/lit/ - Literature

>harsh truths
death
>free will
irrelevant non-question
>meaning in life
individually determined, nothing objective
>art or not art
uninteresting question
>goal of humanity
why would billions of people have a common goal?
>fate
no
>how to live a good life
Love without expecting love in return

>>17354841
none
reject dualism and framing
meaningless question, leads to infinite regress, poorly stated
everything is art
survival
sure
reproduce above replacement

>free will

>>17354881
>none
Your other answer suggest otherwise.

>>17354841
>Harsh truths
None
>Free will
It's subjective
>Meaning to life
No
>Art-not art
It's subjective
>Goal of humanity
It should be to assimilate progress and technological and intellectual advance in the best way that allows a society in which the person can fully develop their own individual skills
>Fate exists
No
>What's good life
Depends on the person

>>17354950
>it's subjective

None
Freewill
Come to God
If it's uplifting
Come to God
Yes
Know God

>>17354841
>Harsh truths
None
>Free will
No
>Meaning to life
Yes, reproduce
>Art-not art
If it is good
>Goal of humanity
To become immortal
>Fate exists
Yes
>What's good life
One that advances the above goal
thanks to >>17354950 for his greentext, though I disagree with most of his posts

>>17354841
>harsh truths
IQ differences between races and sexes, negative characteristics specific to races
>free will
real
>meaning in life
only if you're religious
>art or not art
it must be beautiful and elevate the spirit
>goal
to worship God
>fate
yes
>good life
living according to the Bible

>harsh truths
None
>free Will or determinism
Neither and both
>is there a meaning to life
Yes
>line between Art and not Art
Will
>goal of humanity
Knowledge and longevity
>does fate exist
See the answer on will and determinism
>what does it mean to live a good life
Objectively it is to live a consistent life in accordance with right knowledge and virtue, The real question is what is true knowledge and which virtues to uphold.

>harsh truth

Is better to never have been.

>>17354841
>harsh truths
That I have almost no impulse control, am unattractive, and am not smart enough to be a writer.
>free will
It's an illusion, certainly, but is so deeply embedded that we effectively have free will and can even behave in many instances just as if it weren't an illusion.
>meaning to life
As much as anything else, of course. What definition of "meaning" allows for the most meaningful thing in existence--one's consciousness--to be meaningless?
>art vs. not art
That's a good one. Haven't thought much about it, but I'd say, roughly, this: art is something that expresses a truth in a coherent, novel, and skillful way. Keywords being: coherent, truth, and SKILLFUL. If it doesn't require skill or talent, it's not art.
>goal of humanity
To leave most people to their own devices and curate a space where they can proceed with voluntary interactions that don't poison the lives of others. The most effective level of "governance" for this is the family and the immediate community. Anything higher than that begins to fold in on itself and oppress people.
>does fate exist
in a loose way, yes. What you constantly think about, and how you constantly behave, will eventually manifest as your future.
>the good life
To understand oneself, to be modest and polite, to be thoughtful, articulate, educated, and only stressed about important and noble things, rather than frivolities or contrived interpersonal drama.

>>Harsh truths
none, unless I ignore it so well I don't even know I'm ignoring it
>>Free will
there's free will buried underneath an incredible amount of determinism
>>Meaning to life
none, for me it's probably the aesthetic actualization of my own subjectivity
>>Art-not art
if I like it it's art if I don't like it isn't
>>Goal of humanity
actualization
>>Fate exists
If you call fate the ungraspable totality of causality, then yes it exists. If you call fate some mystic undefined shit that girls talk about then no.
>>What's good life
who the fuck knows

>>17354841
>harsh truths
Humanity has lost its way.
>free will
could be real or an illusion based on mindset.
>meaning in life
To perceive that which is perceived
>art or not art
the only barriers that exist are those that we temporarily impose on reality.
>goal of humanity
Self realization.
>Does fate exist
If you let it.
>What does it mean to live a good life
Subjective.

