[–] Helena73 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
What I mean to say is that humans perhaps “work better”— are happier, more functional, reproductive, cooperative— if they believe they are individual “snowflakes” with free will and a soul. That it may be the poison pill to understand that we are all just machines and that none of us really matter that much on an individual basis. That we are locked into our fates by our genes (and culture, which you always overlook).
The fact is, we have evolved our sense of free will, we have evolved to believe in this illusion, even if it doesn’t exist. Just as we have evolved religion. The belief in free will— that we have choices by which we are judged — is universal. Every society on earth believes people choose to be “good” or “bad”. So if we all have adapted this way of thinking, what does that tell you about its adaptation? Maybe it’s useful.
If we accept that psychopaths cant help breaking all social rules and harming people then we can’t punish them— we will have to let all the George Floyds out of jail, which would not be pleasant.
Free will was not invented in the enlightenment. We all must live under a regime of behavior governed by an illusion of right and wrong. That is how the human brain evolved to work. We all operate under the illusion that we can choose between right and wrong, this is pretty much universal. The concept of an immortal soul and the ability to choose salvation, the science of salvation that kept the church in business for so long, this is all evidence of the belief of free will predating the enlightenment. It’s inherent to human thinking. Its how the software works.
I think you have to at least entertain the idea that more we dismantle this illusion the more chaotic and sick our society becomes.
[–] Nukeisrael 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago (edited ago)
Truth>functionality. I don’t care about what is functionally better but the truth. This is the same tired old argument people like Keith woods likes to make. “We are spiritual creatures therefore god has to exist and we cannot just be bio robots.” You can build objective morality straight from the ground up from pure philosophical materialism (not economic thats jew shit). Also, East Asians don’t believe in free will and neither did the ancient aryans as seen as Buddhism where everything “is.” They believed everything is always perfect because it is just as it should be which is literal determinism and fate.
[–] Helena73 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Evolution doesn’t care about “truth”, it cares about functionality. Genes dont care about truth. They care about being propagated.
If a culture teaches that it is wrong to eat a certain poisonous plant, does it matter whether it justifies this teaching by saying it will displease god and you will burn in hellfire for it, or that it contains a toxic molecule? What if more people will obey this rule if you teach that you’ll burn in hell? Maybe rational thought does not render the best results. Maybe irrational religious beliefs result in better survival odds.
Maybe you can’t possibly perceive the usefulness of “old fashioned irrational taboos” like no homo until homo is so wildly accepted that they are brainwashing male toddlers that they are girls.
I assure you, you cannot. You’re arrogance is astounding. That’s how we got into this mess. Chucking all traditional morals as irrational. They just got replaced with equally irrational progressive morals. Now everyone thinks lawyers and psychotherapists are the arbiters of goodness and truth. Lol.
I don’t know about East Asians religion but they all believe in the human ability to make conscious choices between good and evil. Zoroastrianism is an Aryan religion that probably informed christianity on its understanding of good and evil and free will more than judaism. Hinduism is a similar religion that believes your choices drive your karma which determines your fate in the next life. Even buddhism acknowleges that there are conscious choices you can make to progress towards total enlightenment and freedom from suffering.
Does Buddhism urge its followers to strive for enlightenment? Or does it say, do what you want, you are either going to reach enlightenment or not?