Ask HN: What's your philosophy?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=390582

by jmtame • 18 years ago

50 131 18 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Just curious, what drives you? Why exist?

KevBurnsJr5• 18 years ago

To experience the beauty of existence.

rw• 18 years ago

Working to make self-actualization more likely for myself and others.

swombat• 18 years ago

It's fun.

sundeep• 18 years ago

Determinism.

jmatt2• 18 years ago

I flipped a coin to decide whether I should up mod or down mod this. Was the coin flip pre-determined by my previous actions? Did I actually up mod or down mod this? :)

noonespecial• 18 years ago

By reading it, you caused it to collapse into a modded state. :)

jderick3• 18 years ago

I gave up on determinism when I learned quantum physics.

stevedekorte• 18 years ago

There is nothing random in QM, only in it's interpretation. But interpretations are meaningless as there is no way to differentiate them via experiment.

yters3• 18 years ago

I am into negative philosophies, it often is a lot easier to say certain important ideas are false than to establish an overarching truth. One negative philosophy is that determinism is incoherent as a philosophy, since philosophy implies choice. While simple sounding, that idea is actually very, very deep and cuts through every discipline I know of. It forms the basis for my views on capitalism, technology, metaphysics, etc.

sgibat2• 18 years ago

How does philosophy imply choice?

run4yourlives3• 18 years ago

My Son. (and his soon to be bother/sister)

Sounds hokey, and it's a relatively new feeling for me, but everything I do these days is all about enabling him.

DaniFong• 18 years ago

his soon to be bother/sister,

Ah. To be a bother; the sacred duty of little sisters everywhere...

run4yourlives3• 18 years ago

lol... good catch. Perhaps that's my own personal foreshadowing!

dbooher2• 18 years ago

beautiful sentiment, but don't make him the center of your universe, because YOU should be the rightful, temporary center of his universe and not the other way around.

Remember that the end goal of your being his father is for him to become his own man; if your identity is solely 'his father' you will have nowhere to stand when he is no longer first and foremost 'your son'. A man with an identity crisis does not a mature man's father make. For his sake, devote your life to something honourable and deserving of your attention; he will see your example, and model after you, directing his energy upwards and outwards, instead of inwards and downwards like you are doing.

You may not believe me, but that's exactly what happened to the Chinese (my) people, so, be careful.

run4yourlives3• 18 years ago

Oh, most certainly!

I'm concerned with doing two things really:

1. Making sure he has the opportunity to become exactly whom he wants to be, regardless of what that is.

2. Through example and instruction, ensure that he's capable enough to properly value and evaluate his different options, and mature enough to work hard enough to achieve them.

While ultimately, everything I do is tempered by what I think would be the best for him, I do live my own life and have my own goals. For example, I've always wanted to be a pilot, and in due time I hope to achieve that goal. I'd love for him to share in that accomplishment, but I certainly have no expectations of him to become a pilot himself, and if he's not that big on flying, it certainly won't stop me.

Your advice is sound though. From my outside observations (I live in Vancouver so I get a good chance to observe) of asian families in general, I think there are many that should be heeding your words. I'd just as soon say though that many North American raised people - regardless of culture - could use some more devotion to something other than themselves though!

marcocampos• 18 years ago

I'll die anyway so why not make the most of the time I got?

abstractbill• 18 years ago

I'll die anyway so why worry?

a-priori2• 18 years ago

Humanism.

pavelludiq• 18 years ago

Not knowing everything. I don't know exactly what drives me, but i have an enormous need to find out. The same with all sorts of other questions, if most people were me, and asked themselves the same stuff as i do, and got similar answers, they would be either mad, or really weird, I've managed to stay slightly mad and moderately weird, but i don't know for how long, and I'm eager to find out.

DavidPP• 18 years ago

Well, it's hard to tell from just a few lines, but I would guess that your are an INTP personality.

gibsonf1• 18 years ago

The quest for happiness

drwh02• 18 years ago

you have nine holes. if you can control what goes into them, and what goes out of them, you will be fine

kirubakaran2• 18 years ago

10 if you are a girl.

drwh02• 18 years ago

do unto others then run like hell

noodle2• 18 years ago

i ain't got nothin' better to do

mihasya• 18 years ago

Testosterone.

sanj• 18 years ago

Always taking the fork in the road that'll result in the best story.

iloveyouocean• 18 years ago

Don't experience life through the filter of a philosophy.

jmtame3• 18 years ago

Isn't that a philosophy?

gills2• 18 years ago

I think you both just disappeared in a poof of logic...

jcapote• 18 years ago

why not?

endtwist• 18 years ago

I want to live my life, not just exist within it.

flashgordon• 18 years ago

well trying to prevent a midlife crisis. By the time I hit mid to late 30s I want to be spending a lot more time on things that I am passionate about - my family, kids (hopefully when I have them), my violin and entrepreneurship, and lot less at a job that sucks out my life!

sarvesh• 18 years ago

I exist to misbehave, it's fun.

dmpayton• 18 years ago

Curiosity, and for the pure enjoyment of it.

javert• 18 years ago

The only metaphysical purpose of a human being is to survive.