>>17354841
Could you imagine the boner lit pseuds get when they come into this thread and answer "none" for the first question? I'm sure I've never been that hard

>>17354841
deaf: does music exist? answer if you are smart!

>>17354841
I can never be fully sure of anything
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know

>Harsh truths
Hellfire is real.

>free will
Of course.

>meaning of life
God bringing glory to Himself.

>art and not art
Creation of man with aesthetic contemplation as its purpose.


>purpose of humanity
To become the second Christ. (Perfect Mystic)

>fate

It's all been written down.

>good life

Follow the commandments down to the letter.

>>17354841
>What harsh truths do you prefer to ignore?
None, I don't ignore them, but I don't fear them either.
>Is free will or just an illusion?
Who knows?
>Is there a meaning to life?
All that you can take with you is that which you've given away.
>Where is the line between art and not art?
Art has to teach you something not just about the world around you, but about yourself as well.
>What should be the goal of humanity?
To leave the world a better place than we found it one generation at a time.
>Does fate exist?
Who thinks of such nonsense?
>What does it mean to live a good life?
To have been a good man.

>>17354841

>harsh truth
If it's the truth I never ignore it. If I don't know it's the truth I can't ignore it either, I will have to think about it to find out.

>free will illusion?
I switch opinions on this weekly. I need more time to think. I don't know if anyone will ever find out.

>meaning to life
I'm sure there's an ideal form of a human life. We can condense down some aspects of what different philosophies or religions consider the perfect life and we might come close to finding out what the meaning of life is. On a biological level it's easy to determine the meaning of life, though. Reproduce, take care of your in-group.

>art and not art
Bad art is also art. The intention of the creator is most important I think. If the creator intended his work to be art, then it is.

>goal of humanity
Someone else said it, but immortality might be a good goal. It's too lofty though. I think it's too soon to say that should be our goal. Preserving our existence, or at least proof of our existence might be better.

>does fate exist
boring question, too similar to the free will question.

>what does it mean to have a good life
Having lived rationally and without regrets. It's a simple answer and it's more personal than universal.

>>17354841
-I don’t know, I’ve ignored them.
-Autonomy is real, but not everybody defines free will as autonomy.
-The meaning of life is to live. One should see one’s life as an end in itself rather than as just a means to an end.
-Depends on how one defines art. One should come up with a strict definition of art which does not logically contradict itself and then judge the line between art and not art based on that definition.
-Humanity should not be used as a means to an end.
-Yes.
-To hold oneself to principles which do not logically contradict each other or one’s senses. To free oneself and others from avoidable coercion and instrumentality. To work towards establishing a Kingdom of Ends. To wish genuine harm onto nobody and instead to help guide the unjust towards justice.

>>17355493
It doesn’t matter whether you’re sure your beliefs are true or not, just nut up and believe in something coherent fuckwit. If you find evidence that proves your beliefs wrong, you were wrong and can just change your beliefs to account for the new evidence. If you thoroughly test your beliefs and find that they still hold, you should just hold onto them until something disproves them because you at least have a chance of knowing the truth and that’s really the best we can do as non-omniscient beings.

>>17354841
>Harsh truth
My own shortcomings
>Free will
Man's capacity for free will exists on a spectrum within each individual
>Meaning of life
To love God
>Art or not art
Depends on intention
>Goal of humanity
To love God
>Does fate exist
Of course
>What does it mean to live a good life?
To love God

>harsh truths
My own cowardice/unwillingness to face fears
>free will
No - or not in the way we conceive of it
>meaning in life
Compassion/love
>art or not art
In it's interpretation
>goal of humanity
Selfishness, supremacy
>fate
Yes
>how to live a good life
Defuse from thoughts and emotions and observe nonjudgmentally

>>17354841
before answering please:
>define harsh and truth
>define free will
>define meaning
>define art
>define fate

>harsh truths
Death, my low social skills and attractiveness
>free will
It's real.
>meaning in life
There might be an objective meaning but I don't think we have found it yet.
>where is the line between art and not art
Somewhere in the platonic universe.
>goal of humanity
To proliferate.
>fate
Yes for most people, maybe for me.
>how to live a good life
Seek knowledge, be kind to others.

