Yesterday, Dr. Charlton posted an important piece in which he explained why he 'rants on' about metaphysics. The post strikes at the heart of the matter when it comes to our mortal lives in this time and place. I highly recommend the post to those who may not have read it yet.
An excerpt:
The answer is that I regard our primary assumptions about the nature of reality (i.e. metaphysics) to be of primary importance (ultimately, in the end, in the long term).
Your metaphysics will bite you - sooner or later, one way or the other.
I don't think this was necessarily always and everywhere the case. Through most of human history, it was apparently possible for someone to have some primary beliefs; and to lead their life in a 'pragmatic' fashion, without taking much notice of those beliefs...
Or maybe it wasn't, maybe this dissociation was only temporary, and only reflected superficial 'opinions' rather than genuine deep convictions... At any rate, if it ever was true that metaphysics was ignorable, that does not apply now.
Whether they know it or not, whether they admit the fact or not, people nowadays live in accordance with their metaphysical assumptions.
And this means that the large majority of people live life 'as if' there is no real life, but as if the universe of reality is partly-determined, partly-random, with no motivation and going nowhere in particular.
Their own life is lived on the basis that their deepest beliefs and convictions are actually superficial, temporary and of such little importance that they can and should be changed according to convenience, and on the basis of no good reason - or no reason at all - except what seems expedient, what currently makes them feel better about themselves.
The great moral education of modern life is this: that it strips our beliefs down to our basic assumptions. Modern life shows that 'If you believe this; then your world will be like that'.
When there is no real and solid reason for personal motivations, attitudes, behaviours - then we cannot defend them, cannot continue to live by them in face of opposition. Thus modern people are lacking in courage (i.e. are cowardly) to a degree which would have been astonishing to anyone in the past.
Modern people take the easy way because - why not?
I encourage you to read the rest here.
An excerpt:
The answer is that I regard our primary assumptions about the nature of reality (i.e. metaphysics) to be of primary importance (ultimately, in the end, in the long term).
Your metaphysics will bite you - sooner or later, one way or the other.
I don't think this was necessarily always and everywhere the case. Through most of human history, it was apparently possible for someone to have some primary beliefs; and to lead their life in a 'pragmatic' fashion, without taking much notice of those beliefs...
Or maybe it wasn't, maybe this dissociation was only temporary, and only reflected superficial 'opinions' rather than genuine deep convictions... At any rate, if it ever was true that metaphysics was ignorable, that does not apply now.
Whether they know it or not, whether they admit the fact or not, people nowadays live in accordance with their metaphysical assumptions.
And this means that the large majority of people live life 'as if' there is no real life, but as if the universe of reality is partly-determined, partly-random, with no motivation and going nowhere in particular.
Their own life is lived on the basis that their deepest beliefs and convictions are actually superficial, temporary and of such little importance that they can and should be changed according to convenience, and on the basis of no good reason - or no reason at all - except what seems expedient, what currently makes them feel better about themselves.
The great moral education of modern life is this: that it strips our beliefs down to our basic assumptions. Modern life shows that 'If you believe this; then your world will be like that'.
When there is no real and solid reason for personal motivations, attitudes, behaviours - then we cannot defend them, cannot continue to live by them in face of opposition. Thus modern people are lacking in courage (i.e. are cowardly) to a degree which would have been astonishing to anyone in the past.
Modern people take the easy way because - why not?
I encourage you to read the rest here.
RSS Feed
