A copy of a copy of a copy

This may be the draw back of having an average of four hours of sleep a day. Not only do you get terribly drugged out (especially in the afternoon when the sun is high in the sky) The numbing sensation makes it hard to differentiate reality and dreams. This is especially so given how hazy my memory is. This is especially so given that my dreams more often than not are rather realistic, spare the few gain-vampire-powers one. You know how sad things has been when school, work, bate, msn becomes an integral part of your dreams. Or so i vaguely recall.

“I completed my IOP in my sleep!”
“and there was this once I spent the night on msn with O-Har.. only to find no trace the next day!”
“Did i really have eight fifty dollar notes in my wallet last night? “

Just how do we know? If the only indication of our past experiences is our memory, then what if we change a person’s memory. Would his past experiences still be considered to be the same to him? Never been to Disneyland, but “remembers” he been to Disneyland because he sees photos with an older brother looking like him in it. Or what if we had the technology/magical power to erase certain bits of memories and replace them with others — never had a sister, only a brother. never was a leader of a revolution. only a school kid.

It is a fine line between being a philosopher and being a lunatic. Though both can lead on to each other.
Perhaps that is why Mr A. thinks I’m demented.

“some day I will wake up; and realise i made up — everything” — Senses Fail

 

Guilty or not?

This is basically a response to whatever that has been discussed today. While it would be much clearer if i typed everything out, I’m far too lazy to redescribe the philosophical problem put forth.

But what if i were to say that “Heads or tails. Heads, I’ll slice your head off. Tails, I won’t kill anyone” If i happen to get heads and I do slice your head off, did i have the intent to kill? Like the snake-eyes problem, I don’t have a choice as to whether i get the snake-eyes or heads or tails. However I have a choice and intention in creating a system that links the action of a murder to something unintentional (on the premise that I do not have intent/choice over the coin toss)

Otherwise, can we allow society and its criminals to claim that they had no intent just by doing a coin toss before every murder they commit?

 

The Eternity You Desire?

Seldom you’d hear me mention something personal like this; but I told someone that today was the first time in a year i was talking to a certain someone.
Now that I think about it, that’s an understatement — it’s been more like two years.

I’m quite sure there’s something I have forgotten. I can’t seem to remember much. There are some things I know I have forgotten like faces, voices, events. Perhaps more on the events/discourse which I cant remember the specific details. I don’t know what to think.

The trend has been for me to clear my memory every end of the year — or more specifically during the Winter Holidays. I doubt that its intentional; at most subconscious. Or it could be just a byproduct of the lack of sleep — memory loss?

Here is a philosophical question to think about, it happens to be the area i *hate* the most:

1. if I did not know that something has happened, has it happened in the context of “my world”?
2. By extension, if I do not remember something, has it happened?
3. And what if I think that something did happen but it did not — has it happened in “my world”?
4. Do what others view/know matter when it comes to my world?
5. Or is my world only about what i see and know to be true?

The side of me that is in control right now personally is more practical and pragmatic even. If things happened in the world, it happened in your world. Colours still exist even if a person is colour blind. Not reading about the Holocaust does not mean that the Holocaust never took place.

The notion of the “Creation of Non-existent Memories”; remembering things that did not exist sprung forth from a little incident/reminiscence I had with my friend. (I have promised not to go into details) No idea how i’ve done that on two people thus far. Perhaps its just that I had crafted and elaborated the scenario such taht it seemed like i was there and happened to fit the mould of the character needed. It also seems that revealing the truth of what really happened, more often than not, seems to have a shocking and stunning effect.

.

Hmm, but if I really am able to create “Non-existent Experiences/Memories” — who needs reality?

Say, in a hypothetical situation, I create this machine/use this spell/drink this potion/take this drug that simulates a “non existent experience” as i wish: perhaps it may be to taste some delicious dish or to have won something yadda yadda. Maybe even gain vampire powers etc (bah! never watch Trinity Blood before bedtime!!)

A temporal version of this would probably be a dream — most of us will forget whatever we dreamt of anyway.But what about a permanent version — one that is realistic and detailed, but nevertheless unreal.