>>17355946
So they're all subjective

>harsh truths
Ideally none
>free will
An inadequate idea that results from our lack of knowledge of the causes of what determines our will
>meaning in life
Striving in order to preserve in being; infinite improvement
>art or not art
Aesthetics is an extension of ethics
>goal of humanity
Our common flourishing alongside the flourishing of all that is useful to us
>fate
Everything is fated
>how to live a good life
Acquire as many adequate ideas as you can

>>17354841
>harsh truths
I will never get laid and incel blackpill theory is 100% correct
>rest
all of them are cope for not having sex, therefore they're irrelevant

>>17354841
There is no truth
Illusion
No
There is no line
There should be no goal
No
No such thing

>>17354841
>harsh truths
What I have done with my own life
>free will
Does not exist but even though everything is predetermined we could never build a computer big enough to predict with 100% accuracy what will happen because doing so would necessitate making a computer bigger than the universe itself.
>meaning in life
Meaning is a human concept and not something that is necessary for "life" to have or not have. Might as well ask what the swagger of life is.
>art or not art
Art communicates an idea, feeling, or concept. Not art is just there.
>goal of humanity
Some sort of more generalized version of the Hippocratic Oath "I will do no harm or injustice" that sort of thing. But that's also a should be and not an is be.
>fate
yes, but see the freewill point. It for practical purposed doesn't matter that fate exists because we don't know it. You would have to either exist outside of space time or be a 4 (or 5) dimensional being to see the fate of 3 dimensional ones.
>mean to live a good life
The "use your own judgement" cop out. Me personally, I think that a good life is one in which I come to terms with death and make peace with the impermanence of the world. Hopefully on the way out I have done something to make the world a "better" place or at least not made it worse than when I arrived. For our posterity and all that.

>>17356030
based, spread the blackpill brother

>>17356061
>There is no truth
Is this true?

>None.
>Makes no discernable difference.
>Sure.
>Whatever that line is, it remains mysterious -- as does the definition of art.
>No idea. Every direction has its benefits and faults.
>Makes no discernable difference.
>I suppose never to have harmed someone unjustly and to act civil.

1)That I and everyone else can be wrong about everything. That my life can be ruined at any time.
2) It’s an illusion. All of our choices are dependant on our surroundings. They depend on where we are, who we are and what we are.
3) Yes, it’s to discover truths.
4) Art comes from a place of sincerity and it transmits meaning or importance to at least one person. Non-art is made for crude reasons like money, entertainment, lust etc.
5) To determine what is good/ethical.
6) Fate all depends on your surroundings and character, which determines your actions. Since we don’t “select” our surroundings and character, fate does exist.
7) To be healthy and in some form of solitude, but still being kind to others if and when it’s possible.

>>17354841

>harsh truths
my life is going nowhere I'll never accomplish any of the things I want eventually I will just get fed up and kill myself or at least stop trying
>free will
illusion obviously
>meaning to life
no if there was you'd think it wouldn't be so hard to find what with everybody being alive for their entire lives and all
>art/not art
wherever you want the line to be or maybe it doesn't exist at all basically art is some postmodern bs or exists purely as a marketing term
>goal of humanity
to cause as little destruction as possible doing a pretty bad job if you ask me
>fate
isn't this just the same question as asking if free will exists? so yeah I guess it does exist
>good life
again isn't this basically the same question as what the goal of humanity should be? Just stop destroying things you parasitic savages how hard is it pretty hard I guess

>>17354841
>art and not art
Something which hasn't been created isn't art

>What does it mean to live a good life?
To live a tough, interesting & eventful one. If a quiet life free from suffering is impossible, you might as live a hard, shitty one that earns you respect and makes for a great story to have you remembered across the ages.

