NationStates Jolt Archive


Truth and Suffering

Bjornoya
12-09-2005, 07:11
Quote Wikipedia:

Truth in everyday life

In everyday life, people distinguish between truth and falsehood as a matter of survival. People who are unable to recognize lies at least most of the time, suffer greatly.

Is this a valid statement?

Paraphrase Nietzsche:

Perhaps the truth is so incredibly painful that only a few humans are capable of living with it.
Commie Catholics
12-09-2005, 07:22
When it's applied to religion I think Nietzsche's got it right. When it come's to everything else there are obviously certain scenarios in which Nietzsche is wrong. But I think he's got it mostly right.
Bjornoya
12-09-2005, 07:24
When it's applied to religion I think Nietzsche's got it right. When it come's to everything else there are obviously certain scenarios in which Nietzsche is wrong. But I think he's got it mostly right.

Yes, like "Is that truthfully a dump-truck comig down the road, or just a figment of my imagination?"
Commie Catholics
12-09-2005, 07:35
Yes, like "Is that truthfully a dump-truck comig down the road, or just a figment of my imagination?"

Metaphysics. I hate metaphysics.
BackwoodsSquatches
12-09-2005, 07:50
God is a placebo.

Its far scarier to believe the truth, and know that there is no deity who "loves you, and looks after you."

To know that the only thing that makes you not alone in this world are your loved ones.

To know that when you die...you are done.

That is far, far more brave, to accept the truth, and not rely on a spiritual placebo to soothe your frightened mind.
Bjornoya
12-09-2005, 07:57
God is a placebo.

Its far scarier to believe the truth, and know that there is no deity who "loves you, and looks after you."

To know that the only thing that makes you not alone in this world are your loved ones.

To know that when you die...you are done.

That is far, far more brave, to accept the truth, and not rely on a spiritual placebo to soothe your frightened mind.

Let us not condemn the rest of humanity to our fate.
BackwoodsSquatches
12-09-2005, 08:02
Let us not condemn the rest of humanity to our fate.

"Thier fate shall be the same as ours."
-Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Avast ye matey
12-09-2005, 08:08
Quote Wikipedia:

Truth in everyday life

In everyday life, people distinguish between truth and falsehood as a matter of survival. People who are unable to recognize lies at least most of the time, suffer greatly.

Is this a valid statement?

Paraphrase Nietzsche:

Perhaps the truth is so incredibly painful that only a few humans are capable of living with it.

You're comparing apples and oranges. That part of the Wikipedia article is talking about people's ability to tell when someone's trying to mislead them so that they can avoid being scammed or accidentally acting inappropriately because they didn't interpret the situation right. Nietzsche, on the other hand, was expressing his contempt for the way very few people seem to spend much time grappling with the deeper metaphysical questions of life, a matter that's got absolutely nada to do wth figuring out whether the used car salesman is trying to sell you a lemon.
Bjornoya
12-09-2005, 08:11
You're comparing apples and oranges. That part of the Wikipedia article is talking about people's ability to tell when someone's trying to mislead them so that they can avoid being scammed or accidentally acting inappropriately because they didn't interpret the situation right. Nietzsche, on the other hand, was expressing his contempt for the way very few people seem to spend much time grappling with the deeper metaphysical questions of life, a matter that's got absolutely nada to do wth figuring out whether the used car salesman is trying to sell you a lemon.

Comparing apples and oranges is poetic.

I have nothing against Wiki, just put some skepticism into relying completely on it instead of showing some courage and coming up with your own definition, even if its wrong.
Pencil 17
12-09-2005, 08:14
Perhaps the truth is so incredibly painful that only a few humans are capable of living with it.
I know how terribly easy it is to lie to yourself to cushion everyday life.
I used to do it all the time... I'm trying to quit though.
Bjornoya
12-09-2005, 08:18
I know how terribly easy it is to lie to yourself to cushion everyday life.
I used to do it all the time... I'm trying to quit though.

It is at least as serious a problem as physical drug addictions, most of humanity is addicted to lies.

I'v yet to find a conclusive way off and out of them.
BLARGistania
12-09-2005, 08:30
a lie told often enough becomes truth - V.L. Lenin
BackwoodsSquatches
12-09-2005, 08:32
a lie told often enough becomes truth - V.L. Lenin


"Gimme some truth".
-J.W. Lennon.
BLARGistania
12-09-2005, 08:34
"Gimme some truth".
-J.W. Lennon.
no.
Legless Pirates
12-09-2005, 08:39
Whoo! Quote time!

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. " - Galileo Galilei
BackwoodsSquatches
12-09-2005, 08:41
no.


Wow.

Way to be a sourpuss.
Genaia3
12-09-2005, 12:57
God is a placebo.

Its far scarier to believe the truth, and know that there is no deity who "loves you, and looks after you."

To know that the only thing that makes you not alone in this world are your loved ones.

To know that when you die...you are done.

That is far, far more brave, to accept the truth, and not rely on a spiritual placebo to soothe your frightened mind.

I think that just as many people find the existence of God as terrifying a thought as the non-existence of God. For example, Catholicism has managed to base almost its entire religion on "faith through fear" tactics. The concepts of atonement, damnation and sin to name but a few are not sweet tasting placebos and I think that whilst many people pride themselves on making the "tough choice" of being atheists, neither one group nor the other can claim that their choice is somehow "courageous". For one thing the idea of death is so alien to us as contingent, living beings that even in accepting it as the final curtain, it is hard to contemplate non-existence in any real sense.
Eutrusca
12-09-2005, 13:48
Quote Wikipedia:

Truth in everyday life

In everyday life, people distinguish between truth and falsehood as a matter of survival. People who are unable to recognize lies at least most of the time, suffer greatly.

Is this a valid statement?

Paraphrase Nietzsche:

Perhaps the truth is so incredibly painful that only a few humans are capable of living with it.
Eric Fromm wrote a great lil book a number of years ago called "Escape From Freedom." Great book. Good premise.
Eutrusca
12-09-2005, 13:52
a lie told often enough becomes truth - V.L. Lenin
"A lie told often enough becomes a well known lie." - F.L. Horn
Eutrusca
12-09-2005, 13:56
Whoo! Quote time!

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. " - Galileo Galilei
"All 'truth' is subjective, but the process of discovering it doesn't have to be." - F. L. Horn
Balipo
12-09-2005, 14:01
God is a placebo.

Its far scarier to believe the truth, and know that there is no deity who "loves you, and looks after you."

To know that the only thing that makes you not alone in this world are your loved ones.

To know that when you die...you are done.

That is far, far more brave, to accept the truth, and not rely on a spiritual placebo to soothe your frightened mind.

My sentiments exactly...
Melkor Unchained
12-09-2005, 22:43
Nietzsche was an odd man. Like pretty much any other philosopher, he has his moments of stunning clarity; he says a few things here and there that are dead on, but taken as a whole I'm forced to reject his philosophy as irrelevant and false.

That said, whats with all this random quoting? It doesn't seem to be very persuasive.
Neo-Anarchists
12-09-2005, 23:00
That said, whats with all this random quoting? It doesn't seem to be very persuasive.
"One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears- by listening to them."
-Dean Rusk

:p