4 ms·

Well, we don't really know what happens after we die. And a little bit of symbolism is a nice touch that also helps those left behind.

theboywho 7y ago
We kinda know that memory lies in the brain and that the brain gets rotten after you die. Symbolism is nice but it can’t replace actually meaningful moments.
- kinleyd 7y ago
  True, the body and the brain both rot and die. However, whether there is something beyond that that lives on, or not, is something that we are truly qualified to comment on only after we die, however scientific one may try to be.
- justforyou 7y ago
  This is sloppy philosphy. Symbolism is clearly defined, but "actual meaningful moments" is a culturally subjective term without actual meaning. Furthermore, symbols are largely how our species interprets and experiences reality. Symbols provide meaning. Without them, moments are mere streams of phenomenon.
  - theboywho 7y ago
    Symbolism is as subjective as it gets, an act can be interpreted as heroic by some people while others might think it's stupid. Meaningful moments don't exclude symbolic ones, they extend them by including banal moments like having an ice cream with your kid and enjoying it.
    - justforyou 7y ago
      Having an ice cream with your kids and enjoying it is only meaningful due to the cultural symhols and context present in the scenario. Otherwise, you're just hijacking short term reward systems and facilitating the consumption of empty calories to the (health) detriment of all parties involved. There's no inherent meaning in the scenario. Sounds like you are conflating meaning with the felt quality of immediate experience.
      - theboywho 7y ago
        I don't agree. It's not necessary meaningful _only_ for symbolic reasons, in fact, you chose to give it meaning that way. You can also simply enjoy the fact your kid is happy and you are having a solitude moment with somebody who you love and who loves you back. In the same way you would enjoy a good tasting Apple, or hot water touching your skin, etc. Unless you are saying that humans are incapable of enjoying life outside of cultural symbols. You seem to be conflating "am I enjoying this moment?" with "does what I'm doing matter?"
        justforyou 7y ago
        If what you say is true, eating apples would be a universal joy. That's not the case. Food preferences / aversions are a product of culture. The ability to ask both "am I enjoying this moment?" and "does what I'm doing matter?" is a byproduct of symbolic thinking. Culture is both the vector for those symbols and the product of them.
        dragonwriter 7y ago
        > If what you say is true, eating apples would be a universal joy That doesn't follow from anything the grandparent said. > Food preferences / aversions are a product of culture. They are certainly subjective, and culture has some influence on them, but “product of culture” is far overstating the case. Food preferences exist without culture for purely (though still varying across individuals, because biology does) biological reasons. > The ability to ask both "am I enjoying this moment?" and "does what I'm doing matter?" is a byproduct of symbolic thinking. Insofar as all use of language is, and this the ability to ask any question framed in words is, certainly. It's less clear whether the ability to distinguish momentary enjoyment from significance is, because we don't really have address to the cognitive processes of those without access to language. > Culture is both the vector for those symbols and the product of them. This may also overstste the influence of culture, but it does so less than the prior example.
      - theboywho 7y ago
        I did not mention what kind of ice cream we were having. Ours was a keto-compatible sugar-free ice cream
  - theboywho 7y ago
    On a side note, the use of Furthermore has been correlated with decreasing readability of texts https://elifesciences.org/articles/27725 https://elifesciences.org/articles/27725
    - justforyou 7y ago
      So has pedentry, and yet, here we are.
- TheFiend7 7y ago
  Literally just semantics and opinion. What's the difference between symbolism and meaningful moments for some? And yeah, everyone is aware you don't remember anything when you die. When I die, I want to die in a way that impacts those left behind, because like you said, I won't remember it but they will.
  - theboywho 7y ago
    Meaningful moments don't exclude symbolic ones. You can die in a heroic way (that some might find stupid since symbols are subjective) but my personal opinion is that the quality time you spend with the people you leave behind counts far more than an single act at the end.
- kls 7y ago
  If the holographic universe theory holds true then they are indeed not stored in the brain as the brain as well as all matter is a mere projection of reality. Similar to how a monitor is only the projection of the running application. The reality of the application is far different then what user experiences via the monitor. https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2017/01/holographic-universe.page https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2017/01/holographic-unive...