>>17354841
>harsh truths
I'm going to achieve jack shit with my life and all of my reading and pontificating and theoretically putting the world to rights is utterly meaningless
>free will
there is only one will and that is the will of God.
dyothelitists can fuck right off with the whole "muh monothelitism is a heresy". the dyothelitist definition of what constitutes human "will" is pitiful, there is no freedom in it. it's as if one were to take a ball, place it at the top of the slope and let go. the ball will roll down, absolutely, but not of its own volition. God's is the only will that can truly be free because only God is lacking in nothing, only God is not subject to any external conditions that affect will. I will accept the underlying rationale behind dyothelitism but I still think dyothelitism as a concept is incredibly unhelpful and pointless.
>meaning in life
yes, absolutely, but there is no such thing as objective meaning. it's not something the scientific method could ever lead us to, it's impossible to detach meaning from subject.
>art or not art
one weak cop out answer would be that art is personal. another weak cop out answer would be, it isn't art if I don't like it. which is essentially the same answer.
>goal of humanity
on one hand I think people have a tendency to project their own shadow onto the social milieu. whatever you see as wrong in the world naturally stems from a personal value judgement, so if you're characterising some group of people as the bad guys, it's wise to consider what that reflects about you and work on yourself.
on the other hand I totally think we should colonise space and turn all of that dead matter into more life that can experience and reflect on this shit.
>fate
could've wrapped this one up with free will. i think fate exists and (human) will doesn't, but I still think it's best to act as if the inverse were true.
>how to live a good life
integrity, first and foremost.

>harsh truths
Nothing any of us will do will ultimately matter or endure.
>free will
It exists. Our failure to do anything with it is what makes things more horrifying.
>meaning to life
None.
>art/not art
Any time you express a preference over an offered default, you've committed an act of art.
>goal of humanity
To spread like a virus and then die out.
>fate
There is the inevitable end of everything, but that's all.
>good life
To accept suffering.

>>17354841
>What harsh truths do you prefer to ignore?
The ones that I ignore.
>Is free will real or just an illusion?
It's irrelevant.
>Is there a meaning to life?
That is up to the individual.
>Where is the line between art and not art?
Semantics.
>What should be the goal of humanity?
That is up to humanity
>Does fate exist?
Who knows
>What does it mean to live a good life?
One that leads to a good death.

>>17354841
>Harsh truths you choose to ignore
Time
>Is free will an illusion
Yes and no. People are shaped by uncontrollable experience, but ultimately they choose how to react to said experience. There is something to ne said about genetic inheritance of personality though. I dont think that nullifies the will to choice.
>Is there a meaning to life
Useless question with no one answer. I have fully taken the absurdist pill on this q.
>Line between art
Intent of the creator. Bad art is still art.
>goal of humanity
The goal of humanity is self propagation coupled with widespread actualization.
>Fate
I believe it
>What does it mean to live a good life
Fulfilling all human needs.

>>17354841
>harsh truths
Why ignore anything?
>free will
It matters not, man has the feeling of free will and that is sufficient. Man has the capacity to think and feel, and that is sufficient.
>meaning in life
Life has to exist because the Kingdom(Malkuth) must exist for their to be a Tree of Life and Death in the first place, that is, the universe cannot be complete without this middleground between essence and substance that we call Life.
>art or not art
Art is beauty,
>goal of humanity
The coming together of being, that is the divine marriage of souls that brings us closer to the Real
>fate
Yes,
>how to live a good life
Follow divine law, understand yourself and marry

>harsh truths
The ones that pertain to myself.
>free will
For all intents and purposes, it is real.
>meaning to life
No.
>art and not art
Art should prioritize aesthetic splendor above all else.
>goal of humanity
To conserve humanity.
>does fate exist
No.
>what does it mean to live a good life
To live a flawed life.

>>17354841
>harsh truths
I try not to ignore anything, and if I were ignoring something this question isnt helping me remember anything. Stupid question.
>free will
Its an illusion but luckily we can live as if it does exist
>meaning in life
You can make meaning, there is not inherent meaning.
>art or not art
art is art if anyone deems it so
>goal of humanity
live better than yesterday
>fate
As a concept, yes. As an actual higher trend and forces thing, as I see it no.
>how to live a good life
By living a life that you and the ones you impact can be happy about

So many enlightened redditors ITT

>>17354841
1.
If a truth is so harsh that I prefer to ignore it, I should be unable to know what that truth is. I block it out.

2. Free will is a poorly defined term. If anything it is self-contradicting. To will is to be driven by a compulsion to do something. One can "want what he wills, but he cannot will want he wants."

3. Life is inherently teleonomic-goal directed. We come up with our own meanings all the time. It is by choosing to engage and to care that life's meaning is disclosed. We can similarly decide to disengage and see it all as an empty spectacle.

4. Art has an aesthetic object, artless objects are merely functional or crude.

5. Life is just a series of problems, the goal is to be in such a position of power that you can pick your problems rather than have them forced on you. The goal should be more perfect knowlege.

6. I'm not sure if this can be known for certain. Shit just happens. The mind is what gives order to the world.

7. Do what you love and maintain a healthy body and mind.

>harsh truths
The existence of evil.
>free will
We have some free will not not as much as people think.
>meaning in life
Be good to others and do what you can to make life more comfortable and meaningful for everybody.
>art or not art
Art must in some way express your soul.
>goal of humanity
Continuation of the species and the improvement of its circumstances
>fate
Depends how you define it. For some, yes; for others, no.
>how to live a good life
Don't be an asshole and don't be oversensitive and give of yourself to others.

>>17354841
Ignore? I can't pay attention to everything at once. And art isn't real. It's all in the eye of the beholder, so, whoever sees more is better.

>>17356109
No

>Harsh truths
Fractional private reserve banking and all attached to it, the unending fear that I am not enough
>Free will
Of course it is real, but not everyone has it. This isnt an NPC meme per se, but more that free will can be attained and is rarely had as a default.
>Meaning of life
For those who could or have the potential for it, trying to attain the Hermetic totality of things. For everyone else, trying for a good life
>Art v not Art
Artists intent, technical and metaphorical quality, and how fluently a piece speaks the language of symbolism if it aspires for more than just simple beauty and skill
>Human goal
Materialy, mining the asteroid belt and getting off of Earth and into the galaxy at large. All else, save upholding the Word of God, is relatively nill.
>Fate
More or less, yes it does exist. Both in the metaphysical kind, and the trajectories we as individuals have pressed upon us. But both can be denied, to an extent, if the individual tries. Though, the former should be embraced more often than not and the latter usually fought against
>Good life
To tell no lie, raise no hand in anger, only in defense of yourself or another, to weep freely and well, to be kind, polite, and respectful to others, especialy nature, to have part in well ordered family and marriage, and to develop the talents and gifts God has bestowed upon you. This is the loog and short of living a good life.

>>17354862

>>17354841
i cant answer them all with one answer
>tfw no gf

>>17354841
those questions are 100% atheist

>harsh truths
I dont know,I dont think of them
>free will
I dont know
>meaning
there can be if you make one,maybe there is an inherent one ,but i dont know it
>art
soul
>goal
peace
>fate
i dont know

>>17358737
oh and good life
>be in peace and love

Im basic bitch as fuck,but it's what I really think

>>17354841

what harsh truths do you prefer to ignore
>that over 70% of the planet does not deseve the oxygen it consumes. Your average human is a 90-105 IQ drooling midwit that can never offer anything of substance or value besides the rare occurence of some down syndrome genetic mistake being able to play piano really well, Nothing good comes of their continued existance
tldr; Not everyone matters.

is free will real or just an illusion?
>why does it matter?

is there a meaning to life?
>yes ofcourse there is you fucking chimp you have just been blessed with sentience which gives you self determination to choose your own meaning that you wish to persue.

is there a line between art and not art?
>no because art reflects both the self and reality at the same time therefore art is indescribable as it has infinite possibilities.

what should be the goal of humanity?
>nothing, collective goals lead to collective ruin.

does fate exist?
>yes but its fluid.

what does it mean to live a good life?
well that is an entirely subjective question as the base premise of "good" is entirely centered on what you subjectively view as good, there is no objective good or evil. To me the meaning of a good life is to witness true beauty everything else is just fluff.

>>17354841
>harsh truths
There is no truth in itself regarding created existence as no creation is self-perpetuating.
>free will
Your actions are only yours if you take them to be a result of your circumstances, pure free will is just the fatalism of chaos.
>meaning in life
Created by your circumstances, there is no self outside of context.
>art or not art
Whatever one takes art to be is transformed into art. Art is more a process of distinction for the purposes of creating symbolic frameworks than a thing in itself.
>goal of humanity
To gain knowledge and survive.
>fate
Causality is a thing.
>how to live a good life
Look past grandeur and see the creative nature of destruction.

>>17358757
>self determination
>whether or not we have free will is meaningless
How did you so easily refute yourself?

>>17354841
>harsh truths
That I’ll die and everything is ultimately meaningless
>free will
Real
>meaning to life
Nothing other than making sure you’re happy
>Where is the line between art and not art
If I like it
>goal of humanity
Get off this rock and make some galactic empire of man and live in cool robot bodies that never die. If there are aliens genocide them all.
>fate
Lmao no
>what does it mean to live a good life
Have money. Fuck a lot. Have a better life than others.

>>17358905
because the truth is never as it seems

>>17358915
I think you're just edgy anon, not that I can talk

>>17358928
not really, you just misinterpereted my point. it was a directed question when i wrote why does it matter whether or not free will is an illusion. Not why does it matter as a nihilist would say it, rather why does life having free will matter to you?

>>17358950
Well if we have self determination as you say we do, and that's vital to the meaning of life, clearly whether or not we have free will should be important to every person.

>>17358911
Based and selfish hedonist pilled

>>17358731
No they are not, they just are not blatantly Christian.

Does anyone else find the number of people who pretend they have no harsh truths to face, somewhat scary/depressing?

>>17359000
They do have harsh realities to face, they are just coping, can't blame em.

>>17358964
who are you to say what another should value?

>>17359022
I'm not saying that anon, you said there is obviously meaning in life, you related it to self determination, and then said wondering about whether or not we have self determination (free will) is pointless.

>>17359015
I know they have them to face, that is the point. The number is just higher than i would have expected for an anonymous forum.

>>17359049
Really? I would expect that from this place.

>>17359075
I probably just underestimate the number of teenagers here.

>>17354862
>love without expecting love in return

>>17359099
Even the adults here are like that, half this board is stunted in their emotional development, myself included. Something something consuming mother something something the internet stunts individuation.

>>17354841
death to a degree (pretty much everyone itt who says otherwise is lying to themselves)
If you're talking about true will then it's real, if you're referring to the impulses which only serve to realize your true will as that (basically your "personality"), then no
Yes, see above
There is none, everything mankind creates is a expression of (their) nature to some degree
See 2&3
Yes, see above
To realize true Will

>>17359119
>internet stunts individuation
I do not see that. I think it just makes it easier to avoid one of those harsh truths.

>>17359140
I think the internet as it is, a context bereft sea of information only organized by advertising algorithms, stunts individuation.

>>17354841
None that I’m aware of.

Real, but obviously we’re still confined to and at the mercy of ourselves and our world.

Only insofar as it concerns us, which is to act in accordance with our human nature.

For something to be art is must be an act or creation intentionally imbued with aesthetic value done at the agency of a human.

Sustainable prosperity.

Only insofar as our outcomes are predictable.

To check off every box of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in a manner true to one’s self.

>>17359151
I guess i am not really in a position to say, i dont really use much of the internet, here, email and pay my bills. Never had any sort of social media account and never even gone on any of those sites. I probably am not capable of forming a reasonable view, to far removed.

>>17359188
You are a luckier man than most, I hope you enjoy that.

>>17359194
I just have little interest in socialization, pretty much a hermit, makes the bulk of the internet completely uninteresting. I am not some idealistic person living life to the fullest, just not all that interested in people.