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The older I get, the more deeply weird and mystical this whole range of questions feels to me. It only recently occurred to me, for example, while reading about
by gglitch 10y ago
The older I get, the more deeply weird and mystical this whole range of questions feels to me. It only recently occurred to me, for example, while reading about Whitehead's process philosophy, that even if he was right, and that by learning about process philosophy I'd discovered a radically different and more energizing explanation for what the fundamental nature of reality is, it just wouldn't matter; I couldn't produce a single example of how it would materially affect my life or my relationships, except possibly by making me one of those cocktail party bores who constantly talks about how amazing process philosophy is. Maybe someone else could/did produce something "meaningful," out of process philosophy, but for me, getting excited about process philosophy turned out to be fairly meaningless even if the idea itself is possibly-meaningful. Corollary: this may be one of the principle advantages to being able to make art, and especially narrative art: if I were a novelist, I might have been able to boil these process philosophy ideas down into some more humanistic narratives that actually would have some impact on some people. But I'm not, so the conclusion here is, the search for meaning may just be a red herring for me. Unfortunately, it may actually not be; hence the weirdness of it all: how would I know the difference, and what would happen then? And weirdest of all: what is happening in my mind that makes all of these questions feel so urgent all the time?
- arthur_pryor 10y agoi haven't read about process philosophy and don't really know about whitehead other than recognizing the name, but a couple possible things it could do for you based just on what you said above: * it could give you structural analogies and metaphorical tools for understanding other problems, the way any mathematical/artistic/philosophical discipline can. * you might not be able to create your own art from it, but you might better be able to understand someone else's art, which might indirectly lead to more meaning for you or someone else. people, like organizations, should do blue sky research. not everything that you learn has an immediately apparent application.
- ashark 10y agoThe older I get and the more philosophy/literature/science I digest, the greater the urge to disconnect. Forget about the news, forget about history, forget about philosophy, forget about travel, forget about tech (for the most part). Throw out the macbooks and the TVs and my library. It's all brain-clutter. I could be growing flowers or napping in a hammock instead. I'm increasingly less convinced that satisfaction is ultimately aided by any of it. Probably that stuff was a useful stepping-stone to where I am, but it seems so much less important than it used to. I'm starting to wonder how akin knowing and finding answers are to various manifestations of pointless, restless acquisitiveness.
- Practicality 10y agoYou sound a lot like the preacher in Ecclesiastes
- johnmarius 10y agoAnd yet you comment on this, and presumably read the article.
- Xcelerate 10y ago> It's all brain-clutter. I could be growing flowers or napping in a hammock instead. And this is why I worry about getting older haha
- dwaltrip 10y agoI tend to spend a good amount of time thinking about similar types of questions. I like to think my own philosophical developments over the years have allowed me to build a healthier relationship with my own existence. An old friend recently told me that life seemed "easier" for me these days. So while it is quite difficult to say for sure (correlation != causation), I do think that sometimes these questions can be helpful.