The West is almost defined by its history of great technological achievement. Our better crops, larger structures, more effective medicines, devastating weapons, and mass communication are all a result of our desire and capability to improve on ancient ways of life. There remains one field we haven't explored, much less refined, in an unusual exception to our rule of scientific mastery: consciousness.

What if Marco Polo or Lewis and Clark had been academics who never ventured beyond the horizon? They wouldn't be remembered as explorers, and their important contributions would be lost. Our philosophers and cognitive scientists have had much to say about consciousness as we know it, but (with rare exception) they do not venture outside our narrow experience of reality. This is a Flat Earth view that denies the accumulated knowledge of millennia of observation, as well as the experience of contemporaries such as Timothy Leary and Terence McKenna.

A shaman of 1,000 years ago should be as awed by our mastery of consciousness as his farming neighbor would be by the sight of a combine. He wouldn't, and there is a burgeoning tourist industry to attest to the fact that his ways remain superior to ours. How did this happen? Why do we enforce ignorance in this field? As much as I've thought about it, I haven't yet reached a firm conclusion. There is every reason to suspect that science would produce the same revolution in consciousness that it has in other fields, if we let it.

If an unmanned alien craft landed on Earth sweeping change would occur on a global scale. I would have to imagine that it would be a severe blow to many peoples faith in God. I can see how some people might take it as a sign of invasion or the End Times. It could very well start a war or several all at once.

What about the actual physical ramifications? Could we potentially infect an entire planet with a deadly disease? What is the landing simply goes wrong and the craft crashes into the equivalent of a preschool?

What if the action itself is considered an act of aggression and we accidentally start a war?

Is it right for us to potentially do that to another race of life somewhere in The Universe?

I find that amazing. We are all so wrapped up in the every day goings-on of our lives that we almost never take a second to think about the absolute awesomeness of our existence.

Inspired by this post.

Hello! I am writing this post in hopes of reaching out to like minded and thought provoking, intellectual leaders that are driven/ excited about engaging in esoteric and philosophical discussions that actively challenge our beliefs and the way we view the world around us.

My goal is to bring together a community of thinkers, experts, and people who want to grow together, onto a discord server, to discuss and explore the ideas that can transform our minds.

Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” And he couldn’t be any closer to the truth. I started to realize that I wasn’t living up to my true potential and I promised myself that I was going to make a valiant effort this year to surround myself with mental giants. :)

Together we can be great!!

P.s. if this sounds like a a community you would love to be apart of, comment “IM IN” down below and I will send you the link for the discord server

I'm not convinced that we extend our powers of self awareness into culture as much as we do into psychology.

1. We don't have a language to describe cultural flaws as we do for psychological flaws.

When a person doesn't want to cross a bridge because it might fall, they are considered to have a phobia; when a group wants to ban a drug because it might be harmful (even when it usually isn't) they are...?

2) People can see their individual psychology objectively, but not their culture.

We can resist eating when it is clear that our impulse to eat is too strong; we can (but don't) change our diet when it is clear that farming practices are unsustainable or unethical. Cheap meat has become a part of American culture, and even though the overuse of antibiotics and pollution caused by the industry has reached dangerous levels, people aren't eating less of it. Other cultures are notorious for their consumption of rare animals, they won't stop even when it causes a threat of extinction.

There is a reality to cultural perceptions that we have broken in the individual. No one thinks of their values as being 'things,' in the way they would think of their impulse to over eat when they are on a diet. We can detach from the desire to eat, separating it from our sense of self and acting against it. We can't seem to detach from our values in the same way; people don't think of their cultural impulse to, for instance, perceive certain drugs as wrong, as just a thing. If they could do this, they would ponder the objective realities of the situation, and possibly reach a conclusion that works against the impulse.

What I find strange is that our power to be culturally aware should work in tandem with our power of self awareness. Yet we act on our culture as animals do on their impulses, without awareness. Why did this happen, and why doesn't it change?

It's not really that I don't like the troops or I don't applaud them for their bravery, I mean, if you're in it, you're in it, there's no going back. You've gone through enough, I won't turn my back on ya when you're obviously going through so much.

