These are not only things that are, they are things that must be. 1. People crave moral legitimacy and moral justification. 2. Sacrifice is continual. 3. You can’t get rid of the need for sacrifice, it just goes somewhere else. We are piñoned between past and future, caught at their intersection. We must be releasedContinue reading “Religious musings”
Tag Archives: psychology
A dream of hell, or life, or death
I dreamt I was falling through an infinite red void. Darkness, directionless, expanding forever in all dimensions. Silent and gusty. Twisting, in one forever moment. Falling, pulled forever backward into an infinite regress into myself. It was a place of infinite space, where all the world was mine and I was the only thing inContinue reading “A dream of hell, or life, or death”
Control vs license
Since authoritarianism tracks with disgust sensitivity, anything that is viewed as a disease will essentially predict authoritarianism. The degree to which something is viewed as a contagion (not only the degree to which it literally is a contagion) will determine the balance between authoritarianism and libertarianism. It all comes down to a matrix of controlContinue reading “Control vs license”
On making other happy and meaning
I find that trying to make yourself happy is often far more difficult and less effective than trying to make someone else happy. Somehow, when you focus on yourself, it just doesn’t have the same effect. It’s very hard to do things for yourself and have them be very meaningful. For one thing, there isContinue reading “On making other happy and meaning”
The value and problems with psychological theism
I think the value of Jordan Peterson’s theological outlook is that it let’s you appreciate the Bible from a perspective outside Christianity. His position is essentially is that it is right and good and useful to live as if the Bible were true. That it is metaphorically true, or true in some transcendent sense, someContinue reading “The value and problems with psychological theism”
The difference between teasing and malicious intent.
Teasing is certainly something I’ve dealt with my my life. I was teased mercilessly in elementary and middle school, as well as kicked around physically quite a bit. So if anyone is likely to see teasing as something negative, it’s me. But it never bothered me very much, except in the way a persistent flyContinue reading “The difference between teasing and malicious intent.”
Politeness
Politeness is the fundamental making-room-ness for the existence, the thoughts, feelings, actions, and idiosyncrasies, of others. Can you give up too much territory? Yes. Sometimes you need to defend your space and resist the encroachment of others. But politeness is what prevents everything from becoming a fight. It’s a ritual that allows space within proximity,Continue reading “Politeness”
Peterson vs Weinstein
What language best represents human experience? Scientific and materialistic language, the language of quantity? Or is it narrative and personification that beat capture our reality? https://youtu.be/O55mvoZbz4Y The later part of this episode is one of the greatest summaries of the culture War problem and how to conceptualize it I’ve ever heard. It’s solid gold andContinue reading “Peterson vs Weinstein”
A comment in Do Progressives Care About Jews?
https://youtu.be/F_tk9z3OpcQ Can we coin the term Jewish Fragility? It sounds like his main complaint is simply that identity politics is inconsistent. And his second complaint is that one of the areas it isinconsistent is regarding Jews, his own personal domain where he’s invested. If it’s going to exist, then, it should at least include Jews,Continue reading “A comment in Do Progressives Care About Jews?”
The end of medicine
You can’t have a well developed conception of pathology without a well developed concept of an ideal. When doctors at last lose the prejudice for any certain ideal of health, they will no longer be able to diagnose nor cure disease, and will be sent home.
Who has sexual advantage?
Men and women both have advantages and disadvantages in their respective approaches. It’s very easy to see the disadvantages of your approach when you’re dealing with the other, when you’re on the other side’s turf, their domains of special competence (whose very existence some people would no doubt deny today) and out of your element.Continue reading “Who has sexual advantage?”
False confidence
True confidence isn’t found by believing in yourself. That’s just ignorance, aggression, bluster, and self-deceit. You don’t steady yourself by grasping yourself tighter and tighter. Real confidence comes from fixing your eye on something bigger than yourself, outside of yourself, and grabbing hold of that. If you’ve grabbed something big enough and solid enough, itContinue reading “False confidence”
What is respect?
I think there is a question of what it means to respect someone, or even to respect a whole people. Does it mean indulging them, protecting them? Defending or coddling them, making them comfortable, patronizing them? How should we view someone we respect? As a friend, as a child, as a pet, as a project?Continue reading “What is respect?”
The roots of confidence
Positive lies about yourself are no more secure a foundation for actualization that negative lies. Understanding and taking responsibility for yourself as a particular individual in your own care is the beginning of actualization, maturity, and integration. No amount of positive or negative self talk can paper over your essential nature. The underlying features ofContinue reading “The roots of confidence”
The pain of past experiences
It has been written that much good can be undone by one sinner. One might also reflect that much wisdom is undone by a drop of foolishness. Often with people they have very bad experiences with a corrupt or even simply misguided or limited imperfect version of something or someone. A bad parent, a badContinue reading “The pain of past experiences”
Three short commentaries: on election struggles, politics and marriage, and human fallibility
It’s unfortunate how much political haymaking is going on right now as the election results are being certified. As someone who has no respect for or investment in either side, the irony and hypocrisy of both is quite shocking. People who are anti-Trump are shocked and appalled, of course, but having witnessed their own previousContinue reading “Three short commentaries: on election struggles, politics and marriage, and human fallibility”
Comfort or courage?
You don’t tell someone that “It’s normal to be afraid” in the hope that they will continue to be afraid. When we comfort a child and explain to them that what they’re going through is normal, what we mean is that being afaird is a normal part of the progression from not realizing there isContinue reading “Comfort or courage?”
Looser clothes or tighter living?
My wife pointed out that maybe she should wear less flexible and stretchy clothing so she can feel where she is going and feel those limits. Maybe stretchy clothes aren’t the solution if you don’t want to keep getting more unhealthy. Maybe she should wear more unforgiving clothes. She also speculated about how big youContinue reading “Looser clothes or tighter living?”
The danger of agreeable people
In an extreme situation, one with high and terrible stakes, it’s highly probable that the most likely people to have caused it will be quite disagreeable, and the people most likely to resist and halt that situation will also be disagreeable. The agreeable people occupy a middle space. They are less obviously dangerous, because theyContinue reading “The danger of agreeable people”
The value of disagreeable things
One might wonder, in a world of perfect ease and freedom and safety, what the value of confrontation and competition and even a certain amount of disagreeableness is. We live in a world that worships comfort and being surrounded with and told whatever makes us feel good. And of course there is immense value inContinue reading “The value of disagreeable things “
Making Nobody Happy 