Universal axioms, survival instincts, and Ego-fabricated mind-models:
This is my personal philosophical paradigm and written to hopefully answer a few questions recently put forth by @dantheman... posting on some concerns and quoting Eckhart Tolle. It comprises a lifetime of experiences (70 years old) and many quotes, which I find relevant... please forgive any mistakes, as I wrote it in about 5-6 hours and it looks as tho my outline in Word did not post the way I wrote it? Not sure about how to format here? Oh well, hope it helps a few out?
A) Universal Axioms:
Organization and Disorganization Exist.
Re: Ayn Rand, (Existence Exist), “Objectivism,” plus Richard Dawkins, “The Selfish Gene”
1- Organization Exist
a) Survival and Procreation Exist:
That which increases the probability of organization, order, or life
2- Disorganization Exist
a) Randomness or Entropy Exist:
That which increases the probability of disorder or death
B) Evolved survival and procreation instincts (plant, animal, and human):
Re: The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins (Microbiologist)
1- Survival of self
2- Survival of family
3- Survival of community
4- Survival via basic communications
5- Survival anchored to food, water, shelter, and procreation
C) Evolved survival and procreation instincts (human consciousness and early ego)
Re: The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins (Microbiologist)
1- Evolved brain memory or storage of sensual inputs
2- Fabrication of identity (me vs. them)
3- Fabrication of linear time (past vs. future)
4- Fabrication and simulation of past/future events and memory storage of the narrative
5- Fabrication of a more sophisticated form of communication or speech… the dance of the bumble bee rivals human communication but took thousands of years to evolve; however, humans can learn a different language in a matter of months.
D) Evolved survival and procreation instincts, replete with relative truths (ego and superego)
Re: Sigmund Freud, The Ego and the ID, plus Paul Davies (theoretical physicists), God and The New Physics
1- Fabrication of the hard models of science (math, physics, chemistry, etc)
2- Fabrication of the soft models of science (psychology, philosophy, etc)
3- Fabrication of the religious models and the hoped-for afterlife in various ethereal or energy form
6- Fabrication of moral and social principles (good vs. evil)
7- Fabrication of culture or racial historical norms
8- Fabrication of purpose or meaning in life
E) Relative truths are just that, not axiomatic, but useful to human survival:
Re: (some theoretical physicists), Paul Davies, Niels Bohr, John Wheeler, Erwin Schrodinger
1- Math: Even the hard-ego models still have relative truths… 1=1 is based on basic assumptions and set theory. (Math professor, Mike Palmer)
2- Physics: Classical physics… “Matter cannot be created or destroyed,” but not so with Quantum physics when particles appear out of nothingness. Both models however are useful to our survival, if used appropriately.
3- Psychology: Our brains are divided into three parts, according to Freud… ID, Ego, and Superego; however, there’s no real clear line-in-the-sand between the evolved life forms. (Dawkins, The Selfish Gene) This model, however, is useful to distinguish consciousness (human) from unconsciousness (animal) life forms. Dogs do have some memory capability and can communicate on a basic level. It can observed that they even dream and try to run or bark while sleeping.
F) @dantheman questions from his last post, quoting Eckhart Tolle:
Why should we label violence as bad and non-violence as good? >Aren’t these very labels the source of our suffering? >And if we remove these labels, what meaning is there in creating a non-violent society? >Why should we suffer to bring it about? >What is the purpose of violence? >Why do we use it? >Violence is a response (resistance) to what is. >It is a rejection of reality. >Violence is the result of an inability to see the aliveness in others; an inability to feel connected with all of life.
We shouldn’t necessarily label “violence as bad and non-violence as good.” These good/bad labels are just that, an ego created fabrication. In the most basic form, good/bad, could be looked at as a universal axiomatic principle… life and death exist and survival and procreation exist, so if we kill to eat and survive it’s in line with the laws of this universe.
Suffering is inevitable in this universe; however, it’s also useful to our survival to eliminate unnecessary suffering or the suffering of others, including all life forms… on a very basic, spiritual, level we are all connected, via the universes’ axiomatic principles, and have evolved from the same collective subconscious energy source.
Eckhart Tolle quote:
“At the deepest level of Being, you are one with all that is”
If we kill our environment we will eventually kill ourselves and thus reduce our survivability/longevity on this planet. Another Tolle quote I like, which seems worthy to mention, in order to minimize suffering:
“Accept — then act. >Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. >Always work with it, not against it. >Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. >This will miraculously transform your whole life.”