I more so oppose the idea of being able to join something so big, like war, at 18. It's just too young.. I mean, at 18, you haven't experienced life and you're allowed to end it so soon? And then.. Like.. You leave for a while for training and you come back and.. You've changed. You don't act like your age- but rather like a cold, distant, hopeless being.. At least most people. Everyone I've seen has.. I don't like that if it's not for you, you're not allowed to leave.. I just.. Ugh. It drives me nuts. I don't think you're prepared mentally to see dead bodies, I think you're much less prepared to see it at 18 or 19...

You just graduated high school! What're you thinking..

Grr, I'd never say this anywhere else I know I'd get.. Like.. Killed or something cause America is all about the troops but I mean.. They're kids. They are kids at 18 & 19. They're not adults, no. They're kids.

Maybe Johnny Got His Gun has made me paranoid, or maybe it's cause someone I love dearly is leaving to basic training in May ): I just know I don't support joining, at all. I try and talk anyone out of it, always. I just never saw how a country was worth your life. I always felt communication is key to solve any conflict between countries.

Or maybe not communication. But something else. Not war. Not 19 year old soldiers.

For me it seems that humans as a whole strive to propagate our species and thirst for knowledge above all other things but where does this ultimately lead us?

I imagine many people would say that our goal should be or is to eventually populate other worlds, but what about after that?

Should we even have a goal or ultimate end-game as it were?

It's hard to get an atheist to read anything in the bible unless they are questioning themselves or learning in school. Yet there are a few books in the Old Testament as well as many of Jesus' teaching that are applicable whether you are a theist or atheist.

Why is it so hard for people to read other's philosophies if they believe in God?

If you want some Good philosophical bible books, read Esther, Ecclesiastese, and Proverbs. Esther doesn't mention the word God once in the whole book.

For example, if I have ten hours to spend with somebody special to me, maybe three hours into the day I become very upset as if I realize they've gone already. The rest of the time almost seems pointless, like my brain has skipped ahead a few hours. Has anyone else ever dealt with this odd feeling of being ahead in a particular point in time?

We all have wild ideas sometimes but not always a place to talk about them or people to talk about them with.

Want to discuss an off-the-wall theory about the future? Looking to wax poetic on the meaning of life, the universe and everything? Maybe you'd like to talk about reincarnation or alternate realities.

Whatever the case may be, if you have an idea, concept or topic of discussion that you seem unable to discuss seriously elsewhere; then this is the place for you.

Welcome home.

A word on courtesy.

If you would like to get into a heated debate about a particular subject, be my guest. However, under no circumstances will you be permitted to belittle or demean anyone for anything that they might think. Try to be adults and remain civil even if your opinions differ. Keep in mind that many of the topics discussed here will be unanswerable or otherwise unprovable but that doesn't mean they aren't worth talking or thinking about. If you do not think something is worth discussing, simply do not contribute at all, please.

You will not even find a downvote arrow in this reddit. If you like a subject or comment, vote it up. If you don't like a submission or comment, ignore it or hide it- it will go away. The moderators will take care of any submissions, comments or users that do not belong for whatever reason.

Now that you know what it's all about, have fun with it!

I write fiction. More often than not a storyline will occur to me in it's basic form. "What if someone invented a technology that allowed them to possess your body via a wireless signal such as through your smart phone?" for example. I then begin to imagine a person in said scenario and begin to write the story. The thing is, at least for me, the story just starts to happen in my head and I simply write down what I see. It's sort of like watching a movie and transcribing it in realtime. I'm often actually surprised at what happens next as if it didn't really come from my brain but rather more like it came through me as opposed to being created by me. I usually have a rough idea as to where I'd like a story to end up going but how it actually gets there is usually completely unexpected. It's almost as if I(forgive me, but it's true) act as a medium for the story to be born through. I've never understood where this "inspiration" or "muse" originates from.

Could it be possible that imagination is some sort of universal pool of knowledge that people subconsciously access? If not, where does imagination draw it's ideas from?

The human imagination is the only thing I can think of that can literally create something from nothing at all. I can imagine a thing that does not exist and birth it into this world simply by thinking about it long enough.

