Investment in a World View?

[Gondorian]

With a set of decent rules, you don't even need a coherent world view. You can just follow the rules and get what you want.

That's never sat particularly well with me. I have a strong NEED to understand. So I end up investing heavily into constructing a coherent integrated world view, which guides my decisions as actions rather than a set of rules.

Just wondering who else here invests heavily in making sense of the world? How's that working for you? I have found my investment can lead to shocks and surprises having a more devastating effect on me than on others, since the world view can crumble.

Anyone not care about understanding and just get on with living?

There's no agenda here in this thread. I'm just interested to hear other people's approaches and how they are working.

[kentuequi]

Rasta say don't waste time trying to understand the world, work to understand yourself, then act according your true self, and nothing will disapoint you. Not an easy task though, IMO, .

Edit: Meh, not sure if i'm off topic or not, my brain is a bit messed up as i just get to know that my grand mother is on her deathbed.

[Veles]

It's all about sharks and suckerfish.

Sometimes I think that ambition-less people who would be satisfied with a cabin in the woods are happiest on Earth.

[Leviosablade]

I don't try to understand the world I try to shape it, so what I can to make a difference by shaping myself into a decent human being.
This world is cruel what drives us is greed which to me is the worst sin. I can forgive gluttony but not greed for that's what cost peoples lives and starts wars.
But I work to keep my family safe for I do know myself to being a decent man and now I now know my true mission to guide my son down a better road then I have traveled. Before I joined the army i was a shitty human. I know how to guide my son the right way, for I know all the wrong ways now. That's what've worked for to understand this whole time without even knowing it, that proves you never have to plan from the start.

[Kip thorp]

Ying-yang: kindness, love , compassion and caring acts are balanced by hatred, jealousy and greed and cruelty.

I like what Levi said and Kentuequi, I try to be on the good side as much as that's possible, but knowing your actions tend to be Posative I think we help figure it out. But I don't think the "world" can be figured out, only certain parts and situations and those can change as well. I think all we can have is a good understanding of the world, and be prepared to be wrong, alot!

@kentuequi: sorry to hear that man, I just lost my Grandmother in may , I hope she was a great part of your life and you her's. At least that gave me a smile at all the memories we had.

Dam this a deep topic for Sunday morning.

[Index]

I thought this thread about SE AI

[kentuequi]

I thought this thread about SE AI

LOL!

Yay! I wasn't off topic, . Thanks kip thor for the kind words, and i'm leaving the forum for the next few weeks, so no need to derail this thread because of me, sry Gondorian, :P.

[Gondorian]

Rasta say don't waste time trying to understand the world, work to understand yourself, then act according your true self, and nothing will disapoint you. Not an easy task though, IMO, .

Hey, that makes a lot of sense. I'm sure there are many who don't even think to understand themselves and instead they try to understand the world exclusively. A thirst for knowledge, if you will. But without SELF-AWARENESS, how can you evaluate whether your own understanding about the world is correct? You can't even be aware that you might be wrong if you don't understand yourself.

I'm off to read about Rasta now!

[tafkad]

"SELF-AWARENESS"

This, our legacy and one true undeniable miracle in this universe, outside the miracle of the universe itself - understanding can be a tricky thing and is always different for the individual - the universe is constant and we are part of it

[Unruler]

When trying understand the world and form a world view, it's important to use scientific approach and decline all the stereotypes. The problem though is that you will end up conflicting to social view which is based mostly on tradition and trial and error.

But you're on quite a journey though, since you're about to make some discoveries. Like for example I found out for myself that government has the same structure and intent as a mafia, with the exception that it has more power and managed legalize itself, imposing its agenda on society. Considering the history of forming of the governments, we will have another evidence, since majority of governments formed from clans or tribes that managed to conquer with force (which should be a crime since it's violence against others, but somehow it's "glorious feat" instead - notice social opinion manipulation) other tribes and enslave them. The ridiculous thing is that society manages to associate itself with empowered authorities (such as king or president) and somehow think that government should protect their interests (which may happen if those interests concur, but it's by no means a government's "job" to do so, it will protect interests of itself instead even if it's to the detriment of social interests).

Same thing with religion, being the form of blatant mind control and manipulation by altering people's world view (oh wow, it can bring profits!), it is somehow considered as a bastion of morality in society, but if you think logically it's exactly opposite of that. It's devaluing human's life by afterlife promises, tries to enforce moral rules (some of them are outdated or immoral to begin with (see jihad as example)) by threats of supernatural creatures. If you see the history a religion is to blame of some counter productive to survival events such as sacrifices, inquisition or even modern jihad practice (why would you think suicide bombers would explode themselves?). Society still fails to put 2 and 2 together and debunk it.

Also, understanding yourself should not be counterposed to understanding the wold as you are a part of that world and you should try to understand yourself within it. Like for example the concept of death as an instrument of evolution. If there were no death (which is biologically programmed) evolution would hardly be possible, and not only biological evolution but a social as well, imagine the same immortal tyrant ruling forever (this is why I think that immortality is immoral btw).

There is a concept that all your actions are predetermined by set of genes and your surroundings, so it's very little left for you to decide, really, that helps with understanding other people. They act the way they do not because they are "bad" but because they formed that way. Like, for example, father not taking care of his offspring should be berated, right? But check this article: http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/...-to-parenting/ It says basically that it's genetically predetermined survival strategy of a male with big testicles. So is there point in berating if it's not really that father's fault?