List of Assumptions

[Reverse Transcriptase]

I didn't want to derail this thread http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?p=134115 again, so here's a new thread.

Posted by Decaf:

Imagine if you went on Facebook, looked at a friend's profile and instead of seeing favorite books and movies you saw a detailed list of their fundamental assumptions. Things like: I am a good judge of character, people who dislike me are at fault, my perspective of the world is unaffected by my upbringing. Wouldn't that be a great way to actually get to know people?

Here's a question for everyone... what would you put on that list?

My (incomplete) list:

1. SJs are bad people
2. Science Fiction is the best tool to imagine alternative situations, and is a fundamental and underrated tool for cultures learning how to deal with new technology or situations.
3. However, for Sci-Fi to be the most inventive and useful it can be, it needs to remain under-rated and "in the gutter, where it belongs".
4. My perspective of the world is affected by my parents, but I have looked at enough evidence to confirm my libertarian & atheistic beliefs.
5. The free market, (with the government only defending against force & fraud) is the best tool for long-term quality of life improvement for everyone.
6. There is no Good personal God.
7. I am a good driver. (I learned how to truly drive while delivering pizza!)
8. Science is a fantastic tool for concretely understanding the world.
9. Bored people tend to be boring people.
10. Along the same lines of existentialism, people shape their own happiness/unhappiness in their immediate reactions of the world. Something doesn't make you angry, you make yourself angry. My mom has no understanding of this.

 

[Wish]

SJs are bad people

And they allegedly make up 40%+ of the population..now that's scary

I should probably contribute to this too but I don't feel like it right now, just wanted to say that Maybe I will post my assumptions later, though try as I may, I just can't seem to think of any off the top of my head. I think I have a sort of aversion towards assumptions in general.

 

[Ashenstar]

boo.
I wish to post since I think this is actually a great thread.
I have a headache. Will be back later.

 

[Decaf]

Ok, I suppose its only fair I give it a go early on instead of waiting for everyone else :P

I assume that:

1. Our lack of understanding about the human mind continues to lead a majority of humanity into misery.
2. It is not useful to attribute mysterious actions to unknowable forces.
3. My tendency to only make public my best performances gives others an inflated idea of my ability.
4. All conspiracy theories fall apart when they make the assumption that others are able to work together unselfishly to accomplish selfish actions for more than a single generation or incarnation and still maintain secrecy.
5. My need for solitude is my greatest obstacle to satisfying my desire for companionship.
6. I am capable of accomplishing great things.
7. I am not disciplined enough to achieve my potential.
8. My ability to determine the motives of others by their actions and reactions is strong.
9. I would be able to defend myself suitably in the presence of a non-overwhelming threat.
10. Cats are better companions than dogs.

 

[sniktawekim]

I didn't want to derail this thread http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?p=134115 again, so here's a new thread.

Posted by Decaf:
My (incomplete) list:

1. SJs are bad people
2. Science Fiction is the best tool to imagine alternative situations, and is a fundamental and underrated tool for cultures learning how to deal with new technology or situations.
3. However, for Sci-Fi to be the most inventive and useful it can be, it needs to remain under-rated and "in the gutter, where it belongs".
4. My perspective of the world is affected by my parents, but I have looked at enough evidence to confirm my libertarian & atheistic beliefs.
5. The free market, (with the government only defending against force & fraud) is the best tool for long-term quality of life improvement for everyone.
6. There is no Good personal God.
7. I am a good driver. (I learned how to truly drive while delivering pizza!)
8. Science is a fantastic tool for concretely understanding the world.
9. Bored people tend to be boring people.
10. Along the same lines of existentialism, people shape their own happiness/unhappiness in their immediate reactions of the world. Something doesn't make you angry, you make yourself angry. My mom has no understanding of this.

i agree with 1,2,3,5,7,9, and 10

i find myself not trusting "science" because of where it gets funds, and why. i think it is often rather biased because of its funding situation (and i am talking more than just evolution/big bang). if it was a truly free market.. i think science would be much more reliable and useful.

i am interested in how you came to the conclusion of number 6. im not saying you are wrong.. i just think that is a hard conclusion to come to based on logic/evidence alone... and with #4 - how did evidence confirm your atheism? i havent seen any evidence for it..
although libertarian is a plus!

 

[Kuu]

Decaf made some very nice posts in that thread, and I also think this is an excellent idea.

Unfortunately, to be honest, I'd never finish listing all my assumptions in here :/

About 7 years ago, in an extremely tumultuous internal philosophical upheaval, I decided to do what Decaf said about going down and becoming aware of ALL of the assumptions made in the many complex and contradictory systems of thought and belief that were crashing within my head. Because I'm into visualization of large/complex systems, I wanted to make a map of philosophy/knowledge, a massive tree graph that would begin with a fundamental unknown at its center, and develop further levels of concentric rings as assumptions and conclusions pile up and branch out (something like this but lots of cross links and a big gaping hole in the center)

Thus you could see how some philosophies grow out of others or are interrelated... and which are more complex or more simple... which systems of thought neglect to acknowledge their hidden assumptions, which create circular logic, what are the major branches of philosophy and their relationships, which are their foundational assumptions... and also to tell people to shut up when they claim to have build up some original, universe changing ideas and show them that they are in fact in Node 56A of branch 73-5, and that from there they can branch out onto 3 different ideas that ultimately conclude in X, Y or Z. (People would hate me for deconstructing their precious mental models )

I sort of attempted to do it within my mind, like a very rough mental sketch, but when it came to the actual task of doing the map it was simply too huge, when I started to doubt if a tree was indeed the ideal representation, and begun looking into graph theory and data structures I sorta got lost (some things are hard to learn independently / with bad resources) and my powers of procrastination intervened and put the whole project on permanent standby, content simply of having thought of the concept.

Umm... I think you guys might enjoy the idea

 

[sniktawekim]

1. Cats are better companions than dogs.

my best friend is/was my dog that i had since i was 3 ish. he died one month ago as of today. he has been a far better and closer friend in his years compared to the cat that i got at the same time. i also had a second dog, from around when i was 6 until today. it died sometime in the night :/. the younger dog was very attached to the older one.. which might have been a factor in its dying (there were no hints that it had any health issues :/).

so, in the end - the dogs gave me hope and good times.. only to tear them away and leave a scar.. and the cat is still alive and here to comfort me :/. i guess the cat did make a better friend in the end.

 

[ckm]

I assume that I will deny any assumption I make, through debating it to the floor of my mind or, well, denial.

I quite like the SJ one though.

 

[Wish]

my best friend is/was my dog that i had since i was 3 ish. he died one month ago as of today. he has been a far better and closer friend in his years compared to the cat that i got at the same time. i also had a second dog, from around when i was 6 until today. it died sometime in the night :/. the younger dog was very attached to the older one.. which might have been a factor in its dying (there were no hints that it had any health issues :/).

so, in the end - the dogs gave me hope and good times.. only to tear them away and leave a scar.. and the cat is still alive and here to comfort me :/. i guess the cat did make a better friend in the end.

Will you feel differently when your cat dies?

 

[Agent Intellect]

Simple enough. These are three relatively broad assumptions (maybe even axioms) that much of my practical philosophy, political views, "spirituality" and epistemology is built upon.



1. Most information available, from any source (including but not limited to: the media, experts, the internet, and even oneself), is either misinformed, ignorant, incomplete, or willfully deceiving.

2. The things I hold as truth or common sense, and many of my assumptions today will probably not be considered true in the future. The things I believe I am right about now could very well be wrong.

3. My experiences, assumptions, logic and perceptions are shaped by my fallible, subjective, anthropomorphically/self centered mind, and limited biology that has been built on previous biological paradigms through evolution for the purpose of survival and efficiency more than for computing power and an ability to understand existence.

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

I love Agent Intellect's #3! It ties in nicely to Decaf's #1

i find myself not trusting "science" because of where it gets funds, and why. i think it is often rather biased because of its funding situation (and i am talking more than just evolution/big bang). if it was a truly free market.. i think science would be much more reliable and useful.

The thing is... each published paper has to stand on it's own merit. Journals are peer-reviewed and autonomous organizations. They're not connected to the funding. So the organization giving the funding is not the same as the organization deciding if the research is quality enough to publish. I think that part is key.

But I'm still shocked at this knee-jerk and kind of "bogeyman" attitude people have towards science. Like... do you have any examples of where you think science has come up with poor conclusions?

I will definitely agree that the funding has pushed science in certain directions. And it's possible that the science has been pushed more in the direction of "find truths that are immediately practical for producing drugs" rather than in the direction of "find truths of the underlying process of aging so that we can cheaply prevent those problems".
We might have a stacked deck of facts! But they're still facts.

i am interested in how you came to the conclusion of number 6. im not saying you are wrong.. i just think that is a hard conclusion to come to based on logic/evidence alone... and with #4 - how did evidence confirm your atheism? i havent seen any evidence for it..
although libertarian is a plus!

This Epicurus quote is the basis for there being no Good personal god:

And the atheism... every religion doesn't hold up under scrutinization.

Judaism stole their stories from the Canaanites, the Canaanites stole it from the earlier people, the earlier people were obviously just barely civilized and were just making up stories.

Christianity is based off of the savior archetype which was RAMPANT around that time. Revelations was written by someone who was exiled from Rome onto an island with psychedelic mushrooms on it, and if you read Revelations then you can clearly see the psychedelic imagery. The Book of Mormoni is like fan-fiction.

Muhammed was just some guy in the desert, who realized social change was coming and proscribed new laws to deal with it better, and then attached religion to it.

Hinduism is based on earlier Assyrian religion too. Buddhism came as a backlash to Hinduism and the caste system.

Taoism & Confucianism both came from Chinese philosophers, and evolved to incorporate more superstition.

The handful of widely differing local shamanistic religions contain strong elements of story telling and are non-provable. Not only that but they didn't spread widely... if that's any indicator of the validity of a religion.

And that covers most of the religions. So hey, there could be a god, but we humans obviously have NO CLUE what he's like.

 

[Decaf]

my best friend is/was my dog that i had since i was 3 ish. he died one month ago as of today. he has been a far better and closer friend in his years compared to the cat that i got at the same time. i also had a second dog, from around when i was 6 until today. it died sometime in the night :/. the younger dog was very attached to the older one.. which might have been a factor in its dying (there were no hints that it had any health issues :/).

so, in the end - the dogs gave me hope and good times.. only to tear them away and leave a scar.. and the cat is still alive and here to comfort me :/. i guess the cat did make a better friend in the end.

I have a pretty similar experience except that in my case I only had a cat, but for 18 years that cat was an excellent companion for me. Helped me through a lot of lonely stages in my life. Was heart breaking when she broke her back falling down the stairs and I had to have her put to sleep.

I imagine if I'd had a Shitzou instead I'd have the opposite assumption, but it doesn't match my experience (even though I like Shitzous a lot).

VS

 

[Enola.Grey]

I have a pretty similar experience except that in my case I only had a cat, but for 18 years that cat was an excellent companion for me. Helped me through a lot of lonely stages in my life. Was heart breaking when she broke her back falling down the stairs and I had to have her put to sleep.

I imagine if I'd had a Shitzou instead I'd have the opposite assumption, but it doesn't match my experience (even though I like Shitzous a lot).

VS

Puppy!! I love your puppy!

 

[Da Blob]

My list of assumptions

I Am
I am still alive
I am Awake (it's not a dream)
I am alone

I am a Seer
I am usually correct
I am NOW!
I am many, but one

I am an Outcast
I am inadequate
I am different
I am in danger!

 

[Wish]

^
I am a Wicked Child
I am Citizen Insane

 

[Achilles]

Very good point about Sci Fi! Such an underrated medium.

I'm calling things assumptions because I don't think I could for the life of me provide satisfactory proof of them to anybody who disagreed.

1. There will never be any better reason to believe the world is how it is beyond scientific description.
2. The most rational position to take is radical nominalism; there are only concretes and instances, no abstracts or universals.
3. For those two reasons, I think Set Theory is going to lead us to contradiction.
4. Ethics is probably the most important subject of all, but people shouldn't worry so much about whether it's objective or subjective of things like that. Worry about doing the right thing, everything else is secondary.
5. Despite all of the above, I have a vague feeling that one ought in fact adopt a sort of platonic mystecism, and take that on something like Kierkegaardian faith. (God, what objectionable name dropping on my part, sorry I dont know how better to accept it!) It's important to first accept the above to realise that actually there is good reason to think other things are more important, and you have better reason to believe all them, and good reason not to believe this - *and then* believe it anyway. Consequently, I think in some "deeper" sense, theology is the most important subject of all. And I think the best reason for accepting this, so to speak, is an aesthetic choice about how to view the world, rather than a rational one.

 

[Enola.Grey]

• I am a biblical believer, applying knowledge to present day knowledge. (Who am I to argue with over two thousand years of scholastic thinking?)
• I am an astral projectionist, born experiencing the world beyond. (I have seen, felt, tasted, smelled, and heard things in the astral.)
• I am alive. I think, therefore I am.
• I follow the philosophical school of thought known as Stoicism, but from a Biblical understanding.
• I do not subscribe to the philosophy of "how do I know this is real?", but instead accept it as plausible in the same fashion I do when reading or watching fiction in various media outlets.
• I do not live by fear and assume that a life without fear is a life with more freedom.

Why do I believe these things. I construct my reality in the same way I construct a giant puzzle. Let us believe that you have a puzzle, containing over five thousand puzzle pieces. While this is hard to begin with, what makes it harder is that there are pieces from other puzzles mixed in.

I started with my puzzle half done, in that the Astral and Scientific part was finished. Now I only build from that knowledge, increasing what I know from what I have already established. If I encounter a puzzle piece that seems to fit, then I assume that it is correct. However, if I find that that assumption is wrong, I remove that puzzle piece to make the puzzle come together.

I never throw out puzzle pieces though as I find that they really do fit the big picture or they fit in other parts of the big picture. Sometimes they do not fit until I have enough puzzle pieces to establish a fitting.

This applies to science, religion, and metaphysical thinking.

 

[Da Blob]

Very good point about Sci Fi! Such an underrated medium.

I'm calling things assumptions because I don't think I could for the life of me provide satisfactory proof of them to anybody who disagreed.

1. There will never be any better reason to believe the world is how it is beyond scientific description.
2. The most rational position to take is radical nominalism; there are only concretes and instances, no abstracts or universals.
3. For those two reasons, I think Set Theory is going to lead us to contradiction.
4. Ethics is probably the most important subject of all, but people shouldn't worry so much about whether it's objective or subjective of things like that. Worry about doing the right thing, everything else is secondary.
5. Despite all of the above, I have a vague feeling that one ought in fact adopt a sort of platonic mystecism, and take that on something like Kierkegaardian faith. (God, what objectionable name dropping on my part, sorry I dont know how better to accept it!) It's important to first accept the above to realise that actually there is good reason to think other things are more important, and you have better reason to believe all them, and good reason not to believe this - *and then* believe it anyway. Consequently, I think in some "deeper" sense, theology is the most important subject of all. And I think the best reason for accepting this, so to speak, is an aesthetic choice about how to view the world, rather than a rational one.

APPLAUSE
(that was supposed to an animated GIF)

A well written "Mission Statement" Obviously I would contend with you on several points (re: Set Theory). However, the distinction of the importance of theology to the aesthetics or appreciation of life can be an 'enlightening'

 

[Achilles]

Why thank you for the applause - and it's funny you should say "Mission Statement" because I have just thought to myself "Those things admit of proof, or evidence, and I should get to that" (I've already been working on the Set Theory one!) so it really can be seen as a mission statement!

I think of all of those, the Set Theory one is the one that shall admit of the most definite proof, and I think there are already reasons to suspect it (e.g. a historical induction from the antimonies previous versions of set theory have got us into, the fact that certain sets are clearly intuitive possibilities (e.g. the set of all sets) but have had to be shoehorned out of set theory by means of axiom choice, the very fact that the axiom of choice, hence Zorn's lemma, is consistent with set theory - I feel that nothing which doesn't rule that out can possibly be true). So. we shall see on our disagreement with that one, and I'm confident of eventual victory!

It's funny you mention the theology bit as particularly praise worthy though. That's what I expected to arouse most hostility!

EDIT: Ok, I swear that when I started typing this message it was in response to a post which now seems to have disappeared, I wasn't just talking to myself. Not really sure what happened here!

EDIT2: And now it's appeared again! Very odd.

 

[amorfati]

Most humans beings have not gotten over, if they have even noticed, the limitations of dualistic thinking. This is clearly evident in athiest/theist threads were neither side ever seems to consider the possibility that both viewpoints can co-exist.

Other people can only trigger emotions within the individual; they are never the cause.

Whatever I hate outside of myself is merely a representation of what I hate within myself.

Most people would rather prove themselves right than find a beneficial solution to a problem.

Truth has nothing to do with how good or bad an arguement is, but this doesn't prevent many people from wrongly intrepreting a good arguement as compelling evidence on behalf of truth.

The way most people live their lives in the modern world is more or less insane.

Blame would be nonexistent if people would wake up to the fact that they are largely not in in control of the causes of their actions.

Suffering is necessary to keep love alive, and man will willingly suffer for the sake of love.

Love is an innately more powerful force than the rational mind.

I'll stop here because I'm feeling lazy.

 

[sniktawekim]

0Most humans beings have not gotten over, if they have even noticed, the limitations of dualistic thinking. This is clearly evident in athiest/theist threads were neither side ever seems to consider the possibility that both viewpoints can co-exist.

1Whatever I hate outside of myself is merely a representation of what I hate within myself.

2Most people would rather prove themselves right than find a beneficial solution to a problem.


3The way most people live their lives in the modern world is more or less insane.

.

@0 just because something isnt useful.. or just because it is limited.. doesnt make it wrong. in fact.. things that are more "useful" can often be wrong. and no.. mutually exclusive things cannot coexist (well it depends.. if you mean coexist as in two people with different beliefs living together.. than yeah they can.. but if you mean both things be correct at the same time.. then.. no. they cant)

@1 if you mean this on more than just for you personally.. how can you be so sure? do you mean to say that other people cannot have characteristics that i dont have?

@2 i agree.

@3 i also agree.. people do superficial things which arent beneficial in any way.. and are often anti-productive.

 

[sniktawekim]

I have a pretty similar experience except that in my case I only had a cat, but for 18 years that cat was an excellent companion for me. Helped me through a lot of lonely stages in my life. Was heart breaking when she broke her back falling down the stairs and I had to have her put to sleep.

I imagine if I'd had a Shitzou instead I'd have the opposite assumption, but it doesn't match my experience (even though I like Shitzous a lot).

VS

the first dog was a mini shnauzer.
the second was half shihtzu half maltese..

 

[sniktawekim]

Will you feel differently when your cat dies?

the cat was much less personal. it was slightly independent..
although every night.. it climbs up on my bed and wants petted.. and it always sleeps on or under my bed. it is very scared of people... except me. i like it allot, but the dogs were much more personal. the older one had allot of character, and i watched it develop and grow in front of my eyes.. from being a very active young dog that always egged on some sort of play, to an older dog that just wanted a little petting here and there, and would play if you begged it to. the little dog was very upbeat and seemed happy always (well.. until the older one died).. whenever i was sad. i would lay down on the carpet floor.. and this little dog would run over and lick my face like crazy. Now im sad that its dead.. and nothing runs up to lick my face :/

the dogs seemed more dependent on me, which, im not sure why, but it made me care about them more than i care about the cat.
i like the cat, and will be sad when it dies.. but it wont rip me like the dogs did.

 

[Darby]

1. I am completely open-minded and never make fundamental assumptions
(I realize I'm wrong, but it doesn't change the fact that I like to think so)

 

[Kuu]

the first dog was a mini shnauzer.
the second was half shihtzu half maltese..

I currently have a mini schnauzer (well it's my sister's, but whatever). Smartest, least needy, very friendly, extremely quiet and calm dog I've ever had, or gotten to known. They also barely lose hair and don't drool. I'm not really a dog person (nor a cat one) but If I were asked to choose a dog I'd go for a mini schnauzer (never one of those annoying and needy poodles or chihuahuas).

ok... enough tangents

 

[shoeless]

1. we will never know the answer to the meaning of life, the god dilemma, whether there is an afterlife, etc. therefore, debating it is pointless.
2. all religious beliefs are in some way valid.
3. there is no "good" and "evil"; it's all a matter of perspective.
4. there are no absolute truths. at least, none that are known in this existence.

and now i have to go. i may add on later.

 

[Achilles]

2 questions: What's so bad about dualisms? (I take it, for instance, that True/False is a paradigm dualism - and it's one which I think serves us quite well)

Why can't we know absolute truths? I think I am quite well in a position to know that I have 2 hands (to borrow an example from my avatar), and I am as absolutely justified in this as one can be.

 

[Kidege]

I assume nothing, except for an occasional air of intelligence. =D

(kays, that was a joke)

1. I assume people act mostly out of self-interest, except my mother and friends.

2. I assume that when people quote philosophers or 'thinkers', or even holy books, they have no idea what they're talking about. (this place being the exception that confirms the rule)

3. I assume God isn't omnipotent.

4. I assume my assumptions aren't assumptions, but working hypothesis.

5. I assume most leaders suck, and that if I want something done I'd better do it on my own or lead others. Not because my leadership doesn't suck, but because at least I have a vague idea of where I'm going.

6. I assume God doesn't like me much, as a person, but that ze might have a use for me, under some circumstances.

7. I assume silence is my best friend, and that if I said everything I think when I think it, I'd end up being lynched.

8. I assume I'm a genderless being currently incarnated in a physical body with a certain kind of plumbing and reproductive features.

9. I assume people don't really change who they are, only what they do.

 

[Anthile]

1. People are essentially good or at least trying to be good but they lack competence and insight.

2. Religions make things just worse.

3. People who screw up MP3 tags don't suffer enough.

4. There is no god.

5. Rational thinking is the only way to put humanity out of its misery.

6. Higher beings are trying to engage me.

7. Nihilism must lead to absurdism.

8. Cats are the most intelligent beings on this planet.

9. Fantasy literature has been ruined.

 

[shoeless]

Why can't we know absolute truths? I think I am quite well in a position to know that I have 2 hands (to borrow an example from my avatar), and I am as absolutely justified in this as one can be.

it depends on how you define an absolute truth. as far as i'm concerned, it is a truth that is, has been, and always will be, true. just the word "absolute" implies unquestionable finality. so who knows what will happen to your hands tomorrow.

anyway, trivialities aren't really relevant to the point i was trying to make. i'm thinking on a more universal scale.

 

[Decaf]

2. I assume that when people quote philosophers or 'thinkers', or even holy books, they have no idea what they're talking about. (this place being the exception that confirms the rule)

When I was younger someone made me feel stupid because I quoted someone without remembering who it is I quoted. I wish I knew then what I know now because I would have told them to shove it. Yes, people have said things better than I have, but words once used do not belong to the utterer. They're either useful or they're not.

"I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good."
- Seneca​

I think the speaker is often more important than the quote to others because they have no faith in their own ability to understand wisdom. They just want to believe that they agree with people smarter than themselves. It all seems so unforgivably lazy.

I was once criticized (by one of the founders) on INTPcentral for using an Ayn Rand quote. They said it was comparable to Godwin's Law, but the quote itself was applicable and, I believe, valuable to the conversation. I think that experience continues to color my view of them.

3. People who screw up MP3 tags don't suffer enough.

Agreed

9. Fantasy literature has been ruined.

Its like Tolkien gave the world a really nice sweater for Christmas, and now we've decided to wear that sweater every day without ever washing it. Of course, as an exception I do have to mention His Majesty's Dragon

 

[Cavallier]

Fascinating...this has the potential of not only describing our philosophies but also giving us some real food for thought. Some of your responses have truly intrigued me.

Okay, I'll try to pull off a couple. I feel kind of awkward doing this though...it's so personal:

1. I will never be able to back down from a fight. I've tried and failed many times. Even if I know I'm going to lose I can't bring myself to back out. Even when it's the smart, noble, and good thing to do I won't walk away. After years of struggling with this the only fight I've given up on is the battle with myself over this issue. The only time I back down from a fight is when I'm bidding my time till my next strike.

2. Most of the fights I've gotten into have been over somebody completely unrelated to myself being victimized. I hate seeing someone in a position of weakness being taken advantage of. I secretly worry that someone will victimize me so I fight like a cat for the people I see being victimized.

3. I'm capable of calmly and coldly walking out on relationships both friendly and romantic without a backward glace. I've done so several times. I still don't know why. I hope that someday I'll discover that I had emotionally charged reasons for ending the relationships but secretly think I never will.

4. I'm a generally happy person and though I've known depression I've always managed to rationalize myself out of it.

5. I don't fear physical death. I fear mental stagnation. That in itself is the worse kind of death.

6. I come across as strong and capable but it's mostly something I've learned from my father. I've wished before that I could be weak like so many girls I see and therefore be given a break from always being my own defender. However, the few times I've tried this I was so disgusted with myself (or my champion's inadequacy) that I forcefully took back the reigns. The reason I love the guy I'm with is because he allows me to defend myself though I suspect he also defends me behind my back.

7. People who seriously use "OMG" and "WTF" in normal conversation should be drug out into the street and shot.

That's it for now. I'm tired.

 

[Auburn]

1. Quantum Physics is a purely hypothetical branch of math with no true application to our present reality. It's a math born from the desparation and pressure of physicists to at least come up with "something" to present to the higher-ups to continue to fund their research and keep their jobs.

2. My Five Senses are not wholly unreliable and although not perfect, they are able to describe to me a reality that indeed exists around me, with real people just like myself, as opposed to the solipsistic philosophy of reality.

Also, I assume that I see colors in the same way others see them, and that I don't just see them differently while calling them the same thing as them.

3. Absolute Truth Exists - regardless of whether humanity is able to precieve it. We may not be able to prove anything because of our limited scope of reality, but this deterministic universe doesn't need our proof of it's working in order to function.

4. Religions - are humanity's way of coping with the otherwise disturbing realities of a Nihilistic universe. The desire to ascribe to the belief of an afterlife stems from human instinct for preservation as opposed to something born from purely logical reasoning.

 

[timmymayes]

What a fun self discovery exercise. I'll do my best.


1. I don't believe in god and expect death to be a ceasing of existence. I don't fear death but I can't quite grasp a lack of existence. That I can't grasp something scares the shit out of me.

2. Today is the day I'm finally going to get my shit together and finally be "normal".

3. I will be very successful in some venture. As soon as I figure out what it is I want to do.

4. The act of assumption is the key to communication. It minimizes duration while maximizing meaning.

5. Emotion, even though i'm highly underdeveloped in this area, is the underpinning of everything human. This has broad implications but I stand by it.

6. I'm good at multi-tasking.

7. Assumptions aren't always wrong just usually.

8. I assume I can do / understand anything begetting a proper interest / motivation.

Thats all I have for now.

In retrospect many of mine are less assumption and more opinion.

Cheers,

T

 

[Grove]

1. Most information available, from any source (including but not limited to: the media, experts, the internet, and even oneself), is either misinformed, ignorant, incomplete, or willfully deceving.

Thank you!

 

[shadowdrums4]

Ooh I like this.

1. No religion should ever assume they are "right"
2. Slower workers are more careful thinkers
3. We never truly realize how intelligent we are because the way we think is "normal" to us and we couldn't see ourselves any slower or any faster. (Short version:Intelligence is relative)
4. Laziness is not always attributed to not being "challenged enough." Some of us don't want advanced classes because we want easy work so we can focus on our own interests.
3. We spend our whole childhood trying to be older, then our adulthood trying to be younger
4. We all die. Deal with it and stop trying to fight it and make the most of what you have.
6. Fight Club had some awesome points even if he was insane
7. Christmas is the biggest socially excepted lie their is.
8. Yu Yu Hakusho had the best theory on the afterlife IMO (Based on what we do we get marks for the kind of person we are, but we can trip the system out like Yuske saving that little boy though he seemed not to care for anyone)
9. Most people want a romantic partner that doesn't exist
10. There is nothing wrong with an 18 year old and a 15 year old having sex if they truly feel they love each other. There is no difference between 28 and 25 and 18 and 15.
11. Age and time don't exist
12 I Just Want You by Ozzy Osbourne has some of the best assumptions there are.
13 The problem with the Christians that get airtime (though this is not a representation of the majority_ is that they believe God will solve everything and without him you have no moral fiber. This is false.
14 A person shapes their own morals. Religion just acts like it has the most moral people.
15. A child should be able to defend him/herself before Kindergarden but should also be taught how and when to use these defense skills
16. Trauma and pain can be fought. Sometimes we just need some support from friends
17. We should never overburden those who care about us but we should also not shut them out. My friends are working with me on not shutting out so much.
18. Little kids make the best playmates.
19 Children shows were made on drugs.
20 I tend to drop out for weeks at a time even if before I seemed really interested.
21 Emotions are weak and illogical and uncontrollable.
22 I always think I should be able to handle more emotional stress than I can
23 I'm always in trouble and I don't think it is possible to get out of trouble because the steps necessary make me very uncomfortable
24 Whether or not I show it well, my friends mean the world to me and I'll die 100000004.97 times just to take all their pain and sadness away
25 The better a person you are, the more s*** you go through
26 Child abuse and rape are worse crimes then murder though I know most don't like to debate that
27 Gun control shouldn't be an issue. A criminal picking towns to rob from is more likely to go for a city with strict gun control because no one has a gun then the opposite (requiring guns) the choice is plasma TV or possible death......most people would choose the former
28 I went further with this then I expected and may come back to add more because I'm not even close to finished. Actually I'll probably never come back to it but it's nice to say I will.

 

[ckm]

People are fundamentally good, but distorted by lack of balance.

 

[Words]

Helping each other is humanity's main reason of existence.

 

[Chimera]

I think my list will be somewhat...scattered. I'm feeling pretty ill in the head. (Also, I haven't read the other posts here, I didn't want to feed off other ideas. I'll read them after.)​

I assume...
- Everything I think I know is subject to change.
- I truly know nothing. All I have are conclusions based off my senses and the problem solving abilities in my mind.
- I was born into this world without a set purpose.
- Every second that passes shapes the concept of self I possess.
- People are selfish. Whether this works in my favor (they get satisfaction from assisting others) or not (they're greedy sonsabitches) should be irrelevant. Except it's not, because I'm human as well.
- Friends will be lost.
- Friends will be gained.​

- I'm far too distant from people than I should be.
- If there is a god, hse doesn't want me to believe in hir for now, if ever.
- Somewhere in the world, someone just died.
- Given enough time, humanity will self-destruct.
- If I am content for an extended period of time, then I'm not thinking hard enough.
- People will never be satisfied with what they have.
- There is hardly ever a perfect answer for problems dealing with people.
- When I go to bed in about five minutes, my cat will be right there waiting to sleep in my arms or by my side. ​

- I dislike myself more than anyone else does.
- I will never cultivate an interest in the higher levels of math.
- Most people should be muzzled for a year or so.
- I could be doing something more productive.
- If I really set out to accomplish something, it will most likely get done.
- Very few people take notice of me unless I seek their attention.
- Any type of flavored water will taste horrible.
- There is always something better.
- If I'm not supposed to laugh, I'll probably laugh.
- "Scary" movies will never have a good plot.​

 

[Slyphee]

I really like this idea, I think I'll see if I can get any of the people I know to take part in this too.
1.Reality is relative: Your assumptions are not my own.
2.Nothing is good or evil in this world.
3.Emotion, although useful, leads to many bad, cruel and hurtful actions.
4.Everybody lies.
5.Everyone acts in self-interest.
6.I exist.
7.In this world, I am alone.
8.I only need to rely on myself to get what I want done.
9.What I believe / think today won't be the same tomorrow.
10.My beliefs are affected by my experiences and upbringing.
11.Self-interest and free thought have allowed me to accept a deistic belief for my life.
12.Your/My beliefs are right.
13.Your/My beliefs are wrong.
14.My senses, although not the best, give me an accurate view of reality.
15.Life without negative things (suffering, death, isms) wouldn't be as exciting.
16.A god exists.
17.Evolution occurred.
18.The me now is ultimately inadequate for the things I wish to accomplish
19.People are stupid.
20.Individuals are intelligent.
21.Nobody pays as much attention to me as I think they do.

