I'm Never Wrong (but maybe I am)

I'm often the recipient of sarcastic comments like "yeah Jon, you are never wrong".  Probably the result of my narcissism.  

The truth is (I hesitate to use the term truth, however, I can't think of a better word), I and no one else can ever know if I or anyone has been wrong about speculative matters.  I believe what I want and no one can prove me otherwise because it's my belief against that person's belief.  

Now, maybe my opinions have changed over time, and I can say to myself "I was wrong back then.  I'm right now".  I'll go out and ask some people if they agree with me.  If they do, I'll say to myself "Look at all these people that agree with me.  Now, I know I'm right", but really, it's just a new belief.   

This is one of the ideas which James presents (in a much clearer way than my distorted drivel) in "The Will to Believe".  He also makes an argument for making a decision on belief in religion (tweaking and expanding on Pascal's wager) in lieu of (i) not believing anything due to fear of making an erroneous decision or (ii) waiting for "objective evidence" to somehow appear.  

The point is, no one has ever agreed on how to define "truth" and every opinion has a counter-opinion.  For potentially life-altering choices like the religious decision, we cannot afford to wait on evidence.  Probably won't get any in our lifetime.  For decisions relating to physical sciences, we can wait on evidence.  Those matters aren't important.  

"We stand on a mountain pass in the midst of whirling snow and blinding mist, through which we get glimpses now and then of paths which may be deceptive.  If we stand still we shall be frozen to death.  If we take the wrong road we shall be dashed to pieces.  We do not certainly know whether there is any right one.  What must we do?  Be strong and of a good courage.  Act for the best, hope for the best, and take what comes...If death ends all, we cannot meet death better".

The Will to Believe

I am reading "The Will to Believe" by Williams James right now.  It's an essay/speech which was given to the Philosophical Clubs of Yale and Brown and was published in 1896.  I've read it before and probably will again many more times.  Check it out. 

Marlins

Speaking of brand obsession (see post below if you don't know what I am talking about), the Marlins finally broke their 7-game losing streak today.  I am now temporarily happy about something. 

Say Goodbye to Yesterday

"We can live today, but we're not promised tomorrow. We can pass away, say goodbye to yesterday".  I took those lyrics from a song by Non Phixion.  Not exactly tied to what I'm about to type, but I like them.  I find it extremely difficult to live each day like it might be my last.  I just have an inner sense of confidence that I will exist tomorrow and there are better things to come.

The recent swine flu news has led me to think about a question I've asked myself a lot which is "how is life supposed to be"? or "how was life in the past?"  What were people's lives like before the invention of modern medicine and mass media?  Is a "simple" natural life better than the lives we are leading which are full of materialism?  What is the "natural life"?  

I'm not sure if wondering what life was like in the past, ever hoping to return to the past, or wondering what a "natural life" is like is a legitimate investigation/desire.  Many philosophers who are smarter than me have argued it is not.  If life in the past were an ideal situation, I don't think we would be where we are now.  For whatever reason, the guiding force of human existence - whether it's God, reason, belief, thought, evolution, chance, free will, or a whole combination of things - has led us to the state we reside in.  This is the "natural life".  I think questions such as "Are we happy with our current existence?" and "How can we improve it"? are important, but returning to any former state seems like an impossibility at this point.

Whenever I am walking around NYC and see all the buildings, I'm amazed that they could have all been built in about 200 years.  Granted, they are impressive structures and cool to look at, but is this what we should be spending our time on?  The last fews days, my friend and I have gone out for lunch and observed tourists taking pictures of stores, clothes, flashing signs, buildings, etc.  Is that what people identify NYC/America with right now?  Are consumerism and the crazy fixation on branding benefitting society?  If they aren't, what should we be focusing on?

Well aren't you special?

Someone just said to me "don't get a big head, Jon".  Too late for that.  You should have told me that about 20 years ago.  Nonetheless, I think my next post is going to be about hubris (I might change my mind though).  I don't want to half-ass it like some of my recent posts so I need to do some introspection and re-reading of things first.

I'm terrible at writing, but I'm much better at art

As I prepare for the mainstream, I have added some artwork to the site.  I think this may push it to the next level.

Humans

What makes a human a human?  What differentiates a human from an animal?  Some of the attributes that come to mind are capability to think and love and a sense of morality.  I know there are a lot of questions regarding free will and the nature of morality and there always will be, but I'm not entirely prepared to address those right now. 

Are there certain qualities of a human that make you think that person has a higher "value" or "worth" than another human?  Are some humans "better" than others?

Is someone who is blind worth less than someone who can see?  What about someone who has an IQ of 150 vs. an IQ of 110?