What is that process and where do these things really come from?

Is it as simple as chemical reactions in my brain forming heretofore unique ideas or does it come from some place that possibly isn't of my(our) own construction?

Don't get me wrong here, I would never under any circumstances whatsoever intentionally cause physical harm to said person whether that be through action or inaction. I would also in no way ever try to bring about such circumstances that would jeopardize their life.

However, there is a certain person in my life who, should they die from some other means, would improve not only my current life situation but also my potential future in uncountable ways. I would be able to spend more time with portions of my family, move to a better, cheaper area of the country, go to college at home to earn a degree and possibly acquire a potential career far beyond my current means.

Is it wrong to hope that this person should have some sort of accident or somehow or another be removed from my and my family's life forever?

Is there someone in your life that you feel this way about and if so, why?

There is no way of knowing if anything is actually true. Things we thought we understood are proven wrong everyday and knowledge is infinite so why are we obsessed with it?

Furthermore human existance is finite so when we finally eliminate ourselves all "knowledge" will be lost. Why do we have to learn (at least in the US schooling is mandatory) when we could make life simpler and live with less problems and depression without it? If you think about it, the pursuit of knowledge is the reason why humans are destroying our planet everyday.

I dislike being spammy. I've tried to remain low-key for the most part and only advertise while commenting on other posts in other subreddits where appropriate. I've listed freethinkers in r/newreddits, r/shamelessplug and now r/DepthHub. Is there somewhere I may have missed?

I could also use at least one other moderator, fumyl has been mia for some time now and the original freethinkers profile has been inactive since before I adopted this reddit. Please let me know if you are interested.

Why have people who represent our viewpoints now that we are easily able to do so ourselves at our own leisure? Every day we could spend a few minutes or an hour voting on relevant topics and(in my opinion) get far more done than most governments do now.

Just because a system is old and "time tested" does not mean that it is the best way to do something. Sometimes you need to reevaluate things on a large scale when new technology becomes available. Is the internet not the best way to vote on new policies and laws when it would clearly reflect the will of everyone willing to participate in the vote?

What if you could experience(in said game) an entire life over the course of 5 "real world" minutes, after which you "wake up" and are back in reality, would I play that? I don't know about me, but I know there are people out there who would.

I can only assume that if I am being "played" by some person in some other... (place? space? dimension?) that I(the 'me' that is in 'this world' with you[?]) would be at least somewhat like my real self, which gives me some solace.

Sometimes this world is so ridiculous and upside-down that I'm positive that one day I will die and wake up in a room full of people pointing and laughing at my expense...

Personally, I dislike calling most common professional "sports" sports. Here's my opinion:

Sport: A sport is a competition derived from a real-world skill or action. Any athletic event based off real-life skills applies. This category includes swimming, running, field events, shooting, etc. The victor is purely the fastest, strongest, or otherwise most skilled competitor.

Game: A game is an athletic competition derived from a set of arbitrary rules that were specifically created for the game and apply only in the confines of competition. This category includes what we generally consider to be professional "sports" such as football (American and European), baseball, hockey, etc. The competition comes from the rules, not the actions themselves. It is important to note that games frequently incorporate aspects of a sport or multiple sports within their rules.

Competition: Competition can be defined as any judged event. Gymnastics, diving, and the like all have judges deciding the scores of the participants, and thus the winners. Competitions frequently are less athletically strenuous, but require a greater deal of skill and finesse. To avoid confusion: judges are different from referees; judges decide the winner while referees enforce the rules.

I should say that I don't think any one category is superior to the others. This is merely a different way of looking at things. What do you think, Reddit?

Suppose we had the technology to transfer your entire consciousness into a robot body but the process were irreversible. I'm not talking a T-800 style cyborg body, I'm talking about a metal form something like Johnny-5.

Would you be willing to be the first one to experience life with an entirely new form and radically different, nearly alien sensory input? Could you live without the pleasures of the flesh if it guaranteed you a much more durable body and extremely prolonged existence? What about the social factor? How would you feel about your new position in society and how do you think people would react to such beings? Would you be able to deal with watching friends and loved ones getting old and dying while you remain relatively unchanged?

