User:LockeShocke/Philosophy

The necessity of believing without knowledge, nay, often upon very slight grounds, in this fleeting state of action and blindness we are in, should make us more busy and careful to inform ourselves than to restrain others....There is reason to think, that if men were better instructed themselves, they would be less imposing on others.

-John Locke

I've got a lot of time to think. Or, maybe I just make it a priority. Let me offer two words right now. The first is promethean: boldly creative or original. The second is iconoclast: seeking to overthrow established institutions.

Note that anything in italics and indented, like so, is me arguing with or second-guessing myself.

My Philosophy

I've spent a lot of time thinking about my personal philosphy: What means a lot to me? What do I want to do with my life? What should be my goals?

Like René Descartes, I started with a fundamental truth: either everything matters or nothing matters. I started with this through a proof-by-contradiction. Otherwise, who's to say what matters and what doesn't? (Am I the judge? Is God? Is there a God? I believe there is, but how do I know what He thinks is important? Should I read the Bible? Which translation? And who's interpretation? Ad infinitum.) For simplicity's sake, then, it's all or nothing.

And if you believe strongly enough in something, enough to dedicate your life to it, that it means that much to you, then that one thing truly matters. In my case, altruism. I believe the meaning of life is to better the lives of others, without necessarily damaging your own. And if one thing matters to you, truly matters, then everything must matter.

I recently had an epiphany. Drawing on my fascination with the Golden Ratio, the Fibonacci Sequence , e, and other related mathematical principles as they relate to nature, I learned to take pleasure in the simplest things: a blade of grass, a lizard sunbathing, the sun, the moon, the stars. My all-too-human curiosity gets the best of me while looking up at the stars at night. Maybe I'll be stressed over schoolwork or a personal problem. But, looking up at Orion's belt, imagining: there's perhaps an infinity of other worlds out there. My problems are so small in the grand scheme of things.

And notice how beautiful the stars look tonight. Why not take some joy in the simple things?

Because I have problems down here to worry about.

Resultant Disillusionment

The next progression was a rebellion against the status quo of my life. Being an adolescent learning advanced calculus, statistics, and physics... I asked myself, "Why?" Why is this important to me? Rather, why should it be? Will physics and calculus help me be a better person, lead a better life, improve the world?

Well, I'll go to college, and I'll learn some big words,

And I'll talk real loud, Goddamn right, I'll be heard!

You'll remember that guy who said all them big words

That he must've learned in college.

-Modest Mouse, "Bankrupt on Selling"

On a separate note, the world is full of problems today. I'm not the first to say you can't turn on the news without seeing some reports of violence, war, starvation, etc. And I'm not the first to say we should do something about it. But what can I do? I'm one man. Should I turn my head and look at the beautiful lizard sunbathing instead?

Take pleasure in the small things, but it goes without saying that one shouldn't ignore the bad, either. When I consider the bad, I become overwhelmed, disillusioned, dispirited. How can one man make a difference?

One of America's favorite beliefs is that one man can make a difference. As hard as I want to, I find it difficult to believe that. Or, at least, to take the one step to begin a journey of a ten thousand miles.

So, where I stand right now is somewhere between the inspired, nature-loving altruist and the pessimistic "realist" who forces himself to take the bad with the good. Where do I go from here?

My Future

If I want to be a graphic designer, how am I going to change the world for the better? The respective organizations I support need newsletters. The presidential candidates I support need campaign posters. The protesters I rally around need signs. Is that a way to make a living? I want to make a difference, and this is the most realistic application I have for my skills. But, thinking about sitting in a cubicle all day long creating a logo for a presidential candidate... gets me more depressed than I was when I started.

I see the field as being saturated enough already. There's so much talent in the world, can I contribute? Recently I got upset, chastising myself for not being original enough. "Everything I make," I told myself, "is an imitation of someone else's work." And, for the most part, it's true. I find it hard to start with a blank canvas and make art from scratch.

Good artists copy. Great artists steal.
-Steve Jobs, attributed to Picasso

But, I want to be an artist. I want to create, to inspire mankind. I have a vague vision. This page is an attempt to hammer it out.

This Mortal Coil: Government, Economy, &c.

I was raised a Democrat. That is, my parents always encouraged me to think for myself, avoid peer pressure, etc., but they couldn't avoid having at least some influence on me...

...as much as I'd like to think I'm starting tabula rasa with my beliefs.

Government

I stand by Thomas Jefferson's By the people, for the people belief. I believe a government should protect the rights of individual citizens and nothing else. I believe this is the sole purpose of government. But, who's to say what a person's rights are?

I have dubbed my beliefs Social Internalism: concern for one's own citizens first, without sacrificing the wellbeing of the outside world. My beliefs lean towards George Washington's isolationist principles and clash strongly with the current administration's policies of pre-emption.

But, every nation can't care for itself. What about the 3rd world? Who's responsibility are they? Should the first world, like America, take care of developing nations? Perhaps they should donate a portion of their GNP to third world countries - but who's to say how large of a portion? Everything is a gray area.

I believe in the strict separation of church and state, as it makes it more difficult and impractical to equally represent every person in a democracy—especially in the melting pot of America. I believe the words "Under God" should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance because it is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. ("Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion..." - God is a religious tenet and the government should be free of His mention.)

But, in a democracy, what if the people vote to involve religion in government? Shouldn't the democracy honor the will of the people. Yes. It should. It's a paradox.

I believe a two-party system stifles choice. But, other parties exist, they are just lesser known. Is this the people's fault for not informing themselves or lacking faith in a third party? Perhaps.

I have not made up my mind about the Electoral College, abortion, stem cell research, and many other issues.

Economy

I read the book Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy in 11th grade. I believe it contains a good description of capitalism's flaws and goes on to paint a beautiful picture of a Socialist utopia. To me it seemed possible, and I immediately became an ardent Socialist.

Note that my economic policies are the result of idle pondering with no formal economic schooling.

Henry Clay's Protectionism and American System are good, internalist economic ideas. I stand by their theory and goals of lessening foreign dependence.

I am against consumer-side ("trickle-down") economics. I believe it has failed in the past. I am against Laissez-faire capitalism for the same reason. I am against a free-market economy. I support a high tarrif, encouraging consumers to buy within the country instead of importing.

I support a mixed economy, combining capitalism and the redistribution of wealth. I believe that capitalism can exist fairly with government regulation of large industries and public ownership of others. I am opposed to absolute communism, and believe that if a person is sheltered and pampered their entire life that they will have no motivation to better themselves or society.

Quite the paradox: by providing entirely for your neighbor's food, healthcare, etc., you undermine his own drive. This is a problem that gives me much pause. But, I am confident that there is a healthy medium, and a mixed economy is a start.

I have looked into problems like the welfare trap and proposed solutions like the guaranteed minimum income, but not enough to form an opinion. I believe in a progressive income tax. I don't know how anyone can defend a reverse income tax.

Conclusions

All in all, I believe this life is just a shell. It's a hunch I have.

It's hard for me, after taking biology in 11th grade, to believe that everything around me is a complete coincidence. (But, maybe that's just the beauty of nature.) I mean, is my consciousness right now the result of 4 billion years' worth of coincidental mutations that started from some amino acids and self-replicating RNA strands?

It's hard to understand, life. But this page is a step in the right direction. For me, at least. I hope I got you thinking as well.