special issue: the meaning of life

And the meaning of life is . . . drumroll

I bring you this unscheduled update because I recently read Argument from the Meaning of Life on The Skeptical Christian. After you've read my short piece, I recommend reading this article for yourself, so you'll know why I write this.

The Skeptical Christian writes about meaning what I call value-attribution and its relationship to a theistic God. Unfortunately, their argument is full of hand-waving and undeclared assumptions, so I'm here to help tune up your deception-detection. Now let's talk about meaning, values, and why we do the things we do!

what is meaning?

Meaning happens to be one of my favorite topics. After all, I love rational choice.

Wait, what?

Hey, I'm serious. Meaning is value, and rational choice is all about maximizing value. Let me emphasize:

Meaning is fundamental to rational choice.

It's all about what values you have! Rational choice is, after all, the endeavor to maximize the value the meaning! of future outcomes. So, without meaning, rational choice is impossible. I can't emphasize this enough.

If you watch your weight because you want to be healthy, you're acting towards some prescribed health-value. Health is meaningful to you. If you ignore nutrition because you value flavor more than health, you're preferring flavor-value over health-value. Flavor is more meaningful to you.

We find people acting in ways we do not understand because they have different fundamental value-attributions than we have. People find themselves acting in ways they do not understand because their values shift out of control. This variety is not a trait of humanity. Rather, it is a trait of rational choice itself, based on the whimsical nature of value.

God and values

As intelligent beings, we need value-attributions. So, where do our values come from? From biological functions? From God? As it turns out, it is inconsequential where value comes from. Only values themselves not their sources! can sway the actions of intelligent beings. If knowing the source of a value matters to you, it is only because you value that knowledge.

Since we're on this page, it's safe to assume that we do value that knowledge. So, let's address the claim that our values must come from God. If there is no God, this claim is obviously false, so for the sake of discussion, let's assume that there is a God. Let's also assume this God cares how we act and thus clearly describes those desires.

If God wants me to value God's pronouncements, then God has to instill that value directly into my rational processes. Otherwise, how can I care?

Can Heaven and Hell make me care?

Even if God offered to reward my good acts in Heaven, why should I want to be rewarded, unless God makes me value my own pleasure? Likewise, if God intends to punish me with Hell, I have no reason to avoid punishment unless God gives me values telling me to avoid pain!

You may think it is obvious that I should avoid pain. I disagree. Many people, myself included, believe it is better to suffer and die and suffer some more! than to be enslaved. Even if the slave-master is an all-powerful God, we have to struggle.

Well, if reward and punishment can't sway me, won't I acknowledge that God's decree is an absolute, independent of whether I value it? Nope! I deny that God's pronouncements are absolutes, because God could just as easily have made the opposite decree. An absolute is inviolable only because its opposite is impossible. That's what an absolute is. Since we can defy God's command, it cannot be absolute. If God's values were absolute values, everyone would have to share them, without exception.

Please don't be confused when someone pulls out the words, "absolute" and "meaning". They probably haven't thought about the significance of those words. And don't be obsessed with endings! The end is just another moment, no more important than the present--less so, as you cannot sense the future! Knowing what meaning is, we can see that it needn't come from God. It could, but if it does, God is being sloppy indeed. Values vary at random amongst people. It's more like what you'd expect from an evolutionary standpoint.

Now please, go check out that article, and let me know what you think.

what is the uploaded mind?

More than possessions, our ideas come to own us.

The uploaded mind is a place for cooperative inquiry. Free thought with friends! Thinking without boundaries! Suggesting the taboo and being taken seriously!

Sounds nice.

But wait! This isn't just any uploaded mind. This mind is mine. The power is in my hands. All the power of comment-deletion at my fingertips! Won't I just stamp my own ideas onto the page, dissent be damned?

Frankly, hell no. I can't help but hold some bias Who can?, but my favorite bias is in favor of free speech. I don't care if you're intent on telling me that microscopic Bigfoots faked the moon landing on my grandfather's ass. Gibberish, lies, and insults are still speech, and speech should be free. May I hear something alarming every day for the rest of my life!

Now someone should ask, "But what about racists, mystics, pseudo-scientists, and lying advertisers?" Call them out on it! Tell them off! Tell them to go fuck themselves. Give them some kind advice to be more truthful. Do some research, tell your friends and neighbors, and stop buying their products!

How should we respond to speech we find vulgar? With some free speech of our own!

I won't delete any comments calling me a poo-poo head. Go ahead, try it. For me, the act of posting is a covenant with the Reader. Yes, this is our covenant that you're reading right now. I want to expand your mind. Just as much, I want you to expand mine. Go ahead and tell me about your god, or about the wonders of representative democracy. Free speech is cool. I post, you disagree, and everyone gets wiser. Maybe I'll select the topics, but I shall not select the views.

the problem with debate

Please, please, please: Don't confuse inquiry with debate. Inquiry is a contest between ideas. Debate is a contest between people. Debate puts our pride on the line.

Debate binds our pride to a certain viewpoint. Any concession on that view means personal defeat. Shame. So debate drives us to fly in the face of reason.

• In debate, we dodge our opponent's best points.
• In debate, we put up straw-men and set them alight.
• In debate, if you can trick your opponent, that's as good as being right.

It's one of humanity's deadliest failings.

the wonder of inquiry

Now, let's contrast. With inquiry, when we concede, we win. How can this be? Simple!

Inquiry is the search for a better viewpoint.

In conceding, we discard a weak view for a strong one. Suddenly, we're closer to finding a viewpoint that suits us.

Here, there are no theists or atheists, liberals or conservatives, statists or anarchists. Abandon labels. Your ideas are not you. If your ideas are truly defeated, you can find something better and move on. Dissent helps you grow. Concession rewards you with a stronger position.

Learning is my life. Show me something I haven't seen before, something compelling, and I'll admit I was wrong. If I'm too embarrassed, maybe I'll just shut up for a while and think.

Thank you for reading. Please let me know what's on your mind!