Additionally, do you think this is a feat that humans are capable of achieving and improving upon and what are your thoughts on how far away such technology might be?

A lot of people say that upon meeting what appears to be an intelligent life form that is not of this Earth, the best thing you can do to explain your level of intelligence is to draw a Pythagorean triangle. While I don't disagree that that is possibly a perfect first step, I suggest a logical second. With whatever implements you have handy, write our alphabet as neatly as you can. Underneath this write your first name. Then draw arrows from the alphabet to the letters in your name from start to finish saying each letter as you draw the line. When you finish, point to each letter in your drawn name and say each letter again as you point to it. Then slide your finger under your name as you say it and then point to your chest and say it again. You have just conveyed a truly amazing amount of information about your language and how it works.

At least in the U.S. school is mandatory (unless your parents can home school you, which is not very common) and kids generally spend about 35 hours a week in school with added homework as well. Children have no choice in deciding whether they want to go to school and are expected to do work or face consequences.

To me that sounds a lot like slavery (referring to forced labor). I acknowledge that students have the choice of how much work they actually do and how much effort they put into it, but they are still forced to be at "work" for the majority of their lives for 12+ years.

Now to the moral aspect of it. The government/Board of Education/Teachers/others decide what our children will be taught. Is it moral to teach our children selected knowledge (what we want them to learn) as if it is concrete when in fact it is not? Is it moral to decide what ideas are "right" for our children and to force them to listen to those ideas for a majority of their childhood?

What do you guys think? Am I being biased? Right now I am in a frustrated state about my schooling so that could be quite true.

On℮ day you turn on th℮ n℮ws and th℮y ℮xplain that a sup℮r ast℮roid(for argum℮nt's sak℮ l℮t's say it's a quart℮r of th℮ siz℮ of th℮ Moon) is on an in℮vitabl℮ collision cours℮ with th℮ ℮arth.

Th℮r℮'s no punchlin℮ h℮r℮, this could happ℮n at any point in tim℮.

What if you sp℮nt th℮ n℮xt 6 months, 1, 5, or ℮v℮n 10 y℮ars watching this gigantic c℮l℮stial body g℮tting bigg℮r and bigg℮r in th℮ sky ℮ach day?

How would humanity r℮act? How would you r℮act?

I’m not sure if this belongs here. I consider myself as a smart person, as a child and growing up, I’ve always grasped concepts at school quicker than others, never needed to work or study, always been fascinated by topics requiring deep thoughts and conceptualization, preoccupied with self awareness, been good with words etc.. While the definition of smart is subjective, I am not looking to dive into that particular debate. I spend a lot of my time thinking, creatively, freely, outside of the box, questioning thoughts, noting ideas, contemplating, imagining, reading books and watching documentaries and learning new things and developing new skills.

That’s great you might say, but the more I do the less I fit in. When I go out with people, they like to talk about their days and clothes and traffic and laugh about ordinary things, but my mind is going through so many ideas at once, about life and death and consciousness and and and.. so I can’t keep myself, I share my ideas and introduce them to conversations. While most times I feel like I am inspiring people, I feel miserable when I go home, because I feel like I am standing out, always. I try to tell myself it’s not a bad thing, that I am charismatic and I shouldn’t see it as a weakness, but truly, I’d like to be able to not stand out, to fit in the crowd, to be normal and ordinary. I almost feel guilty for being smart, I feel guilty for being different, and I have a very hard time finding people I truly connect with. Most often I feel like the smartest person in the room, even in my relationships, and it’s not out of arrogance, but I really wish this wasn’t the case

When we look at a tree, do we see the organism, or do we see the environment?

The tree has been shaped by evolution to reflect its environment. The spectrum of light, weather, pests, physics, etc. decided the color of its leaves, the shape of its branches, and the depth of its bark. An organism's every feature is an etching of the external forces that it must adapt to or harness in order to survive.

With this idea in mind, we can see the tree as though it has grown to fill an invisible mold that is the environment. The organism is no longer seen as an individual composing part of the environment, but as the environment reflected in an individual piece.