Would you value someone who can't maintain a stable relationship lower than someone who is married?  

Are killers "inhuman"?

Are men better than women?  Are heterosexuals better than homosexuals?  Are whites better than blacks?

Put a ring on it (I hate that song)

There are two reasons I am typing this post.  The first is to provide an illustration of the power of perception and the 2nd is to try to show everyone that I do other things besides work or sit on my computer/blog (those activities only consume 95% of my time).

The other night, I was out with a friend (call him Friend A) and we were meeting another friend (Friend B) at a birthday party.  Friend A and I didn't know anyone else at the party.  As soon as we got there, we walked up to Friend B and started talking.  A girl came up to all three of us and said to Friend A "oh my god, are you Friend A?  It's so great to meet you.  I've heard so much about you."  My immediate thought, being the selfish person that I am, was, "WTF Friend B, why haven't you been complimenting me to girls when I'm not around" (of course, Friend B and I are not as close as Friend A and Friend B are, so it's completely understandable, but this is besides the point).

So, 5 minutes later, I was talking with some person I don't know, and Friend A came up to me and said something like:  "Friend B finally introduces me to a girl and she has a ring on her finger.  A HUGE diamond ring".  I looked over at her hand to see it.  Instantly, thoughts flashed through my head (kind of like the Intersect on the tv show CHUCK) and my entire perception of her (whatever that may have been) changed.    All of this from hearing about and seeing a piece of metal on her finger.

Oh Snap. You fooled me.

Just after he got married, Bernie Madoff started an investment management company with $200 – November 1959.  By 1961, he was managing $16,140.  By 1973, he was managing $1.1 million.  His reputation was building.  He launched a venture into the electronic business, which was executing a large amount of the daily volume of trades on the NYSE.  People heard of his genius through word of mouth.  It was a privilege to be able to invest with him.  His $7 billion under management at 2000 grew to $50 billion in 2005.  He promised his investors returns of 10%-15% and he continued to deliver.  People trusted him to invest virtually ALL of their funds’ money.

Then it all came unraveled.  Bernie admitted it was all a fraud.  He hadn’t made in a trade in 13 years.  He was a crook.

How did this happen?

Not too long ago, Lehman Brothers was worth $47 billion.  Solid reputation.  One of the US’s largest banks.  Been around for over 150 years.  Definitely not going anywhere.  Recent college grads would love to work there. 

In September 2008, Lehman filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. 

How does this happen?

Part of the explanation for all of this is the power of the “image” and perception.  In our everyday lives we are always surrounded by images.  Whether it is the constant bombardment by branding, logos, labels, marketing, media, press releases, etc. or the images which we develop in our head.  Images are everywhere.  Perception is everything.  

People perceived Bernie Madoff to be an incredible investor.  People invested all of their money with him.  They trusted him with everything they had worked their whole lives for.

Was there that much of a difference about what Lehman was actually doing within its offices when it was worth $47 billion than when it was worth zero?

How can a biotechnology company that is trying to develop a cure for cancer be worth $1 billion one day and $200 million the next when nothing has fundamentally changed about what the Company has been doing?

The alleged craigslist killer’s fiancée perceived him to be an upstanding citizen, and STILL won’t admit she might have been wrong even in the face of mounting evidence (just to make it clear, I am not judging him guilty or not).

Why is a dollar bill worth less than a one-hundred dollar bill?  It’s the same piece of paper.  Why is gold worth anything?  If no one else would buy it from me, I would rather have something more useful.

Why do we develop a full image in our head of a person we just met when we really barely know anything about them?

I took a class called Philosophy of Imagination in college, and I feel like you can relate a lot of the study to what’s going on in the world today.  It’s a cool field and I am going to continue to blog about it.  Just wanted to get the ball rolling. 

War

Why do wars start?  I understand some (or all) people can be angered to the point of wanting to physically harm someone else, but what leads to large scale wars?

For example:

Nation A has a philosophical disagreement with Nation B.  They have been arguing for 50 years about the right to paint cows blue, but there is no resolution.  Does it logically follow that Nation A should say "Let's beat an agreement out of them" and start a war?  

Obviously, most people would think this is a stupid topic to go to war for, but what is an appropriate reason to go to war for?  What is the breaking point where you have to turn to physical means because intellectual arguments can only get you so far?