Somehow I get the strange feeling that a lot of us may still choose to stay with reality for some reason. This is an assertion I’m making. Perhaps I am wrong. I’m merely following my rather counterintuitive (and semi-irrational) instinct.

And to end off with a commonly heard line:
“What is the world that you would choose?”

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p.s Two things I can do now: read up about Freud and watch the Matrix (i haven’t actually watched the matrix)

 

Fairness (and meat-eating)

It is 2AM at night. It appears that reading about philosophers in an attempt to get to sleep was not such a good idea. The very fact that I’m still typing right now is proof of that.

One guy I happened to read up on was John Rawls. I’m quite sure my dad mentioned this guy a few years ago. His main point of view is basically as such: if we are behind a veil of ignorance about who we will be born as, what kind of society will choose to be born in? Is it one where there are the extremely rich people and the extremely poor — and you could be one of them? Or is it one where everyone ends up equally well-to-do, not too rich and yet not too poor?

To be honest, his argument does appeal to both reason and emotion. I would have chosen the latter world. But then again, that’s just due to my personal preference — there’s no need to be too rich and I don’t want to be too poor. On a more caring note, it’d in fact be better if poverty was non-existant! This may explain how my views are pretty much socialist thus far. (reading Free To Choose hasn’t seemed to change that)

However, let’s extend his logic. Behind this veil of ignorance, we may very well end up as an uh oh, aborted foetus. We shouldn’t have abortion either. I sure as hell won’t want to be a to-be-aborted-foetus just cos of some wild party regardless of the reason.

More importantly, we shouldn’t even eat meat! Behind this veil of ignorance, we may end up as some farm animal, we may very well end up getting abattoired , chopped up after death and well, eaten.

Consider this scenario: in a futuristic world, a new breed of superhumans have evolved. They are stronger and smarter than the average human being by a difference of heaven and earth. But there’s one problem — they enjoy feeding on human blood. For the purpose of illustrating my point, these vampires do not need blood to survive, they just enjoy sucking the blood of humans. Man is subsequently locked up, force fed and bred specifically for the purpose of providing blood for this new elite superhuman race.

We cringe at the very thought of being drained of blood, let alone getting killed and eaten like animals. We detest the manner in which a supposed “elite” breed of people would like to take control over us. Yet we are all guilty.

Perhaps no matter what we do, animals are going to continue getting killed for food anyway. But then again, shouldn’t we show even the slightest support against the act of eating animals. In fact, more people eating animals will result in more animals being killed to meet the demand.

Do bear in mind — that eating meat is in no way necessary for us. But we do so anyway. I find no justification in the killing and eating of animals, but I’m going to continue to do so anyway. Most people will.

Enjoy Thanksgiving! We weren’t born as turkeys!”

I’d like to find a justification

(But back on John Rawls, one must bear in mind not to be hypocritical. In accepting John Rawls theory, it has to be applied to both abortion and the issue of meat-eating — otherwise reject it. )

 

Everything is our fault.

not even our fault — my fault. (Clari: i am not emo.)

This really is in no reference to anything to happened lately, but it’s merely a note on life: if anything happens, we are to blame our individual selves. You specifically. Just you. This is especially so if we are affected by it.

It is either because we have done something wrong or we haven’t done enough to change the outcome. It’s always our fault really.

It’s not even the fault of others. Even if other people were in the hmm, same predicament and did the same thing… Even if other people are being demanding and hard to please etc. It still is our fault.

Because it doesn’t matter if it is the fault of others. We can’t do anything about other people. If we can and yet didn’t, then it’s our fault. The main issue is not about a blame game. It honestly doesn’t matter whether it was the Jews or the Romans or the World or Satan or God who killed him. There is no reason why we need to know who is at fault. There has to be a practical ramification behind every thought and philosophy.

It all boils down to what can we do. What are we able to do to change? All of us have the ability to change something. We may not be in the best of circumstances but we certainly can try to make the best of the situation. What is the most and best that we can do?

How, God, How?

And perhaps I just reached the first and most crucial part of the answer I was seeking.