sure did, you may read this thread to find out. Quite some interesting ideas here.

Maybe I'm even suffering from an ethical overdose sometimes (the avater rant). Should lighten up...

Yeah, but what influenced things before willful beings such as ourselves evolved? Do bacteria have free will? Does life without sentience have meaning?



A profound observation. If it weren't for the realness of "nothing" (what appears to be a vacuum in space is actually seething with energy and virtual particles), we wouldn't be here.




Why snarl at our carefully chosen avatars that often say more about us than our screen names? Just laugh at our foibles, and keep seeking until you find a suitable one for yourself. :wink: The astronaut (a painting by Alan Bean entitled "Reaching for the Stars") reflects my interest in cosmology without announcing gender, location or other personal info.

IMO, the willingness of mankind to devote time, money and lives to explore space is the ultimate repudiation of nihilism.

Not that such a pointless philosophy could ever be taken seriously by anyone who cares!

I sympathize entirely with what you're saying. And my answer precedes your post.

Uhhhh...did you mean that in the Biblical sense?

heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee . . .

okbye

Terry!:

"[the realness of "nothing"]"

well obviously that would appeal to me, but I think you have hit upon the actual point where "art" meets "science".

quite a beautiful metaphor/image/concept!

Well, nothingness is physically real, but only for an infinitely small amount of time. Energy fluctuations seethe into reality from apparent nothingness. Ask those troubled scientists at CERN.

Perhaps not wolf; maybe nothingness is the preferred state of being (or should I say "not" being, and perhaps our eruption into space time is a blip in the real "steady state" of "X"istence!

Nothingness, as far as the scientific standpoint on the creation of this universe is concerned: present cosmological models think that the vacuum is never really empty -- there is always a residual temperature even beneath -273°C. So nothingness would only exist as an inherent effect within any fluctuation of energy. Not by itself.

But beyond our universe: who knows? You could be right.

I think of "nothingness" as a place; ultimate minimalism; stripped of "everything".
It is a place where absolutely nothing, anything!

A soothing thought. Concentrate on nothing -- ban all upcoming ideas -- for 15 minutes and you feel refreshed. Some call it meditation :wink:

It's impossible, at least for me to stop those "thingies".

Call it, rather, mediation. A negotiation between the conscious and unconscious self, calling for both to take a brief time out.

How can you stop them? They go so fast and so many at that.

First, breathe calmly for as much time as is necessary to become calm, detached, yet clearly conscient. Close your eyes, and, while remaining in this state, focus on an imaginary point near the centre of your forehead. Every thought that comes popping up -- every thought -- you friendly ignore. Try merely to be content. Keep this balanced state up for a good 20 minutes.

Impossible, detatched and calm, together, insane.