The Vanity of Enlightenment

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion

It's a bait thread because LesMisanthrope came in with an a priori assumption and no genuine intention of interacting on a level beyond black and white, thus forcing a confirmation to themselves of their chosen assumption entering in.

S/he stated an opinion. S/he allowed people to argue with it. S/he drew conclusions from the discussion. Everything s/he used to support her/his premise came from what we, as the participants, gave to her/him. You're just mad because s/he didn't give you the chance to filter or edit or rework what you said before.

You're mad because s/he played a very good game of chess.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

God damn I love you.

The search for enlightenment is wonderfully ridiculous.

The OP sought and didn't find.

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
The search for enlightenment is wonderfully ridiculous.

The OP sought and didn't find.

edit on 15-2-2013 by Itisnowagain because: (no reason given)

"To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction."
1687 - Principia Mathematica

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion

God damn I love you.

Why?

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
The search for enlightenment is wonderfully ridiculous.

The OP sought and didn't find.

And then he arrogantly decided that if he, the mighty LesMis, didn't find it, then there is nothing to find. After all, it can't be that he, the Mighty LesMis, is too weak to find it. That's just not an option.

So it follows that anyone who thinks they found what he couldn't find is irrational, vain, deluded. That's his first self-indulgent mistake.

And so he sought shelter for his ego in the Ivory Tower of rationalism and science. He convinced himself that if he is wrong, then the deluded "enlightened" folks should be able to "prove" him wrong, using rational empirical objective means. That's mistake number two.

reply to post by BlueMule


Can you prove enlightenment exists? Everything that we know exists has been rationally quantified in one way or another. Can you do the same with enlightenment?

Originally posted by AfterInfinity

God damn I love you.

Why?

Precisely because you are either pretending to ask why... or you really mean it.

Originally posted by AfterInfinity
Can you prove enlightenment exists?

Of course not. You do.

reply to post by AfterInfinity


Prove? Proof is an elusive concept. Most people seem to want to look to science to "prove" things. But science deals in probability not proof.

Evidence is not proof.

But it can be shown that something is probably going on.

Neuroscientist Richard Davidson wired up Ricard's skull with 256 sensors at the University of Wisconsin four years ago as part of research on hundreds of advanced practitioners of meditation.

The scans showed that when meditating on compassion, Ricard's brain produces a level of gamma waves -- those linked to consciousness, attention, learning and memory -- "never reported before in the neuroscience literature", Davidson said.

Source: india.nydailynews.com...

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion


Um, I'm really asking why. I don't see why your appreciation for my existence would prove to be so powerful.

reply to post by BlueMule

Prove? Proof is an elusive concept. Most people seem to want to look to science to "prove" things. But science deals in probability not proof.

Evidence is not proof.

Then screw it, gravity is a mass delusion and I'll prove it by leaping off the tallest building I can find! I'll fly to the moon, I don't need oxygen! Another delusion! Freedom, here I come! But wait, isn't freedom a delusion too? Crap, I need to find a gun. I'll shoot myself! Unless...life...no. Surely not? Is life itself a delusion? Evidence is not proof. All the evidence that I'm alive doesn't mean a thing. Am I dead? Do I even exist? Am I a figment of my own imagination?! Am I a figment of something else's imagination?!?!

...I'm beginning to see why you're having such difficulty with the OP's argument. Following your logic, nothing is real, let alone enlightened.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

Because the devil you've cozied up with makes your truth shine all the more brilliantly.

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion

Because the devil you've cozied up with makes your truth shine all the more brilliantly.

What devil?

reply to post by AfterInfinity

Yourself.

I'll stop. Please consider this whole conversation a Trojan present from yourself now to yourself down the road... and say hi to your subconscious for me. /genuine hug

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion

Yourself.

I'll stop. Please consider this whole conversation a Trojan present from yourself now to yourself down the road... and say hi to your subconscious for me.

Don't stop. Explain yourself, please. You seem to be implying that my philosophies have some detrimental effect that will make itself abundantly clear in the future.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

I'm saying nothing of the sort.

I think you keep thinking I'm being sarcastic when everything I've said is genuinely appreciative but you won't really appreciate the appreciation till sometime later.

I'm being utterly transparent, though there are naturally many many ways an individual can choose to interpret what's being written.

reply to post by AfterInfinity


You asked for proof but what you should have asked for is evidence. I gave you some, and you seem to have brushed it off. But hey it's cool. Everything is as it should be.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

If you really want to understand what I mean in these responses to you then you'll need to understand what it is I've been writing about for the entire thread. It's been written down many many times and it wouldn't come out sounding any differently this time.

Perhaps relax to some of the Alan Watts you requested to know more about as he's far more entertaining than I am.

You write your posts as if they are for someone else... and that's beautiful... and I'm genuinely thankful to you for that. I do need to stop because otherwise we'll wind up flooding the thread back and forth.

reply to post by ErgoTheConclusion


Direct me to just one such post, if you would be so kind. I really don't think the mods will mind.