Maybe nobody owns anybody. Maybe we don't even own ourselves. It's not transactional or quid pro quo or tit for tat. Don't give anything to anybody just share. Don't sacrifice expecting something in return just share. Granted there will be those who believe they have received something, that they own a part of you, that they have taken a part of you, that it is theirs now and not yours. But such people are delusional. They walk away empty handed and out of touch with reality. Granted there are so many delusional people out there reinforcing each others delusions, the majority even, but that makes them no less delusional. There is no give and take transaction to be bargained and haggled over, to be cheated out of or to take. There is only sharing and not sharing. Everything else is a delusion.

Yeah I think there's a little bit of a hospital here too, an apothecary, a therapist. Sometimes we are looking for a cure for ourselves, sometimes for someone else and generally the later implies the former.

This all reminds me of a short song I wrote a while back:

Open to suggestions on that bridge part. Just pay attention to the meter.

I came here for two reasons, both rather selfish. One was to keep what I had learned in school fresh and interesting and the other was simply to argue. LOL! To quote my ultimate goal on my home page, I intended to, "get into a really good, yet academically informed, good ole' essence of philosophy blood match with a fellow philosophy enthusiast the likes of which would turn Socrates white? well? whiter." LOL! I have to say that in the years on the forum both as a member and a moderator, I have had a dozen or so extremely stimulating conversations, some with the most unlikely members. Some of these members were so keen to detail, their responses so cogent, so apt to citation and evidence, that I could not help but admire them (especially when they argued against my stance on the topic). And even if that averages one every two months, I still find my time on philosophy forum not wasted. But I think as time goes on, you get used to the community and you want to take part in the grander mechanism. Opinionation gets old after a while and you tend to feel like you want to do something more constructive.

I don't think any of us could deny our own self interest being inextricably connected to our membership on the forum. Whether it is in our own self interest to help the community out, hone our craft, find friends, discuss anything whatsoever with likeminded individuals, etc., we choose to log on and contribute, to let our voices be heard on particular subjects.

But I think greater goals and projects are both great ideas and make the community much richer for it. I agree with this most ardently, and a few months after I started out on the forum, I started small little projects on the forum. One was the Logic Symposia thread series, which even today a few years after it was created, members still post their questions and comments. And interestingly enough, others have stepped into the role as tutors for both the thread series and the section in particular even after I long past lost interest in the subject. But I think the reason why it has been so successful was because it both explained a subject of philosophy little understood and was not based in opinions but fact, which over time, other people come to appreciate more because it shows them the answers they were seeking. I think the forum definitely needs more fact driven projects which would get the members involved. I cannot help but imagine the benefits for others of a forum where there were more threads on historical philosophy rather than opinionated armchair philosophy. I would urge members to start their own projects on the forum, either in thread series format or in the group area. Chances are that some of them may make such an impression on fellow members that they will be stickied and help serve as a instructional thread to other new members.




I completely agree with you. The thank you is a visible sign of your appreciation for other member's considerable thought and time they put into their post. You don't necessarily have to agree with other members in order to thank them, but to thank the conversation in general (which is worth more I think). I also think the thanked/thank-you ratio is an excellent quantifier for the character of the person you are speaking with. The "thanked" shows how many people appreciated your comment, but the "thanks" show how much you yourself appreciate other peoples comments.


Sad to hear it Lost1. I suppose we have to make the most of whatever situation we find ourselves in. I would respectfully urge you to stay on the forum though, because may find that occasional member who will give you that golden discussion.

:shifty: Maybe we have to start to live up to our Names. Philosophy comes in all sort & sizes. As long as we don't harm the general public. Raising the Philosophers Stone (silicate) we could be Djin. We need Guidance. Not Guru X or SO.

Humanistics might be a way... In-corporating Wisdom in Daily life !

Hence the phrase, "Less is More."

Hence the phrase, "Less is More."

Yes, well, Einstein said 'things should be a simple as possible - but no simpler'.

Reminds me of an old joke. A guy I knew did a speed reading course. Some time later, he read the whole of War and Peace in a single sitting. 'It's about Russia', he said.

Sir Thomas More comes to mind. Very well intentioned yet in the end a head shorter than the rest of us.:detective:

I joined IN THE LAST HOUR to find real philosophical discussions that I cannot hold with my friends. To see if I belong in the world of philosophy or if I am merely an interested amateur. I have much reading to do but guidance would be greatly appreciated.

A lecturer I once had, Dr. Buffacci in U.C.C - Ireland, once said that philosophy is something you do. You discuss and debate philosophy. That is what I am here to do. It's a shame that I am more socially inept on the internet than I am in person.

I joined IN THE LAST HOUR to find real philosophical discussions that I cannot hold with my friends. To see if I belong in the world of philosophy or if I am merely an interested amateur. I have much reading to do but guidance would be greatly appreciated.

A lecturer I once had, Dr. Buffacci in U.C.C - Ireland, once said that philosophy is something you do. You discuss and debate philosophy. That is what I am here to do. It's a shame that I am more socially inept on the internet than I am in person.

Guidance is external compass, are you here to lead or to follow? both professions philosophy will teach and learn from your example.

Do you wish me to leave and perhaps return someday when I feel I am adequate enough to join the discussion?

I can't say I completely understand the question. I am here to to educate myself and participate when I can or when I feel it is necessary.

I have done half a year of philosophy in college and dropped out due to my own incompetence. Recently I have felt I would like to return to college and pursue studying philosophy once again. I have a BASIC knowledge of moral theory and existentialism, provided by my course reader, and I am currently interested in the works of Ayn Rand and Alan Watts. I wish to explore further and find my niche.

You say guidance is external compass. Do you wish me to leave and perhaps return someday when I feel I am adequate enough to join the discussion?

That may be read as if I were angry but I assure you it is an honest question.

Things are pretty easy-going on this Forum. There are people with a wide range of training, skills and experience, from very little up to a great deal. So I wouldn't fret about that. You seem to take care to express yourself and write clearly, that counts for a lot straight up!

Ayn Rand and Alan Watts eh? Now there's an odd couple if ever I saw one.:bigsmile: