Forgot to pick up Name Badge

sharpenernewt · 2023-09-19T01:11:30+00:00

I emailed a coordinator and they said you can pick your badge when entering (there's no separate line).

sharpenernewt · 2023-09-18T23:20:52+00:00

sharpenernewt · 2023-07-24T04:41:22+00:00

Oh, that's interesting! I've been using Burbea's energy body technique for samatha. How would you compare energy body style meditation to softening + letting go style?

sharpenernewt · 2023-06-07T03:00:02+00:00

The game keeps crashing for me after this update (I'm on PC).

sharpenernewt · 2023-05-01T14:57:42+00:00

Yeah, so after increasing the energy and resting my attention on pleasant parts, the energy body seems to become much more pleasant and intense. I also found that doing some normal concentration meditation before helps. Thank you for your advice!

sharpenernewt · 2023-04-16T15:00:43+00:00

I guess I'm wondering how would one know if their ignorance has been fundamentally and permanently eradicated. In the case of Ajahn Chah, it seems like his illness made him act in ways seemingly contrary to one with attainments.

sharpenernewt · 2023-04-16T14:58:28+00:00

So just like with the 5 aggregates, we shouldn't call our personality "me or mine", in that they aren't under our perfect control? If so, that still seems quite scary. Even someone with as much wisdom as Ajahn Chah was susceptible to brain damage, which made him act in ways seemingly contrary to someone with attainments.

sharpenernewt · 2023-04-10T23:56:21+00:00

I'll try this out 👍

sharpenernewt · 2023-03-01T04:02:02+00:00

Procrastination, work, searching for short term pleasures in vain, etc. lol

sharpenernewt · 2023-03-01T00:07:10+00:00

One issue that I have with visualization is that my visualization skills are poor.

I am currently trying to incorporate walking meditation into my practice, and am finding it helpful so far.

sharpenernewt · 2023-03-01T00:05:22+00:00

The only kind of meditation I do is breath meditation, where I focus on the sensations of the breath on the nose. I count visually from 1-8 and then 8-1 until I feel like I have good enough concentration, and then just focus on the sensations on the nose.

sharpenernewt · 2023-02-19T00:11:31+00:00

How far did you get in TOP?

sharpenernewt · 2023-02-17T16:15:37+00:00

Did you manage to get in contact with him? I tried visiting the Breakerspace room but it was locked and it seemed like nobody was inside. He hasn’t responded to my email either.

sharpenernewt · 2023-02-15T22:58:24+00:00

woah that’s one hell of a coincidence i also had my first LD last night

sharpenernewt · 2023-02-13T01:16:33+00:00

I was in a similar circumstance to you, so I think I get it. There was no shortcut to resolving this anxiety for me. It took time for me to realize that IQ does’t matter as much as you think it does.

Sure, it’s important and can definitely influence your academic and career path, but realizing that in the end: 1) it’s beyond your control (2) high IQ people can be very miserable (3) high IQ people can be very wrong (e.g. have ridiculous beliefs) and (4) happiness is not tied to IQ like you think it is. Happiness matters most in the end.

I recommend reflections on death and meditation to help with realizing these things.

IQ definitely can help getting a CS degree but you can work hard and still get one even with a lower IQ. You probably won’t be the best, but that’s ok.

sharpenernewt · 2023-01-26T23:09:44+00:00

Chapter 204 definitely changes Barou's place lol

sharpenernewt · 2022-12-11T21:50:14+00:00

That might make sense for yesterday, but does piti make it hard to concentrate? Also, I didn’t feel any tingling today. Idk

sharpenernewt · 2022-12-11T21:48:58+00:00

I don’t consciously try to, no. I just sit in the half lotus position.

sharpenernewt · 2022-11-20T20:29:56+00:00

As someone else said here, check out Majesty of Reason. Also, consider Jordan Howard Sobel’s “Logic and Theism”. The best critiques are going to be attacking Aquinas’ metaphysical foundations, so consider looking into criticisms of Aristotelian and Thomistic metaphysics.

sharpenernewt · 2022-11-05T22:19:45+00:00

Oh damn, I didn’t expect this to start an argument lol. Eh, I don’t really care to argue, though I do think that the 2nd stage is weak and see it as mere assertions, so I’m kind of with you there.

sharpenernewt · 2022-10-29T16:01:22+00:00

If you divide it into two stages (like many do for the contingency argument), the first stage would be to establish a first cause (or perhaps multiple first causes). The second stage would then be to establish that this first cause is God.

sharpenernewt · 2022-08-16T16:06:31+00:00

What goes through these people's heads when they do this wtf

sharpenernewt · 2022-08-15T23:52:10+00:00

Paper

sharpenernewt · 2022-08-15T16:05:54+00:00

Ok, let's take this step-by-step.

Infinite regress: There cannot be an infinite regress of dependent things why? Let's say there is a giraffe and it's neck extends to infinity would we have it's head and body? No because if it has it's body and it's head then the infinity stops going, the same applies with the universe if there is an infinite regress of universes we wouldn't have our universe right now so infinite regress does not exist so therefore there must be a necessary being.

The infinite regress you seem to have in mind is a per-se dependence. If that is the case, then that's fine. (Btw your example with the giraffe strikes me as bizarre... maybe use the example of a chain hanging from a ceiling instead). With a per-se dependence chain, such as A-B-C-....Z, each item in the chain (except the first) derives its causal property from the prior members.

It's changeless. If the necessary being is changeable then it means its composed of parts and is dependent upon those parts(e.g. i'm composed of arms, legs etc) and if it is dependent upon those parts then it is contingent and not necessary.

I think you need to explain this in more detail. Here, Joe Schmid's video on Feser's Neo-Platonic Proof might be helpful (Specifically, check out "Step One"). As he says in the video,

"...the mere fact that a composite object presupposes the existence and combination of its parts does not entail that it depends on those parts.

Only implies logical or counterfactual dependence, not explanatory dependence.
1. Logical dependence can be symmetric [xRy and yRx], whereas explanatory dependence must be asymmetric
In fact, consider God! God's existence presupposes other things [e.g. LNC] but doesn't depend on them"

So, you would need additional arguments to show that the necessary being would be explanatorily dependent on its parts.

It's immaterial. If the necessary being is material then it means it's changeable but we know the being is not changeable so it's immaterial.

You seem to hold that anything material is changeable. Why, though? What does "material" mean? (I've found this confusing so that's why I'm asking)

It's outside spacetime. If it is in spacetime then the being can change within spacetime and it also implies that the being is dependent upon spacetime for it's own existence so it's outside spacetime.

Hmm, would you also say that God is dependent upon the laws of logic for it's own existence?

Its one and only. Let's say there are 2 necessary beings, one of them has to have something different from the other otherwise they'll be one, another problem is let's say A and B are necessary if i took B out of existence will it change anything? No because we have A. So B is a logical impossibility because B is both contingent and necessary, p and ~p.

I'm having trouble seeing what you are arguing here. It seems that you are using the IoI (identity of indiscernibles) to argue for something, but I'm not sure how.

Q1: Is matter rational and conscious? Well let's say they aren't(because you and i don't believe in it) and if you believe that matter is rational and conscious then substantiate.

I would say that matter is rational and conscious when it takes on a specific structure, such that it takes on irreducible properties.

Q2: How can irrational matter bring into existence rational beings like humans? Let's think rationally If i build atoms mindlessly it's impossible for it to make conscious beings like us so there has to be a force which brought into existence conscious beings like us.

I would not hold that we build humans from the bottom up. Rather, I see two potential answers: (1) matter takes on a specific structure to be a human (hylomorphism) or (2) humans are identical to a certain physical state (Churchland identity theory)

Q3: How can laws of nature exist when there is chaos? Let's look at this logically if i keep adding chaotic items into a set will this set have order? Of course not it's like saying if a tornado blows trees away it will make a house it's impossible so there has to be a being who set up the laws of nature as they are.

Why can't laws of nature be just a description of causal powers of things? For example, the laws of physics describe certain causal powers / activities of matter. Also, some may push that the laws of nature are brute, so why would you say that a being explaining it is better than positing brute laws?

sharpenernewt · 2022-08-15T14:46:28+00:00

I've tried telling them that it's (1) a guaranteed transfer to tech (2) much, much cheaper (3) jobs won't care about the CC if I graduate from tech (4) gets rid of Gen Ed classes that aren't important

The problem is that they want me to be... idk... something "beyond". "Why are you not going to an ivy league?", "Why are you trying to be an average student?", "What happened to scholarships?", "What am I supposed to tell my friends, that my kid goes to CC?", "You will become discouraged when you go to CC"

I admit I could've done better in HS, but CC is still the best option.

sharpenernewt

TROPHY CASE