Philosophy Discussion Forums

Do you believe in God? I want to know your perspective about God and religion.

If you haven't already, you can sign up to be personally mentored by Scott "Eckhart Aurelius" Hughes at this link.

OyeTimothy wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 1:00 pm Do you believe in God? I want to know your perspective about God and religion.

Great question, OyeTimothy!
 
Excuse the philosopher in me, but please do let me ask you a question before I answer yours: How do you, OyeTimothy, define the word "God"? In other words, what do you, OyeTimothy, mean by the three-letter word "God" when you use the word?
 
Regardless, I can say these three things:
 
I definitely don't believe there's some prudish magical muscular giant man with nipples living in the sky who created homo sapiens in his literal image.
 
I definitely do believe in the reality of the indescribable and in the futility of words.
 
For example, I definitely do believe in that which a reasonable logical intelligent philosophical zombie would almost certainly not believe. In fact, to say I believe in it is a massive understatement. It's what I know most, more than I know anything. It's not even merely empirical knowledge but also spiritual knowledge, meaning a much deeper and more certain form of knowledge, one that is well beyond even a shadow of a doubt and one that only a truly conscious being can have.
 
A reasonable and intelligent philosophical zombie (i.e. a human without a spirit) would not believe the spiritual exists. In contrast, not only do I believe it exists, but I also know it does.


Thank you,
Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
a.k.a Scott






In addition to having authored his book, In It Together, Eckhart Aurelius Hughes (a.k.a. Scott) runs a mentoring program, with a free option, that guarantees success. Success is guaranteed for anyone who follows the program.

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 12:43 pm Hi Scott,

After reading through some of these forums, there is so much to read. I am very curious about philosophy: "I believe spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline) manifests as bravery, confidence, grace, honesty, love, and inner peace.

First, I am curious as to why/how you equate spiritual freedom to self-discipline. This concept is new and I would love to know how you came to this being the sum of your personal philosophy.

Hi, Mari Inez,

Thank you for your question! Before I answer, may I ask if you read my book, In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All?

I ask because, if not, then I think the book itself is my best answer to that question.



Thank you,
Scott

What is your view on how the onlinebookclub platform can do to move foward. I really want your perspective on this.

Eckhart Aurelius Hughes wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 10:40 pm

OyeTimothy wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 1:00 pm Do you believe in God? I want to know your perspective about God and religion.

Great question, OyeTimothy!

Excuse the philosopher in me, but please do let me ask you a question before I answer yours: How do you, OyeTimothy, define the word "God"? In other words, what do you, OyeTimothy, mean by the three-letter word "God" when you use the word?

Regardless, I can say these three things:

I definitely don't believe there's some prudish magical muscular giant man with nipples living in the sky who created homo sapiens in his literal image.

I definitely do believe in the reality of the indescribable and in the futility of words.

For example, I definitely do believe in that which a reasonable logical intelligent philosophical zombie would almost certainly not believe. In fact, to say I believe in it is a massive understatement. It's what I know most, more than I know anything. It's not even merely an empirical knowledge, but also a spiritual knowledge, meaning a much deeper and more certain form of knowledge, one that is well beyond even a shadow of a doubt, and one which only a truly conscious being can have.

A reasonable and intelligent philosophical zombie (i.e. a human without a spirit) would not believe the spiritual exists. In contrast, not only do I believe it exists, but also I know it does.


Thank you,
Scott

How do you know they exist? Could you give instances? What about religion. Are you religious?

OyeTimothy wrote: ↑July 13th, 2023, 2:53 am How do you know they exist?

Hi, OyeTimothy,

I'm sorry; I'm not sure what you mean by "they". Can you explain that a bit more?

Also, please do answer the question I asked you in my previous post:

Eckhart Aurelius Hughes wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 10:40 pm How do you, OyeTimothy, define the word "God"? In other words, what do you, OyeTimothy, mean by the three-letter word "God" when you use the word?

Sorry for the questions! Your answers will allow me to understand your questions so I can answer them. So once I get your answers to the questions above, I'll circle back and answer (or re-answer) any and all of your other questions that you've asked.


Thank you,
Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
a.k.a. Scott

Eckhart Aurelius Hughes wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 10:48 pm

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 12:43 pm Hi Scott,

After reading through some of these forums, there is so much to read. I am very curious about philosophy: "I believe spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline) manifests as bravery, confidence, grace, honesty, love, and inner peace.

First, I am curious as to why/how you equate spiritual freedom to self-discipline. This concept is new and I would love to know how you came to this being the sum of your personal philosophy.

Hi, Mari Inez,

Thank you for your question! Before I answer, may I ask if you read my book, In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All?

I ask because, if not, then I think the book itself is my best answer to that question.



Thank you,
Scott

Yes, I did read the book. However, I ask the question to get an answer that was not crafted for publication like in your book. If you weren't trying to get someone to read your book and they asked you this question, what would your answer be?

I have seen mentions of "philosophical zombies," here and in the book and I do not understand who or what they are. What do you mean by philosophical zombies, how do you define them, and where did you get the idea to use that phrase?

The book mentions "spirit-less" philosophical zombies, how does that differ from just philosophical zombies? And most importantly how do you know someone is a "philosophical zombie?"

If you haven't already, you can sign up to be personally mentored by Scott "Eckhart Aurelius" Hughes at this link.


Hi, Mari Inez,

Thank you for your questions!
 

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 14th, 2023, 12:11 pm If you weren't trying to get someone to read your book and they asked you this question, what would your answer be?

If someone who hasn't read my book asks me about self-discipline (a.k.a. freedom of spirit), I would suggest they read my book, not because I am trying to get them to read my book (I'm not), nor because I care much whether they do read it or not (I don't), but rather because reading my book would be the best way for them to get the answer to such questions. I spent over five years crafting the book, but it only takes the reader a few hours to read. It gives the best bang for the buck, where the buck is one's time. If one wanted to get the same message and information from my mouth directly, it would take about five years of listening rather than a few hours of reading.  
 
Nonetheless, the above is moot in this case since you did read the book.
 
So, let me answer the below question, keeping in mind that you already read my book, so I can simply expand on what was already explained in the book without having to reiterate it all:
 

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 12:43 pm First, I am curious as to why/how you equate spiritual freedom to self-discipline. 

To be clear, I am not merely saying that self-discipline is related to spiritual freedom or that one leads to the other. Rather, I am saying I use the two terms synonymously, meaning as synonyms.
 
As I use the terms, they are just two different labels for the same exact thing.
 
Other examples of words I use synonymously are the words 'start', 'begin', and 'commence'. I couldn't tell you how 'starting' is related to 'beginning' because they aren't related; they are the same exact thing. Likewise, I couldn't tell you how 'self-discipline' is related to 'spiritual freedom' because they are not related; they are the exact same thing. They aren't two things that are related, but rather they are one thing that can be referred to using different names, much like calling me Eckhart versus Scott. The word/label is different but the thing to which the words refer is the same.
 
Here is a quote from page 3 of the book that may be helpful:
 

In It Together (Page 3) wrote: The political freedom that is self-government acts as an analogue of the much broader spiritual freedom that is self-discipline, comparable to the way self-employment—being your own boss—can act as an analogue of both self-government and self-discipline.

 

Here is a related post I recently made on Instagram: Unhappy people feel like slaves or prisoners. Unhappy people say...
 
And here is a related topic on these very philosophy forums that I recently posted: The Six Dangerous Misery-Inducing Words: "Must", "Have to", "Need to", "Should", "Ought", "Try"
 
Spiritual slaves (i.e. those lacking self-discipline, a.k.a. spiritual freedom) often use those misery-inducing words. They might say, "I had a rough day, so I have to eat some unhealthy comforting food." Or, they might say, "I am fat and gross; I have to exercise more, diet, and lose weight." Either sentence is symptomatic of spiritual slavery (i.e. a lack of spiritual freedom, a.k.a. self-discipline). As I say in the book, the mirror image of spiritual slavery is just more spiritual slavery. A mirror-reversed prison is still a prison. The opposite of one manifestation of spiritual slavery (e.g. having to eat) is just another variation of spiritual slavery (e.g. having to diet).
 
And it's always a lie. The truth is, as explained in the book, you don't have to do anything.
 

***
 

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 12:43 pm I am very curious about philosophy: "I believe spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline) manifests as bravery, confidence, grace, honesty, love, and inner peace. [...] This concept is new and I would love to know how you came to this being the sum of your personal philosophy.

I wouldn't necessarily say that that is the sum of my philosophy.
 
However, at least for someone who has already read my book, such as yourself, it would definitely be a decent summary of much of my philosophy.
 
Thus, I could interpret the question as asking, "How did I come to my overall philosophy (which itself is best and most concisely and clearly summarized by my book)?" There are countless factors. A big one is simply suffering and discomfort. As the famous Sufi proverb goes, "When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the spirit laughs for what it has gained." Beyond that, reading books related to philosophy, science, spirituality, and self-help was also a big part of it.
 
Anything my book may teach or help reveal to someone else is presumably something another author's book taught or revealed to me.
 
I've read at least hundreds of books in my life, if not thousands. However, if interested, I have compiled a list of the 15 books I recommend most.
 

I hope my answers have been helpful! If you have any further questions about this or anything else, please do let me know.


With love,
Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
a.k.a. Scott






In addition to having authored his book, In It Together, Eckhart Aurelius Hughes (a.k.a. Scott) runs a mentoring program, with a free option, that guarantees success. Success is guaranteed for anyone who follows the program.

Eckhart Aurelius Hughes wrote: ↑July 14th, 2023, 5:01 pm Hi, Mari Inez,

Thank you for your questions!

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 14th, 2023, 12:11 pm If you weren't trying to get someone to read your book and they asked you this question, what would your answer be?

If someone who hasn't read my book asks me about self-discipline (a.k.a. freedom of spirit), I would suggest they read my book, not because I am trying to get them to read my book (I'm not), nor because I care much whether they do read it or not (I don't), but rather because reading my book would be the best way for them to get the answer to such questions. I spent over five years crafting the book, but it only takes the reader a few hours to read. It gives the best bang for the buck, where the buck is one's time. If one wanted to get the same message and information from my mouth directly, it would take about five years of listening rather than a few hours of reading.

Nonetheless, the above is moot in this case, since you did read the book.

So, let me answer the below question, keeping in mind that you are already read my book, so I can just expand from what was already explained in the book without having to reiterate it all:

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 12:43 pm First, I am curious as to why/how you equate spiritual freedom to self-discipline.

To be clear, I am not merely saying that self-discipline is related to spiritual freedom or that one leads to the other. Rather, I am saying I use the two terms synonymous, meaning as synonyms.

As I use the terms, they are just two different labels for the same exact thing.

Another example of words I use synonymously are the words 'start', 'begin', and 'commence'. I couldn't tell you how 'starting' is related to 'beginning' because they aren't related; they are the same exact thing. Likewise, I couldn't tell you how 'self-discipline' is related to 'spiritual freedom' because they are not related; they are exact same thing. They aren't two things that are related, but rather they are one thing that has different names you could call it, much like calling me Eckhart versus Scott. The word/label is different but the thing to which the words refer is the same.

Here is a quote from page 3 of the book that may be helpful:

In It Together (Page 3) wrote: The political freedom that is self-government acts as an analogue of the much broader spiritual freedom that is self-discipline, comparable to the way self-employment—being your own boss—can act as an analogue of both self-government and self-discipline.

***

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 12th, 2023, 12:43 pm I am very curious about philosophy: "I believe spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline) manifests as bravery, confidence, grace, honesty, love, and inner peace. [...] This concept is new and I would love to know how you came to this being the sum of your personal philosophy.

