Open Thread: December 2009

CannibalSmith

ITT we talk about whatever.

Thank you for your responses, but I guess my question wasn't clear. I was asking about purpose. If there's no point in going to Dallas, why care about wanting to go to Dallas?

This is my problem if there's no objective value (that I tried to address more directly here). If there's no value to anything I might want, why care about what I want, much less strive for what I want?

I don't know if there's anything to be done. Whining about it is pointless. If anyone has a constructive direction, please let me know. I picked up a Sartre's , "Truth and Existence" rather randomly, maybe it will lead in a different (hopefully more interesting) direction.

I second the comments above. The answer Alicorn and Furcas give sounds really shallow compared to a Framework Of Objective Value; but when I become convinced that there really is no FOOV, I was relieved to find that I still, you know, wanted things, and these included not just self-serving wants, but things like "I want my friends and family to be happy, even in circumstances where I couldn't share or even know of their happiness", and "I want the world to become (for example) more rational, less violent, and happier, even if I wouldn't be ... (read more)

5Alicorn17y

Because in spite of everything, you still want it. Or: You can create value by wanting things. If things have value, it's because they matter to people - and you're one of those, aren't you? Want things, make them important - you have that power.

1Furcas17y

There is objective value, you know. It is an objective fact about reality that you care about and value some things and people, as do all other minds. The point of going to Dallas is a function of your values, not the other way around.