"That's Gay"

There is a lot of bias against homosexuality in the United States.  Jokes, stereotypes, laws, whatever - none of it makes any sense to me, but maybe I am in the minority.  Maybe there are legitimate reasons for banning same-sex marriage in the majority of the United States.  Maybe homosexuals have a negative impact on society.  Maybe God  (if God does indeed exist) doesn’t support same-sex relationships.  Maybe God is going to send me to Hell for writing this.  And if that’s the case, then so be it; however, I find society’s current stance on same-sex relationships absolutely appalling.

As for the jokes and stereotypes and things like that, I don’t give a $#$#.  I apologize to all who disagree, but really, I don’t care about meaningless comments like that.  I’ve been made fun of everything imaginable since I was born (“you #$##ing Jew”, being skinny, being a nerd, etc.), and I don’t give a damn.  People are always going to criticize others for whatever reason - it’s human nature.

What I do have a serious problem with is the current legislature that prevents same-sex marriage. What the hell is the point of that?  I’d like to break it down like this:

Reasons for same-sex marriage:  Let people do what they want.

Reasons against same-sex marriage:  None.

Now, obviously when you enter into a society (whether you are born into it and choose to stay, or enter into one yourself), you can’t do everything you want because you have to consider the livelihood of other people in the community.

Let’s say you were going to enter into a new society with 100 people that you knew.  Would your initial doctrine be, “no one should steal from anyone else, no one should kill anyone else, oh, and by the way, no one should marry someone of the same sex”. 

Now, I know a lot of people dislike homosexual behavior, but I’ve never had anyone tell me why.  For those of you out there (and there must be a lot of you),  I’m begging you to tell me.  Give me a reason why homosexual behavior harms others.  I thought it was absolutely fantastic when Tim Hardaway said he “hates gay people” in 2007.   I completely disagree with him, but I thought that moment was awesome because most people aren’t willing to admit it on a public stage.   Of course, his rationale for hating gays was “it’s not right”.  Maybe the ridiculous and unfounded amount of criticism he faced for being honest prevented him from making further comments.  Tim Hardaway:  if you are reading this, I’d really like to talk to you about your opinions.

For those who disagree with homosexuality, let me ask you this.  Could you look someone who has a same-sex preference in the eye and say “No, you shouldn’t be able to do that, I don’t agree with homosexuality.  You're harming society.  I don’t care if a same-sex marriage would make you happy.”?  Maybe you could, and I would respect you for that.   But, personally, I think it would be much easier to look someone in the eye and say, “You shouldn’t kill another person”.

For those who believe in the “religious argument” against homosexuals (just for clarification, I have no idea what the religious argument is because I don’t follow any religious doctrines), why not let God judge those who decide to enter into same-sex relationships.   Who are you to prevent someone else from being happy?  Are you God?  If it is of no consequence to you or society, should you have power over the decision of a homosexual to get married to another homosexual?

So that's it.  If you disagree with same-sex marriage, I'd like to hear your point of view.  I know 46/50 states' worth of you are out there, so let me know.

I fully expect to receive comments like “you’re gay” after writing this.

Time Spent Thinking

Is anyone comfortable with sharing what you think about during the day and how much time you spend thinking about it?  This is just a BS example and I know it might be hard to exactly quantify but say something like:  

work - 40%, money - 30%, family - 20%,  religion - 10%, or 

myself - 90%; other people - 10%

Ideally, I'd like to compile some sort of anonymous set of data to see if any conclusions could be drawn from it.  Does anyone know if this has ever been done? I've heard anecdotally about the average time people think about sex in a day, but I've never seen any evidence.

I imagine this would be a difficult feat to accomplish because I'm not sure if people are willing to share intimate details about what's going on in their heads, or if they would be truthful about it.

When I think about why I wouldn't want to tell people what I think, I guess it would be due to fear for embarrassment or my thoughts not being accepted.  Are there any other reasons?  Do you think the majority of people think the same kinds of thoughts everyday?

Poverty

I lied.  I can’t blog about the economy yet, because I have something else on my mind.  Poverty.

Poverty makes me sick.  It makes me feel absolutely awful every day.  Why am I not doing more to help out?  Why was I born into a fortunate situation which afforded me an education that would ultimately lead to me making more money than the average person?  Why am I not giving back and doing all that I can to help those that have different circumstances?

I’ve never lived in an impoverished neighborhood, haven’t had much of any personal interaction with anyone in those neighborhoods, barely have done any “community service” – nothing.   I’ve tried to get the idea out of my head that money is important; I don’t care about it, and it’s not going to make me happy.  But it’s obviously one of the biggest driving factors of this human life.  There’s no getting around it.

Combating poverty is a challenge that I am not fully prepared to provide solutions for.  I have no idea what it will take to implement a long term fix – maybe fundamental changes to the educational system, redistribution of wealth, things like that, but, really I’m looking to opinions of others for those types of ideas.