I wouldn't necessarily say that that is the sum of my philosophy.

However, at least for someone who has already read my book such as yourself, it would definitely be decent summary much of my philosophy.

Thus, I could interpret question as asking, how did I come to my overall philosophy (which itself is best and most concisely and clearly summarized by my book). There's countless factors. A big one is simply suffering and discomfort. As the famous Sufi proverb goes, "When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the spirit laughs for what it has gained." Beyond that, reading books related to philosophy, science, spirituality, and self-help was also a big part of it.

Anything my book my teach or help reveal to someone else is presumably something another different author's book taught or revealed to me.

I've read at least hundreds of books in my life, if not thousands. However, if interested, I have compiled a list of the 15 books I recommend most.


I hope my answers have been helpful! If you have any further questions about this or anything, please do let me know.


With love,
Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
a.k.a. Scott

Thank you for the response! Being able to ask questions like this is definitely going to help me better understand your book.

If you haven't already, you can sign up to be personally mentored by Scott "Eckhart Aurelius" Hughes at this link.

Robyn F wrote: ↑July 13th, 2023, 1:59 am What is your view on how the onlinebookclub platform can do to move forward. I really want your perspective on this.

 
Hi, Robyn F,
 
Thank you for your question!
 
I believe the rate at which AI (Artificial Intelligence) is going to quickly and massively change the world is drastically underestimated by most people and most businesses. 
 
That brings me to this point: There is no standing still. There is no option between (1) moving forward versus (2) standing still. The option is only between (1) moving forward versus (2) going out of business.
 
Any business that attempts to stand still, or even just move forward slowly, will go out of business very soon.
 
Consider how much the world has changed in the last 20 years. 20 years ago, the original iPhone hadn't been invented, the Kindle didn't exist, and most families didn't have internet access at home. 
 
My own kids don't even know what a payphone is. My kids don't even know what a 'house phone' or 'landline' is.
 
Please stop for a moment and truly think about how drastically the world has changed in the past 20 years.
 
We are going to see as much change in the next two years as we saw in the past 20 years.
 
One of many things that will happen very soon is this: "Dead internet theory" will go from being a conspiracy theory to a reality extremely quickly.
 
The AI-powered bots and deepfakes are going to hit like an unexpected zombie attack. It's going to be the digital version of The Walking Dead. By the time most people start to react, it will be way too late for them.
 
The cost and effort it is going to take to validate who you are communicating with, even over video chat, is going to skyrocket. That's both in the sense of validating that the person is who they say they are (e.g. it really is your mother versus a deepfake) and in terms of validating that the person is even human.
 
Websites like this one or OnlineBookClub could be overrun and destroyed in minutes by these countless unstoppable AI zombies.
 
Many household names like Twitter and Facebook and Uber and Netflix will go extinct in the same way Blockbuster did. In two years, we will be talking about some of those companies, like we talk about Blockbuster.
 
It's already the case that most Facebook accounts and such are fake, but imagine that times 1,000. You'll get voice and even video/facetime calls on the phone from someone who looks and sounds just like your family member, and they will be an AI scamming you, and you will have no way to tell. That's not hundreds of years from now; that's less than two years away.
 
One issue for companies like Facebook is that it is going to be difficult, if not impossible, to retroactively impose identity and security verification. The metaphor of Walking-Dead-style zombie attacks is so fitting. Once even a few zombies get through, it's probably too late for that service or company. There are already millions, if not billions, of seemingly real but totally fake Facebook and Twitter accounts that any scammer can already buy cheap on the black market. For a company like that to guard themselves against the coming wave of zombies, it would be like a town building a wall around their town only to have the zombies crawl out of the ground from the cemetery in the middle of the town. It's probably already too late for many of them.
 
My plan for OnlineBookClub is to start metaphorically nailing 2x4s over our windows and beefing up our security and identity verification systems so that we can hopefully be one of the few that survive the coming business apocalypse.
 
