Originally Posted by Sun Tzu
hmm...... A very nihilistic perspective to look at this.
Let me put it this way, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound? From a philisophical perspective absolutely not, no one is around to perceive it so it doesn't exist. And from a realists, the crash sends out waves that make up what we call sound, so yes.
Your looking at it from a realists perspective, Human beings have no original thought because everything we do has already been created. We don't build, we only harness and shape.
So let me start off my point by telling you a story. Yesterday a 18 year old kid won the jack pot at the local casino, his name was Jake. Jake has a wife and a 3 year old kid at home to feed, he receives no support from his parents and doesn't take government checks. He works as a waiter, and barely makes end meat. This jack pot will allow Jake to go back to school, get his college education, raise his child, and possibly give him a decent chance at getting a college education himself.
Until this moment Jake didn't exist for any of you, however by telling you all about him I have been able to create Jake in your minds. Jake exists now.
The basic underlying current here is the fact that perspective defines and creates our reality. And since our conscience is subjective instead of objective, we are able to craft the world around us. Say I saw a giant purple elephant in my garage. You would be completely unable to prove to me that there wasnt a giant purple elephant parked next to my car. Sure you could run out and look with your own eyes, groping around on the concrete for some tangible shred of my sanity. But you would still be unable to prove to me that there wasnt a elephant out there. That is because what you see, and what I see are two entirely different things. While you might perceive empty space, I might perceive the largest land mammal on earth. The elephant is real to me, even if its not to you.
And so since reality is subjective you will have to agree with me that everything that we do is original. You see, philosophy didn't exist until we said it exists, mathematics didn't exist until someone scrawled a couple numbers into the sand on a beach, and science didn't bother rearing its ugly head until we damn well told it to. We humans are the masters of our world, creating and shaping it as we see fit. Regardless of whether or not the information or idea is out there floating around, it doesn't have any tangible reality until we choose to acknowledge it.
Cogito ergo sum
I think, therefore I am.
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