I have to ask myself:   What should I be doing everyday for those who are less well-off in a monetary respect?  I mean I’ve donated money to both organizations I respect and people I meet on the street, but when I think about those type of activities, I feel like it’s truly a haphazard attempt to help out and feel better about myself.  I pat myself on the back for “being kind” for a moment and go on with my selfish existence.

Even today, I was running late to work and passed by a woman who asked me for a donation.  I kept walking without saying a damn word to her.  After I walked about 60 feet past her, the whole time thinking that I needed to go back, I made the decision not to and went into my office.

That tells me a lot about myself.

Next Topic

A lot of people have asked me how to fix the economy (well, maybe 1 or 2).  I have no idea.  I know nothing about economics, which, considering my profession, is probably a bad thing for me. So, after some careful deliberation, I have decided that my next topic will be...the economy.

Perspective

One distinction in philosophy that I like is the one that Kant made between "public" and "private" reasoning in "What is Enlightenment?".  I'm probably butchering the definition a little bit but basically this is how I look at it:

Private Reason/Thinking - Playing your role in society, even if you disagree with the rules that that you have to follow.

Public Reason/Thinking - Expressing your thoughts and providing opinions to attempt to make a change in societal norms that you disagree with.

I think it would be outstanding if everyone publicly reasoned - the combination of varying thoughts should, in my mind, lead to a positive result that everyone is happy with.  I guess with the advent of the Internet and blogs and things like that, public reasoning is more prevalent now than it used to be.

But for many reasons, people aren't always comfortable with breaking the mold and expressing themselves.  Personally,  I hold back on stating my opinions all of the time out of fear for looking "stupid", being publicly shamed, etc.

So with that, a couple of new writers are on the site now, and maybe some more will join soon.  I'm looking forward to reading everyone's thoughts.

Other Writers

I'm trying to recruit other, more talented writers for the site because my writing isn't very good.  That way I can be lazy and not write as often.  Also, serious title issues right now.

MARLINS

11-1

Childhood

Yesterday, I was sitting in Central Park reading Saint Augustine’s Confessions.   I was able to make it 3 or 4 pages in until I got to the part about infancy / early childhood and I started thinking, “Wow, I was probably an obnoxious prick when I was a child”.

Just thinking about my natural propensity for selfishness and arrogance now and what I have to do to suppress that, I can only imagine what I used to be like when I was younger.

I haven’t had the opportunity to be around many infants or younger children for extended periods of time, but apparently they are all absolute terrors.  Beings that need and want and really only care about themselves – Augustine describes it a lot better than me.

So all of this led me to the following questions:

1.  What does the initial state of human beings say about human nature in general? 

I’ve always had an overly pessimistic view about human nature and selfishness, and for me, the initial stage just propagates that feeling.  It doesn’t make any sense to me why humans are born this way.  Maybe the point is to improve as a person, mature, and begin to care about the “greater good”, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t seem like there is any way to ever escape the initial flaws.

2.  Is it possible to ever change aspects of our personality that we don’t like?

I’ve never been able to and it’s annoying.

3.  Does anyone remember what his/her childhood was like?  How can you repent for sins of the past when you don’t have a good idea of what they were?  If you were going to be judged by God or anyone else, what would you want to be judged by?

I can barely remember high school anymore and it wasn’t that long ago.

4.  Are flaws like jealousy positive in any way?

Competition and jealously seem to be drivers of people doing "bigger/better things" which probably improves society as a whole.  The problem I always think about is whether increasing wealth, technology, invention, etc. are really improving what’s important in life or are just masking it.

5. What is the appropriate level of morality for one’s personality to build-up to - to be a person that cares only about others?  Is there such a thing as an unselfish act?

I have no clue about this one.

As an aside - I think Confessions is an awesome book.  When I first read it, I was in my atheist, god-hating, "I'm better than everyone else", closed-minded mode and I didn't take it seriously, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is on the fence about belief in God.

Why?

I've been looking all over for clubs/societies in NYC or even websites which promote philosophical discussion, but I haven't really been able to find any.  So, even though I won't have a large audience, I've decided to start this blog (there are other reasons also).

Basically, put in different terms.

Problem(s):  My life is boring.  I haven't found a way to efficiently think about/discuss issues about human nature and society which I believe are important.  I miss the philosophical/theological education and discourse I was able to have at Boston College.

Solution:  Start a blog. 

I realize that my opinion is no better than anyone else's so I am going to try to refrain from bragging and talking about myself and things like that, but I know that writing is inherently selfish, so feel free to chastise me for doing this.