theboywho 7y ago

We kinda know that memory lies in the brain and that the brain gets rotten after you die. Symbolism is nice but it can’t replace actually meaningful moments.

kinleyd 7y ago
True, the body and the brain both rot and die. However, whether there is something beyond that that lives on, or not, is something that we are truly qualified to comment on only after we die, however scientific one may try to be.
justforyou 7y ago
This is sloppy philosphy. Symbolism is clearly defined, but "actual meaningful moments" is a culturally subjective term without actual meaning. Furthermore, symbols are largely how our species interprets and experiences reality. Symbols provide meaning. Without them, moments are mere streams of phenomenon.
- theboywho 7y ago
  Symbolism is as subjective as it gets, an act can be interpreted as heroic by some people while others might think it's stupid. Meaningful moments don't exclude symbolic ones, they extend them by including banal moments like having an ice cream with your kid and enjoying it.
  - justforyou 7y ago
    Having an ice cream with your kids and enjoying it is only meaningful due to the cultural symhols and context present in the scenario. Otherwise, you're just hijacking short term reward systems and facilitating the consumption of empty calories to the (health) detriment of all parties involved. There's no inherent meaning in the scenario. Sounds like you are conflating meaning with the felt quality of immediate experience.
    - theboywho 7y ago
      I don't agree. It's not necessary meaningful _only_ for symbolic reasons, in fact, you chose to give it meaning that way. You can also simply enjoy the fact your kid is happy and you are having a solitude moment with somebody who you love and who loves you back. In the same way you would enjoy a good tasting Apple, or hot water touching your skin, etc. Unless you are saying that humans are incapable of enjoying life outside of cultural symbols. You seem to be conflating "am I enjoying this moment?" with "does what I'm doing matter?"
      - justforyou 7y ago
        If what you say is true, eating apples would be a universal joy. That's not the case. Food preferences / aversions are a product of culture. The ability to ask both "am I enjoying this moment?" and "does what I'm doing matter?" is a byproduct of symbolic thinking. Culture is both the vector for those symbols and the product of them.
        dragonwriter 7y ago
        > If what you say is true, eating apples would be a universal joy That doesn't follow from anything the grandparent said. > Food preferences / aversions are a product of culture. They are certainly subjective, and culture has some influence on them, but “product of culture” is far overstating the case. Food preferences exist without culture for purely (though still varying across individuals, because biology does) biological reasons. > The ability to ask both "am I enjoying this moment?" and "does what I'm doing matter?" is a byproduct of symbolic thinking. Insofar as all use of language is, and this the ability to ask any question framed in words is, certainly. It's less clear whether the ability to distinguish momentary enjoyment from significance is, because we don't really have address to the cognitive processes of those without access to language. > Culture is both the vector for those symbols and the product of them. This may also overstste the influence of culture, but it does so less than the prior example.
    - theboywho 7y ago
      I did not mention what kind of ice cream we were having. Ours was a keto-compatible sugar-free ice cream
- theboywho 7y ago
  On a side note, the use of Furthermore has been correlated with decreasing readability of texts https://elifesciences.org/articles/27725 https://elifesciences.org/articles/27725
  - justforyou 7y ago
    So has pedentry, and yet, here we are.
TheFiend7 7y ago
Literally just semantics and opinion. What's the difference between symbolism and meaningful moments for some? And yeah, everyone is aware you don't remember anything when you die. When I die, I want to die in a way that impacts those left behind, because like you said, I won't remember it but they will.
- theboywho 7y ago
  Meaningful moments don't exclude symbolic ones. You can die in a heroic way (that some might find stupid since symbols are subjective) but my personal opinion is that the quality time you spend with the people you leave behind counts far more than an single act at the end.
kls 7y ago
If the holographic universe theory holds true then they are indeed not stored in the brain as the brain as well as all matter is a mere projection of reality. Similar to how a monitor is only the projection of the running application. The reality of the application is far different then what user experiences via the monitor. https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2017/01/holographic-universe.page https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2017/01/holographic-unive...