Of course Tolle was influenced by great philosophers of the past, like Carl Jung who said:
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. > I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become. >What you resist, persists. >Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.
Many perceived “bad experiences” or “bad people” can have an overall, long-term, positive affect, upon our own character or wellbeing. Some of the worse short-term experiences of my life, provided the negative energy for me to change courses and make those hard decisions to take those first steps in a new and more positive direction.
Humans fabricate religions, replete with relative truths within (ie. Jesus is God within the model of Christianity), to give them peace of mind and to minimize fears of death. These models evolved to help us survive, but have no absolute truths or are axiomatic on a universal scale. It’s natural to avoid potentially bad or violent realities such as our inevitable deaths. Some humans, exposed to extreme violence in war zones, for periods of time, can actually go blind due to our survival instincts. Our instinctive natures protect us from violence and aid in our survival; however, religions can create violence in other cultures with different Gods, violence against nature, or have relative truths which do not enhance a quality of life for all, with differing paradigms. In those cases religion is not necessarily a good thing for all people or the environment in general.
The meaning for creating a non-violent society is also rooted in survival… both physically, mentality, and to insure a positive legacy. It basically feels good to help others and promote survival of our earthly environments. Suffering comes about when we try to go against axiomatic principles with anger, narcissism, and selfishness, and resist working for the good of not only self, family, and community, but all life forms in general. Suffering comes when the consciously anchored ego replaces, to a very large degree, our instinctive spiritual connections (our baby-like, loving-self, within) to all life forms in general.
@dantheman Steemit post questions:
This state of being creates a paradox for those with aims to change the world. >If you are at complete peace with the way things are, then what motive is there to change the world? >On what basis should you choose to act? >This is the very heart of economics, the study of human action. >This is the root of my current internal conflict.
I’ve read Eckhart Tolle many years ago (A New Earth… an Oprah series) and do like 95%+ of what he says; however, I have concerns with some statements from him in his book, “The Power of Now:”
the past gives you an identity and the future holds the promise of salvation, of fulfillment in whatever form. >Both are illusions.
These type statements remind me of other (self-claiming) enlighten spiritual peeps, who go so far as to claim that the, “ego does not exist,” which is basically impossible. Just typing these words on this page requires the use of my memory, memory recall, writing skills, and thus, ego. The claim is made that we should be totally at peace and living only in our present moments. For the most part I can agree and would recommend reading, Eckhart’s book, “The Power of Now,” as long as one realizes that it’s impossible to live 100% in the NOW. Maybe I’m being too picky, as I do see the human ego as being fabricated by consciousness for the purposes of survival? Fabricated for me makes sense… but “an illusion”???
Living mostly in the present does reduce suffering; however, the ego serves an evolved survival purpose to protect self, family, and community. With ego we can simulate a future potential encounter with a bear, for example, and learn from that simulation, as opposed to actually being totally present to learn from the experience and being mauled or eaten by the bear. Ego’s and Superego’s are also useful to create hope, set future goals, analyze future morality and social consequences, and to visualize a positive legacy for one’s life. This positive legacy should include the motivation to make positive changes in the world and to build personal self-esteem in one’s present moments, knowing that you’re basically promoting survival and procreation for not only yourself, but for the world as a whole. Some would view this as building a positive Karma and thus reaping positive rewards in the future; however, the only caveat should be: Never expect a Quid pro quo! Personally doing good for others with some future personal reward expectation, seems to be a killer for those ego-based expectations?... at least that’s been my experience. Giving from the spirit or heart, without ANY expectations, generally brings great rewards at some future time.
Like I’ve heard before, in my past reads, I would suggest others to think of yourself as being like an iceberg, where the 10% above water is the ego and the 90% below water is the ID or a spiritual self which is in common with lower life forms. This is a healthy proportion to keep in mind and basically what Tolle means to say (I think?) in, “The Power of Now”… live mostly without ego, anchored in that spiritual connectivity we were all born with… b4 ego matured and subsequently enshrouded one’s spiritual self. When the storm-waves and vicissitudes of life come along, we as humans should then be elevated or anchored above such chaotic forces in nature. Anchored, or reconnected, with this spiritual presence and egoless baby-like base, we can then have a clearer focus of presents in the world.
This ultimately leads us towards the collective subconscious spiritual plane… as Jung says, “make the unconscious conscious.” A physically conscious reality, replete with empathy, compassion, and love, for all life forms; whether from a random universe creation or some super-mind-god, non-physical entity, which threw it all out there to evolve, governed by these axiomatic universal laws???? No one knows for sure?… You must be the judge and creator of your own reality!