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wedrifid comments on The Meaning of Life - LessWrong
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I don't follow the reasoning. Why does 'nothing higher than oneself' mean there is no way to improve oneself? And it's even less relevant to being able to transcend circumstances. Crazy talk.
I suppose because any changes you make will result only result in differences, not anything better. If you can't define a better way to be, which direction should you move in?
I agree. For several months now, no directions on this topic have not seemed crazy. I think it's crazy to look for value outside oneself, and I don't believe one chooses what to value; they choose what it is they value.
This seems like a distinction without a difference. Can you explain in more detail what you mean here?
Yes, I had some trouble writing that sentence. (My initial, "I don't believe one chooses what to value; one chooses what they value" was even worse.)
There is the idea floating around that if there is no God dictating values, we get to define our values for ourselves. There's this sense -- perhaps I am misreading it -- that there's joy in this unexpected freedom to define our own values and define who we are.
My point was that whatever values we 'decide' to have, we picked those values because we already valued them.
It doesn't feel like freedom to me. It feels like we have exactly the same set of values we've always had, but now instead of being guided in a positive direction by something "inherently good" (e.g., God made us in his image) they are given by something I feel neutral about and not so loyal towards (evolution and chance circumstance).
On the other hand, I understand that if someone had a view of God as doling out arbitrary or burdensome values (you must go to church, you must get married to someone of the correct gender, etc), then being able to go by your own internal values would feel relatively free.