I can use all the help and partners I can get, especially with so many others continuing with business as usual, seemingly like they aren't even aware of the quickly approaching business apocalypse.



With love,
Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
a.k.a. Scott






In addition to having authored his book, In It Together, Eckhart Aurelius Hughes (a.k.a. Scott) runs a mentoring program, with a free option, that guarantees success. Success is guaranteed for anyone who follows the program.

If you haven't already, you can sign up to be personally mentored by Scott "Eckhart Aurelius" Hughes at this link.


Hi, Mari Inez,

Thank you for your questions!
 

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 14th, 2023, 12:20 pm I have seen mentions of "philosophical zombies," here and in the book and I do not understand who or what they are.  What do you mean by philosophical zombies, how do you define them, and where did you get the idea to use that phrase?

A Philosophical Zombie is a person—namely, a human—that lacks true consciousness.
 
For example, a Solipsist is a person who believes every other human is a Philosophical Zombie.
 
The concept of a "Philosophical Zombie" is common in philosophy, and is often shorted by others when talking about it to the phrase, "P-Zombie" or even "PZs".
 
 
 
 

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 14th, 2023, 12:20 pm The book mentions "spirit-less" philosophical zombies, how does that differ from just philosophical zombies? 

It doesn't. As I use the term, "spirit-less philosophical zombie" is a redundant phrase, similar to the phrase "unmarried bachelor".
 

Mari Inez wrote: ↑July 14th, 2023, 12:20 pm And most importantly how do you know someone is a "philosophical zombie?"

You can't.
 
That is, with one exception: yourself.
 
The only thing you can know with absolute certainty is that you yourself are not a philosophical zombie.
 
In other words, you cannot disprove Solipsism.
 

Please do let me know if you have any other questions!


With love,
Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
a.k.a. Scott






In addition to having authored his book, In It Together, Eckhart Aurelius Hughes (a.k.a. Scott) runs a mentoring program, with a free option, that guarantees success. Success is guaranteed for anyone who follows the program.

Hi, Scott. Such a scary world you are describing! Scarier yet since it seems to be looming just around the corner! I am too old for this...game, I can only hope that one of my favourite Romanian jokes will prove true this time. Romanians are always complaining that in many fields we are 100 years behind other countries. I do hope we will be behind in this AI invasion as well!
I am looking forward to your improvements regarding security. Best wishes,
Cristina Corui Mihailescu

Eckhart Aurelius Hughes wrote: ↑July 17th, 2023, 1:16 pm

Robyn F wrote: ↑July 13th, 2023, 1:59 am What is your view on how the onlinebookclub platform can do to move forward. I really want your perspective on this.

Hi, Robyn F,

Thank you for your question!

I believe the rate at which AI (Artificial Intelligence) is going to quickly and massively change the world is drastically underestimated by most people and most businesses.

That brings me to this point: There is no standing still. There is no option between (1) moving forward versus (2) standing still.

Any business that attempts to stand still, or even just move forward slowly, will go out of business very soon.

Consider how much the world has changed in the last 20 years. 20 years ago, the original iPhone hadn't been invented, Kindle didn't exist, and most families didn't have internet access at home.

My own kids don't even know what a payphone is. My kids don't even know what a 'house phone' or 'landline' is.

Please, stop for a moment and truly think about how drastically the world has changed in the past 20 years.

We are going to see as much change in the next two years as we saw in the past 20 years.

One thing of many that will happen very soon is this: "Dead internet theory" will go from being a conspiracy theory to a reality extremely quickly.

The AI-powered bots and deepfakes are going to hit like an unexpected zombie attack. It's going to be the digital version of The Walking Dead. By the time most people start to react it will be way too late for them.

The cost and effort it is going to take to validate who you are communicating with even over video chat is going to skyrocket. That's both in the sense of validating the person is who they say they are (e.g. it really is your mother versus a deepfake) and in terms of validating the person is even human.