The only moral purpose of a human being is to pursue happiness.

KevBurnsJr5• 18 years ago

"The only metaphysical purpose of sarah connor is to survive.

The only moral purpose of sarah connor is to pursue happiness."

-- T-800

dhimes• 18 years ago

But, as the Dalai Lama said, it's easy to confuse happiness with pleasure, and it's not always easy to understand the difference.

cmos• 18 years ago

To make something from nothing that has an impact, hopefully for the better, in how people live.

Hitting payroll, though, in the more short term. :)

cperciva• 18 years ago

Strive for excellence.

shaunxcode• 18 years ago

I would like to think that java programmers adhere to objectivism thus I must be into functionalism which I feel is an analog to utility? Making proceduralism futility?

Prrometheus• 18 years ago

Seems to be the thing to do.

DanielBMarkham3• 18 years ago

I'm toying with being an Anti-Solipsist, which basically states that everybody exists but me. I am completely imaginary and just a figment of real people's perceptions.

Since you exist, you should find this interesting, except that it came from me, an entity that is just a figment of your imagination.

Then again maybe not.

As you can see, I'm still working out some bugs with this worldview.

(grin)

I joke because I find the question slightly inane: people are who they are. It's not like they choose a philosophy and suddenly become something besides the emotional, reasoning hominids they've been all their lives. Philosophies can be bent, and people are really good at bending them to suit their predisposed character traits. In my opinion, of course.

a-priori2• 18 years ago

A friend of mine used to joke about anti-solipsism. He calls it being "the hole in the cosmic doughnut". :)

DanielBMarkham3• 18 years ago

If you think about the ephemeral nature of being alive, anti-solipsism has a lot going for it.

The question "why exist" is a non-starter, however, since the question can only be posed (and answered) by some part of something that _does_ exist. Existence IS, there is no why. Why is non-material.

God I love philosophy.

KevBurnsJr5• 18 years ago

Eckhart Tolle?

webmaster• 17 years ago

If you think about it, anti-solipsism, or at least the pre-solipsism era lasted for millions of years before solipsism. That fact alone makes me think solipsism is a bunch of hogwash.

jmatt2• 18 years ago

Philosophies can be bent, and people are really good at bending them to suit their predisposed character traits. In my opinion, of course.

Those aren't the interesting characters. The interesting ones are the ones that do change to suit a new philosophy.

I agree it's inane. But, none the less, still interesting to hear people's philosophies.

Personally my philosophy seems to change as I go through life and have new experiences and different goals.

jmtame3• 18 years ago

Isn't Trent Reznor somewhat of an anti-solipsist? A lot of his lyrics hint at it.

I did a search for it, and ironically this thread came up as one of the top results. I guess Google _really_ likes YC News. I would be interested to read more about it, I guess I'll have to dig a little deeper.

t0pj• 18 years ago

this thread came up as one of the top results. I guess Google _really_ likes YC News.

Just wait a few hours; whenever this submission falls off the front page, Google should drop it quicker than a greased pig down a mud slide.

zupatol2• 18 years ago

People can also be bent. I saw a documentary the other day where neurologists explained that much of our perception of the world is a construction of our brain, that's why it can easily be tricked by illusions.

One of them concluded that since your world is shaped by your view of it, changing the way you think changes the world. This was the neurologist who had studied meditating people. No one explicitely mentioned philosophy as way to change your thinking though.

stcredzero• 18 years ago

I like Raymond Smullyan's strategy for arguing with a solipsist:

    Only I exist.
    Absolutely correct.  Only I exist!

As far as philosophies go, I also like his "Materialist Mystic" stance. (Not Raymond's personal philosophy. He just thinks it's a neat idea.) A big unspoken assumption of many materialists is that they could understand everything if they'd bother to. But even Richard Feynman said that hardly anyone really understood Quantum Mechanics. I'm sure there are innumerable things out there that could be understood in rational terms, but which are not understood yet. I guess that last one is my version of Faith.

msluyter• 18 years ago

Actually, there is something of an anti-solipsist position. Thomas Nagel discusses it in his classic "The View From Nowhere." If solipsism might be regarded as holding that nothing exists other than what is perceived from one's _subjective_ viewpoint, then anti-solipsism holds that nothing exists other than the _objective_ "viewpoint." What the anti-solipsist would deny is his own perspective as a subject in the world, which as one might imagine, is as impossible as holding a solipsist position. Nagel's book strives to reconcile these seemingly irreconcilable perspectives -- subjective and objective. Recommended reading.