 

[Lyra]

Decaf made some very nice posts in that thread, and I also think this is an excellent idea.

Unfortunately, to be honest, I'd never finish listing all my assumptions in here :/

About 7 years ago, in an extremely tumultuous internal philosophical upheaval, I decided to do what Decaf said about going down and becoming aware of ALL of the assumptions made in the many complex and contradictory systems of thought and belief that were crashing within my head. Because I'm into visualization of large/complex systems, I wanted to make a map of philosophy/knowledge, a massive tree graph that would begin with a fundamental unknown at its center, and develop further levels of concentric rings as assumptions and conclusions pile up and branch out (something like this but lots of cross links and a big gaping hole in the center)

Thus you could see how some philosophies grow out of others or are interrelated... and which are more complex or more simple... which systems of thought neglect to acknowledge their hidden assumptions, which create circular logic, what are the major branches of philosophy and their relationships, which are their foundational assumptions... and also to tell people to shut up when they claim to have build up some original, universe changing ideas and show them that they are in fact in Node 56A of branch 73-5, and that from there they can branch out onto 3 different ideas that ultimately conclude in X, Y or Z. (People would hate me for deconstructing their precious mental models )

I sort of attempted to do it within my mind, like a very rough mental sketch, but when it came to the actual task of doing the map it was simply too huge, when I started to doubt if a tree was indeed the ideal representation, and begun looking into graph theory and data structures I sorta got lost (some things are hard to learn independently / with bad resources) and my powers of procrastination intervened and put the whole project on permanent standby, content simply of having thought of the concept.

Umm... I think you guys might enjoy the idea

I love you.

 

[Elephanzee]

1. There is no God, as far as I know. There just isn't any evidence for one.
2. Many people are frustratingly stupid, although there are many exceptions.
3. People cannot be trusted immediately.
4. It is best to observe people and intuit things from them before approaching them and sharing parts of yourself that may be later used against you.
5. Social progress is inevitable, although it is inconsistent.
6. I must trust myself before trusting others.
7. People are indeed more complex than they present themselves to be.
8. Human behaviour is affected by multiple factors that are often invisible when dealing with them.
9. Behaviour is often recursive.
10. The Cassandras of the past will be vindicated in future.
11. Evolution is an unassailable biological fact according to the current evidence.
12. Religious fundamentalists are fatuous, wilfully ignorant people who choose to ignore or distort scientific fact and social phenomena in favour of their own superstitious dogma.

 

[LAM]

my best friend is/was my dog that i had since i was 3 ish. he died one month ago as of today. he has been a far better and closer friend in his years compared to the cat that i got at the same time. i also had a second dog, from around when i was 6 until today. it died sometime in the night :/. the younger dog was very attached to the older one.. which might have been a factor in its dying (there were no hints that it had any health issues :/).

so, in the end - the dogs gave me hope and good times.. only to tear them away and leave a scar.. and the cat is still alive and here to comfort me :/. i guess the cat did make a better friend in the end.

Cats do not feel blind passion for you, they only do when they actually like you and if they feel mistreated they have no qualms about running away or voicing their displeasure (or showing.) They are fully independent beings... I guess thats what I like about them (and they are soo cute .)

 

[Words]

1. There is no God, as far as I know. There just isn't any evidence for one.
2. Many people are frustratingly stupid, although there are many exceptions.
11. Evolution is an unassailable biological fact according to the current evidence.
12. Religious fundamentalists are fatuous, wilfully ignorant people who choose to ignore or distort scientific fact and social phenomena in favour of their own superstitious dogma.

I'm glad you acknowledge these as assumptions--many do not. I have the opposite belief and is angered by the so called "rationale" and "factual" "knowledge".(an assumption) and please do not be offended.

 

[severus]

Fun!

1. The day I reach my full potential will be awesome. The day after will truly suck.
2. The Truth exists and we cannot know it, let alone understand.
3. Good and evil (and moral/immoral, etc.) are relative, subjective, abstract descriptions and do not represent physical or mystical forces.
4. Anything can be true at the right time, place, and circumstance, even if we cannot imagine it.
5. Feeling emotion is human. Showing emotion is weak.
6. Science wins. Not because it's infallible, but because it's better than the alternatives.
7. Pointless things are generally more fun than useful things.
8. Groups bring out the worst in people. The larger the group, the more accurate this becomes.
9. The choice is there, but the game is rigged. Sorry.
10. Harry/Luna would have been way better.

I wanted it to be an even ten, so.