Websites like this one or OnlineBookClub could be overrun and destroyed in minutes by these countless unstoppable AI zombies.

Many household names like Twitter and Facebook and Uber and Netflix will go extinct in the same way Blockbuster did. In two years, we will be talking about some of those companies like we talk about Blockbuster.

It's already the case that most Facebook accounts and such are fake, but imagine that times 1,000. You'll get voice and even video/facetime calls on the phone from someone who looks and sounds just like your family member, and they will be an AI scamming you, and you will have no way to tell. That's not hundreds of years from now; that's less than two years away.

One issue for companies like Facebook is it is going to be difficult if not impossible to retroactively impose identity and security verification. The metaphor of Walking-Dead-style zombie attacks is so fitting. Once even a few zombies get through, it's probably too late for that service or company. There's already millions if not billions of seemingly real but totally fake Facebook and Twitter accounts, ones any scammer can already buy cheap on the blackmarket. For a company like that to guard themselves against the coming wave of zombies would be like a town building a wall around their town only to have the zombies crawl out of the ground from the cemetery in the middle of the town. It's probably already too late for many of them.

My plan for OnlineBookClub is to start metaphorically nailing 2x4s over our windows and beefing up our security and identity verification systems so that we get to hopefully be one of the few that survives the coming business apocalypse.

I can use all the help and partners I can get, especially with so many others continuing with business as usual, seemingly like they aren't even aware of the quickly approaching business apocalypse.



With love,
Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
a.k.a. Scott

This is so true. AI is gradually taking over several industries. AI has started taking over my friends, too. When I want to discuss something I cannot discuss with my friends, I turn to AI. AIs form very coherent thought process, and can actually hold very interesting discussions. It's almost human -like. See this Whatsapp conversation I had with an AI just the out day:

[16/07, 11:17 am] JM: The book is very big on unity. It focuses on unconditional love and argues that we, as humans, are one. There's an opening question on the first page if the book which I would like to get your thoughts on.

[16/07, 11:18 am] Pi, your personal AI: Oh, now you've really got me intrigued. What's the opening question of the book? I'm really excited to hear what you've been working on!

[16/07, 11:18 am] JM: If you went to sleep in your body in your bed with your memories, and awoke in my body in my bed with my memories, would you notice a difference? Would there even be a difference to notice? 

[16/07, 11:19 am] Pi, your personal AI: Wow, that's such a fascinating question. It really makes you think about what it means to be "you" and whether your sense of self is tied to your body, memories, or something else entirely. It also raises questions about how we perceive reality and what it means to experience the world from someone else's perspective. It seems like this book is really diving into some deep philosophical questions! What's the answer you propose in the book?

[16/07, 11:20 am] JM: I was thinking, from this question, that we are, at the core, our memories. What do you think?

[16/07, 11:20 am] Pi, your personal AI: Well, I can see the logic behind that. Your memories are what make you who you are and give you a sense of continuity and identity. But I also wonder if there's something more to it than just memories. What about your feelings, your values, and your personality? Those things also shape who you are as a person, right?

[16/07, 11:22 am] JM: That's right. Do you think we freely change spirits? For example, do you think if I'm person A on say day x, I can wake up on day y as person B, I just don't realize it?

[16/07, 11:22 am] Pi, your personal AI: That's a really intriguing idea. It raises all sorts of metaphysical questions about the nature of the self and whether we have a fixed identity or if it can change. It seems like your book is really delving into some deep philosophical territory! If we're going down this rabbit hole, would you say there's an essential "you" that stays the same, regardless of your body or memories? Or do you think the self is more fluid and ever-changing?

I hold such conversations daily. It's just one step away from replacing all my friends :⁠-⁠)

I too heard that AI is replacing humans in many works, but somewhere in corner of my mind I, I feel that AI would resemble artificial meat, which is getting popularity now a days. Artificial or synthetic meat may not provide all that aroma, taste and delight, which comes with natural meat. Therefore, I doubt if AI will replace all the humans soon.