DanielBMarkham3• 18 years ago

I disagree with this interpretation of anti-solipsism, although since I don't exist, it's okay if you find my argument lacking.

I feel that other people still exist as subjective entities, just that the validation of my subjectivity is lacking, ie, while it seems obvious that every human throughout the existance of mankind has had the subjective experience of existing, I disbelieve that any reasonable percentage of them believe that I have had the subjective experience of existing. Therefore, while it seems to me that I have the subjective experience of existing, that's just an artifact of semantics. In reality for 99.99999999999% of the cosmos (actually the number is zero) I do not, in fact, exist.

But I'm sure Nagel is more on the money. Sounds like a good read.

noodle2• 18 years ago

existentialism.

because i want to.

illumen• 18 years ago

Great to see that no one sees themselves as a Hacker... on 'Hacker News'. I guess it's more 'Self Help News' these days anyway.

geoffb• 18 years ago

meh

bokonist• 18 years ago

to figure out a philosophy ( and have fun trying)

KevBurnsJr5• 18 years ago

I see philosophies as more fluid than atomic.

petercooper• 18 years ago

If I continue to contribute small pieces of knowledge, technology or such to the world, hopefully someone will be inspired by all those collective bits and pieces (in combination with those of others) to eventually answer the big questions and promote the well-being of our species.

unalone• 18 years ago

Things are better every year. You can do anything you want to, and your actions inspire others to do the same. There is a joy in masterful creation.

zitterbewegung• 18 years ago

Thought that can be changed due to experiment (bayesian thought). Deconstructuralism applied to society and preconceived notions of truth (or even if truth exists). Nondeterminism and how that applies to free will. Thats what makes me get up in the morning.

KevBurnsJr5• 18 years ago

truth = beauty

dbooher2• 18 years ago

objective truth may be objective beauty, but objective truth may not be subjectively beautiful--hence little white lies.

anamax2• 18 years ago

Not even close.

rnc000• 18 years ago

secular-humanist-singularitarian-objectivist

dill_day• 18 years ago

To become united and in line with the beauty and vitality of Nature, and to become united with those we love - what other ultimate object in life is there? Surely all these other things, these games and examinations, these churches and chapels, these district councils and money markets, these top-hats and telephones and even the general necessity of earning one's living - if they are not ultimately for that, what are they for?

(Edward Carpenter)

jderick3• 18 years ago

I like the fact that there is such a 'long tail' here.

pg• 18 years ago

It feels good to make something that didn't exist before.

Herring• 18 years ago

There's also profiting when someone else makes something that didn't exist before. That also feels good.

steveplace2• 18 years ago

Work like an Arminianist, sleep like a Calvinist.

;)

streblo• 18 years ago

I might die tomorrow.

ekpyrotic• 18 years ago

I live for the moments when I forget I exist. Can happen when doing math, physics, philosophy, or listening to music; being able to transcend my existence.

meqif• 18 years ago

That's called flow. I've been reading a book by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly on that ( http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Mihaly-Csik... ).

That's what drives me, too.

Eliezer3• 18 years ago

It's really a rather odd philosophy when you think about it. Is consciousness a mistake?

bootload• 18 years ago

"... What's your philosophy? ..."

Sum ergo cogito

qqq• 18 years ago

Karl Popper.

jmtame3• 18 years ago

To put a ding in the universe.

rms3• 18 years ago

Entropism

The goal of human civilization is to conquer entropy. Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale

Eliezer3• 18 years ago

You can't conquer entropy, you can only use up negentropy on interesting projects.

rms3• 18 years ago

You could conquer entropy in this universe by harnessing energy from other universes.

rms3• 18 years ago

and for those that haven't read it: http://www.paulgraham.com/philosophy.html

charlesju• 18 years ago

Buddah; I don't want to reincarnate into a bug.

sammyo• 18 years ago

Why should one have 'a' philosophy? There are many fine mutually contradictory philosophies, I choose all.

helveticaman• 18 years ago

I abide by game theory.

ninjaa• 18 years ago

It's asking myself your question that drives me. I do whatever I do because I _believe_ (taken on faith) that it gives my existence meaning, and that ultimately, by doing enough of what I do, I hope to glean some insight into why I exist.

I dislike doing anything based solely on faith, but in this case I regard my "belief" as certain as my "belief" in mathematics describing the truth, i.e. I consider both pretty much absolute.

Here's a related commentary I found helpful, 2nd para lists (in a relatively archaic style, you have to parse it a bunch of times - 3 different religious answers to a similar existential question): http://www.hinduwebsite.com/divinelife/auro/auro_fateandfree...

