Philosophy...?

[DM Cross]

I never said everyone would take the jump, and I never said that "an action of thought was a action of instinct." I said the opposite. I said that if you don't have time to think (as you said) why wouldn't your instincts carry you the other way. My conclusion was that the only way someone could be "selfless" would be because they thought about it. As you said, it is selflessness, and whether you think it's overrated or not doesn't change that (again as YOU said) it is there.

What? Look... It's simple. In the time that someone aims and shoots a gun, two things can happen. Your instincts can tell you to jump in the way and save someone's life. Or, your instincts can tell you to jump out of the way and save your own rear-end.

The difference?

There is none. It's just an instinct. Everyone has the capability and possibility to do one or the other.

 

[Darthfett]

#1 Either there neurons misfired in their brain, and they panicked and jumped.

#2 In that split second, they thought about the consequences and realized that they respect their sense of loyalty or love towards the person being shot at, adn that sense of loyalty or whatever (duty in the case of the president?), brings themselves joy.

I'd say there's an option # 3:

The person saw that the gun was aimed at someone he cared about, and didn't want to die. He decided to throw himself in front of him, not thinking about the consequences.

 

[Rabarber]

There's always a brief moment when your feel-good senses take over common sense and makes you do stuff that you would feel good about, even if you die, since you don't get the time to think about it the right way.

Interesting thread though.

 

[pladams9]

Seth: You're saying that instincts could tell you to go either way. I'm looking simply at basic self-preservation, everyone-has-em, animal-ish instincts. I think that a split-second decision is still a decision, not an instinct. Instincts wouldn't tell you to take the jump, ever. They would always lead you the other way. They're the same things that pull your hand out of the fire. The choice is never presented to your conscious mind, it only makes it as far as connection betweem your brain and your spine. The medulla (I think).

This might not be clear because I'm not always exceptionally good at getting my ideas across. Oh well. I don't have a fully formed position on this topic anyway.

 

[Ozzdog]

There seems to be much debate on if this philosphy applies when your instincts take over. In a situation (taking a bullet), your instincts take over and may cause you to jump in front of the bullet as sheer panick, or your instics will tell you to flee and "get the hell 'outta there". Those cannot really be compared to the rest of your normal day actions, because your brain essentially "screws up" and orders a random action from your body.

In the case that you consciously (spelt wrong?) decide to take the bullet, as I explained earlier, you obviously have some sense that you need to fulfill your duty to that person, and they get happiness from that (or a sense of honour that indirectly brings them happiness!)

 

[King TonGoll]

I can't talk about others but I keep going to achieve my goal, which is to stain my name into everyones head. I don't ever want to die out. if i could achieve immortality that would be great. but whats the point of just living? i want to live forever and make everyone know my name, forever.

So I guess I'm the definition of greedy, I want everything, fame power, money, and immortality.

But I know thats impossible, so I'll just go after one goal. world recognition.

If the earth exist in a sense due to human intelligence discovering it and naming it and etc etc. then if human intelligence never finds you, do you really exist?

I actually think about this every day. there are billions of people in this world. what am I compared to that? But then what are my friends aswell. I used to think all my friends and everyone i knew was everything. but then I thought about it after being in the city one day. so i looked online to see how many people there where in the city and saw a large number. and though, " What the hell, I don't like this," Why didn't i like it? Because I am like a grain of sand on the beach, no one cares about me. I'm nothing. I'm normal, completely average. So I try to not be normal in anyway. To break away from this way of life.


Sorry, but this is a very big issue for me. I know no one will do anything that will hurt them selfs without gain. But when you don't have a dream or anything you just do things to survive right? Regardless of what makes you happy. Surviving can make you happy, I did say can. There are some out there who would rather die. And there are some out there who have lost there meaning to live but do it anyways. It's not only impossible but arrogant to say something is fact. So I can say I believe, but never fact.

Due to the idea that humans found earth and made it earth. do think gravity was gravity before humans named it? I don't know. But I don't think it was. I think it was nothing, like space until we made it something.

+rep to anyone who actually read all that.


Also, I Believe everyone does things simply due to the fact that they want to do them. It may be to reach a goal. But whatever the reason its usually that. Unless there forced to.

 

[SilverHawk]

Unless there forced to.

Nobody can force anyone to do anything. Even if someone holds a gun to you, your actions are still your choice.

Also, please do not +rep simply for reading a post. It's worth more than that.

 

[InfectedWithDrew]

Yeah I thought the same thing once.

You can always change what makes you happy, though.

Hitler did this... He made people blame things on the Jews, and then when they were killing them, they felt they were getting rid of the problem, and that they were making their lives better in the future.

No, anti-Semitism was a common thing back then (and still is now, Mel Gibson, cough). Hitler fed off already existing anti-Semitic views.

Here is the truth, imo.

People only do things for benefit when they consciously debate them in their minds. It may be a matter of a couple of seconds, it may be a couple years. Whatever, the end decision is the one that the individual thinks will benefit them most in the way they desire. It may be physical comfort or happiness, or it may be the feeling of joy, relief, or being free of fault/sin/guilt.

However, when people are emotional, such as in heated arguments, they act irrationally and no longer view benefit the same way. Anger or self-pity may make you want to kill yourself or hurt someone, when you normally, without those intense emotions, would want to compromise or just take a break to cool off.

And, when someone doesn't have time to weigh pros and cons in his or her head, instinct kicks in. Say, taking a bullet. If you have been bred to be brave and self-sacrificing, and you care about the person's well-being, your instinct would be to take the bullet. Another example would be holding a door for someone. It's usually just a split-second decision to hold it an extra second. When the person is farther away, you may debate whether to hold it or not, but if they are nearby it's usually instinct.

I believe that people have consciences, morals, and souls, whether they are corrupt or not. But I believe that evolution made humans naturally selfish.

To understand me completely, you must understand that selfishness is not taking objects for yourself or doing only what you want. It can be doing something for someone else, to get a good feeling. If you value the feeling above the temporary comfort, that's a selfish act. Or the person's happiness, if you value it more, can be for the self. Buying your girlfriend a flower means she's happier, but you're a couple bucks short. However, her being happier means she's nicer to you. Thus, you benefit.

There are shades of gray, but I think there are no exceptions. People always, when they are rational and have ample time to think, do the thing that they will benefit from most.

 

[King TonGoll]

I wasn't planning on repping anyone. lol.

I don't think Hitler hated Jews, I think he wanted to destroy everything. Simply put, and be in the record books.

 

[w/e]

No, Hitler played off some jews being bank accountants and profiting from the war. When he repeated it over and over and over, while rising to power, people would eventually believe him.

 

[SilverHawk]

Here's a legitimate option number three:

You spend too much time thinking about it and do absolutely nothing.

 

[Ozzdog]

Very true, SIlverhawk.

I agree totally with what he says