Originally Posted by Wayfarer (Post 718079)

That's really bloody weird. I was just using this StumbleUpon add-on just a couple of hours ago, and it took me to a YouTube video of Alan Watts (who I'd never heard of beforehand), and after listening to a twenty-minute or so speech of his, the first thing I thought was, "This guy reminds me of cardboard adolescent." LOL.

Originally Posted by watts sample from a giraffes? giraffes! song

Let's suppose that you were able every night to dream any dream that you wanted to dream, and that you could, for example, have the power within one night to dream 75 years of dreams, or any length of time you wanted to have. And you would, naturally as you began on this adventure of dreams, you would fufill all your wishes. You would have every kind of pleasure you could concieve. And after several nights, of 75 years of total pleasure each, you would say "Well, that was pretty great. But now let's have a surprise. Let's have a dream which isn't under control. Where something is gonna happen to me that I don't know what it's gonna be." And you would dig that and come out of that and say "Wow, that was a close shave, wasn't it?". And then you would get more and more adventurous, and you would make further and further out gambles as to what you would dream. And finally, you would dream where you are now. You would dream the dream of living the life that you are actually living today.

Originally Posted by 333 (Post 718202)

I've yet to read one whole book by him, but have heard things here and there. Will someone suggest a good starter?

Originally Posted by cardboard adolescent (Post 718062)

i don't understand why he hasn't replaced the bible.

Originally Posted by bungalow (Post 719102)

dude is awesome. and has the greatest voice of all time.

Originally Posted by Neapolitan (Post 719150)

wrong, John Facenda has the greatest voice of all time!

Originally Posted by SATCHMO (Post 719152)

Way to be relevant.

Originally Posted by cardboard adolescent (Post 719002)

because he's a lot more straightforward and you can't twist his words to commit atrocities. most of the wisdom contained in the bible is contained in alan watts in a much easier to digest form.

Originally Posted by Inuzuka Skysword (Post 721418)

Duh. That was Ayn Rand's job.

j/k

Originally Posted by Inuzuka Skysword (Post 721418)

Duh. That was Ayn Rand's job.

j/k

Originally Posted by Inuzuka Skysword (Post 722604)

If anything Nietzsche and Aristotle are, I think, the most important philosophers.

Originally Posted by Neapolitan (Post 722820)

I do not care for Friedrich Nietzsche, nor do I consider him great. I never care to read his writings. He might be popular or important to many, but those I've met that follow him are misotheistic. I never meant someone, who quoted Nietzche as if he was a god, had anything positive to say for those who do believe in God. I shouldn't judge a philosphers by the people who read their books but like they say a bird of a feather flock togehter and that guy keeps mean misotheistic company.

Originally Posted by Neapolitan (Post 722820)

. I shouldn't judge a philosphers by the people who read their books

Originally Posted by Inuzuka Skysword (Post 723026)

I would definitely say I am a misotheist, though then I would also say I cannot hate a god that doesn't exist. I wouldn't say I got that from Nietzsche, but he probably strengthened it in some way. Ayn Rand probably influenced me much more in the area of Atheism since she was the philosopher that convinced me it was worthwhile.

Originally Posted by Neapolitan (Post 723254)

But what happens if God does exist?

The more important thing to realize is that there is nothing about God to hate. And God does not demand a person to recognize Him; a person must come to believe in God through Faith.

Originally Posted by Engine (Post 725493)

I've been meaning to read this one..

http://gtpotter.com/files/2009/03/thebook-alanwatts.jpg

..because I want to know.

Originally Posted by Inuzuka Skysword (Post 722604)

I haven't read any Alan Watts. I have read a lot of Ayn Rand. I don't think of Ayn Rand as the greatest philosopher of all time. I consider the greatest organizer is philosophy. She took Nietzsche's egoism and made it rational. She gave it a political stance. She gave it a stance on art. I think Ayn Rand's philosophy misses ideas, or rather, she just doesn't explain some important things. Her philosophy is like a skeleton and you have to go and find the meat and the muscle if you want to live it yourself and enjoy it.

Originally Posted by SATCHMO (Post 725565)

It's very good. I definitely recommend it.

Originally Posted by cardboard adolescent (Post 725637)

Read that essay I posted. Please.

Originally Posted by cardboard adolescent (Post 726223)

I don't understand how you could read that essay and get that out of it. He only 'attacks' logical positivism insofar as he points out its fundamental limit, that it doesn't give us a complete, profound understanding of reality. He actually affirms its usefulness. Quite ironically, logical positivism had nothing to do with the seven wonders of the world (hello, it's a 20th century movement), in fact, most of them were the result of religious inspiration (for instance, the Egyptian pharaohs were considered divine incarnations, similar to what Alan Watts believes). Mathematics was probably involved as well, but Plato would consider that a form of divine inspiration as well.

In a sense though, you're right, since he does refer to 'it' as no-thing.

Originally Posted by cardboard adolescent (Post 726223)

I don't understand how you could read that essay and get that out of it. He only 'attacks' logical positivism insofar as he points out its fundamental limit, that it doesn't give us a complete, profound understanding of reality. He actually affirms its usefulness. Quite ironically, logical positivism had nothing to do with the seven wonders of the world (hello, it's a 20th century movement), in fact, most of them were the result of religious inspiration (for instance, the Egyptian pharaohs were considered divine incarnations, similar to what Alan Watts believes). Mathematics was probably involved as well, but Plato would consider that a form of divine inspiration as well.

In a sense though, you're right, since he does refer to 'it' as no-thing.