(note: I don't advocate Hinduism, Sri Aurobindo or promote belief in God, am merely searching the answer to the question - "why am I not a fatalist?")

arakyd• 18 years ago

I exist because of a certain chain of historical events. I continue to exist because I am programmed to maintain my existence and because my environment makes doing so with high probability (at least in the short and medium term) remarkably easy. Everything else is post-hoc storytelling.

kirubakaran2• 18 years ago

Screw philosophy.

Is that a philosophy?

jsmcgd2• 18 years ago

You or may not be interested in the book "Fuck it: The Ultimate Spiritual Way". (probably not)

http://www.amazon.com/Fuck-Ultimate-Spiritual-John-Parkin/dp...

icey• 18 years ago

I'm firmly Dadaist. Also: Spoon.

rokhayakebe• 18 years ago

Life starts at the end of my comfort zone. (that has been my philosophy for the past few weeks. I usually change it every other week.)

awt• 18 years ago

Understand as much as possible. Especially about how we came to be who we are.

programnature• 18 years ago

Almost all processes that are not obviously simple can be viewed as computations of equivalent sophistication.

rkowalick• 18 years ago

Be Happy

callmeed• 18 years ago

I believe I was created in the image of my creator–I think that's why I have an innate desire to create myself (and why we all do). And part of the reason I exist.

vorador• 18 years ago

it's übermenschism : i'm a nietzsche fanboy

ryan-allen• 18 years ago

It doesn't really matter, the Universe will prevail!!!

jobeirne• 18 years ago

I cannot prove the existence of anything, except for myself.

gills2• 18 years ago

To create.

To leave this place just a little better than I found it.

comatose_kid• 18 years ago

I follow the philosophy of the Divine Porcine. Briefly stated, followers of this philosophy believe there must be a divine being, since how else could you explain that bacon, ham, and pork chops all come from the same wonderful animal?

abijlani• 18 years ago

I just live in the moment

travisjeffery• 18 years ago

Objectivism.

SapphireSun• 18 years ago

The pursuit of truth mixed with novelty drives me. I honestly cannot answer why I exist though ;-)

ntoll• 18 years ago

> Why exist? Just ask yourself why you don't commit suicide...

bayareaguy• 18 years ago

I'm on the Nietzsche 3-step program.

http://books.google.com/books?id=v5DFOleeTeAC&pg=PA13...

zupatol2• 18 years ago

I listen to my conscience. I can really tell when I'm going in the wrong direction.

I am surprised no one else has mentioned anything of the sort in this thread.

jgrahamc• 18 years ago

Be excellent to one another

jsmcgd2• 18 years ago

I don't think I have a philosophy. Do you need one?

paraschopra• 18 years ago

I exist to kill boredom

ice_man• 18 years ago

The existence of nothing is equivalent to the existence of everything; neither can exist without the other since their respective definitions can only be expressed in relation (as a negation) of the other.

Both existence and a lack thereof are a part of the one same entity.

This entity mirrors itself infinitely both in "space" and in "time".

It mirrors itself in "time" by alternating between the states of existence and a lack thereof.

It mirrors itself in "space" exponentially by necessarily drawing a border around itself because the very existence of both existence and a lack thereof must give rise to a lack of existence and a lack thereof, if and only if it is to adhere to its own rule, to which it must by its own definition, which itself must exist by definition in the first paragraph.

This process of progressively expanding the "borders" of existence continues ad infinitum and gives rise to what we know as reality.

As depicted in the following moving picture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH45ffITujI

noblethrasher• 18 years ago

To discover truth and beauty and then then share them through empathy in design and argument.

mantas• 18 years ago

There's no tomorrow.

diN0bot• 18 years ago

To do good better.

lallysingh• 18 years ago

Ugh, really?

Here's a simple one that usually works: care about other people, contribute to the world around you. After that, the rest of life figures itself out pretty easily.

If you want some sort of logic or math proof on why this is, remove head from rectum.

orionlogic• 18 years ago

will your philosophy change by anti-aging discoveries?

So you might ask: will you live the same life as if you would come back again after you die?

if yes,then you live well now...(so in short, this is my philosophy)

partoa• 18 years ago

what?

Eliezer3• 18 years ago

I am here to debug an unstable, confusing, and feature-poor universe.

pstinnett• 18 years ago

be here now

rodrigo• 18 years ago

Its great to be in movement; dont know for people in other ages, but in our time, things seems to be acceleratin and that makes it a great time to live.

anamax2• 18 years ago

Minimize dependencies.

biohacker42• 18 years ago

Cheerful nihilism.

blender• 18 years ago

Ever read Max Stirner's: "The Ego and Its Own"?

I sing as the bird sings That on the bough alights; The song that from me springs Is pay that well requites

Cheers

jonallanharper• 18 years ago

Objectivism

Ask HN: What's your philosophy?

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