Yes, but I do think duality is more primal, or basic. Of course, it is all a matter of human thinking and abstract concepts. Jung liked to use 4's... I agree that there are an infinite number of ways to look at the universe. Thanks for commenting. ^_^
Duality is an interesting concept, but so is the Trinity. In actuality, there are an infinite amount of ways to think about and understand the universe. It's all about what works for you!
@metronomeleftarm Exactly, one can use a model of two-'s -- as I did here -- or three's, four's (Jungian, etc. These are models and metaphors. Thanks for your comment!
Einstein creates relativity GOOD Einstein writes a letter to roosevelt VERY VERY BAD there is also grey when you mix black and white.This is why I personaly like the celtic model best because they thought in trees or is that threes.
also humping is the representation of the universe imploding and exploding infinity times before climax but the climax is up to us :D kabbalahDOTinfo !!!
Ha ha! Yes, I used to get told that all the time, lol, esp when Weird Al was first real popular. When I had my hair wilder I REALLY looked like him. ^_^
us good and evil part of nature. Which does not mean don't fight evil. Good and evil are man-made constructs however and are not real. Nature could give a shit for us. I am still fighting this western construct now
but is that in itself a dualism? I think so. I dunno. Maybe I am wrong.
Yes, in actuality I believe we are all One/The Universe/The Tao. That bit I read at the end kind of says opposites meet, and I have the Yin-Yang symbol at the very end.
Maybe I should have been more explicit at the end, but I didn't want to get too complicated, lol.
So at the macro level, duality is an illusion, but at our micro level, we perceive opposites. I agree that good and evil are human-made constructs.
Enlightenment entails seeing the falsity of separateness.
That's an excellent book by Alan Watts -- he has informed much of my thinking on this. Another good one by him is, "The Two Hands of God: The Myths of Polarity."
Really all of his books are good. Thank you for the comment, I appreciate it. ^_^
An example-one among many-of polarity; Taoism. I like to think of the phrase "we are nature" I came across in a permaculture design course last year. We- not us vs. them. I myself could not believe this when I heard it. Humankind-evil. Nature good. Uh not so simple. See the black is part of the white
Yes, I don't like the Us vs. Them of Monotheistic religions.
Jacques Derrida and Deconstruction; Structuralism, and Post-Structuralism point out this binary conceptualizing, which influences our thought unconsciously.
You might like my video on Kabbalah, on how the Tree of Life diagram divides up the One/Universe/"God" into various aspects -- or what I call Models, Metaphors, Archetypes.
My "StevenVisions" vid is about how humanity needs to see itself as one.
(yeah I love them for being heretics but they were still in the Western tradition), Blake,
Dostoyevsky, (my favorite philosophers but again ever so often they are a pain when I am trying to solve a problem-I can't stand us vs. them anymore)and the monotheistic "religions"-They do not connect at all they tear
what I noticed some while back is that the duality is an expression of the ONE LOVE, and therefore all duality is a symbolic expression of God.
the problem is that we (humans) have become disconnected from that ONE, and now all we see is a bipolar universe (because we assess it with bipolar minds), and we try to assess it as "balance".
Thinking that we somehow need "Hate" in order to "balance out" all the "love". Pain to balance out Pleasure, etc.
Beatnuk, yes, that is the essential teaching of Taoism, The Ageless Wisdom, Hermetic philosophy.
I don't think we need hate "to balance out love," but I do think these polarities exist, as the various aspects could not exist without something to set them apart.
Yes, ultimately ALL IS ONE. But look around: everything we see appears separate. I would not call this insane; misperception, perhaps.
Well, the opposite of the biggest existing opposite pair "something and nothing", is "absolute nothing". Because normal nothing the "not-absolute nothing" is just a "pigeon hole" or "reserved space" for the possibility of "something". The real "absolute nothing" is non existing because even the tiniest amount of something is infinitely bigger than "absolute nothing". And even if that small something only existed for 1 second, it still infinitely bigger existence, than "absolute nothing".....
....therefore "absolute-nothing" is non-existent. thats exactly why its is absolutely no-thing, as it does not exist at all (never was and never will), apart from our imagination. Therefore there is only absolute something. That's the explanation of the original video's statement that "every paradox can be solved"
I respect your right to your belief. However, I do not consider the Torah, the Old and New Testament, "The Bible," or the Koran to be the inerrant "word of God." How do you know what Moses REALLY saw or experienced? There is some wonderful poetic imagery in religion, but no proof of God. In my opinion.
In studying the vedas, all originates from the fullness and returns to the fullness. 'Two' would be a minimum wave cycle as well, rather than just a binary switch from 0 (fullness) to 1 and back.
That's interesting, I'm only vaguely familiar with the Vedas. The term "Fullness" is also used in Gnosticism, the Pleroma -- from which the universe emerges.
I like that Wave Cycle you mention. I think the binary opposition of 0 + 1 = The All is a fundamental principle. 1 + 1 = 2. And there is actually no separation of 1 or 2 -- it's 0, All/Tao/Fullness.
Of course, these are metaphors for what is essentially unexpressable. Thanks for you comment, and keep in touch!
You are welcome. From what I've studied, it is the fullness that is complete in and of itself, no '0+1'...simply the 0. The Vedas (from which I believe the Gnostics adopted the 'fullness') infer that 1 and 9 are equivalent, being the closest to the fullness at inception and recursion. And I would argue that there is space between numbers. Interesting nonetheless. Have a good one.
i think without opposites there is only completion. completion is the final stage to the journey of any knowledge, but the path there is also littered with truths and conflicts. the battle to compromise and unite brings about creation, or creativity. and since we live in a mulitverse of creativity.... it would be complete without the two opposing sides - hence no creativity.. which defeats the object of our mutiverse :D (my opinion only)
That's very insightful! If everything was one and complete, everyone was enlightened, there wouldn't be anything to do. The necessary ingredient for drama is conflict.
The Universe/Godhead is whole, one mind -- and split itself up into all of us so that it could experience all these different events.
Like you said, "we live in a multiverse of creativity."
I been writing a bit about monism and dualism. Right there we have a contradiction. Because outside of monism there is nothing. Not even nothing. We turn our gaze away from the other. Infact we can go even stronger. We can experience a pre-monistic state. No philosophy. A sudden realization of life.
Yes, contradictions! Of course, language is limited; we speak about this with metaphors.
Ultimately there is Nothing, nada, zero, zilch. But since there can not be one thing without its opposite, there is also Everything, All That Is.
Some people criticized me for "dividing" up the world. I know everything is actually One, but the one then becomes two, three... and so on. That is the great mystery: All is One -- yet it appears Separate and Distinct, as objects in space.
ABout contradiction. There are two types. Mathematical (logical) ones and philosophical ones.
Monism not treated will turn into contradiction. You have the Parmenidean One. But then what is outside of the One? Void? Void is named, so it must have some substance. Now we have two. Contradiction.
By the way, I do not believe the world is One, really. I think in a very deep sense human condition is bifurcated. I guess its a logical way of thinking about the world. What Logicians do.
Nice job.. Yes the universe does in fact have its polarity of constuction and destruction these can be seen as the universal flow. Even In Quantum mechanics we have found that every particle that exist has an anti particle . This seems to be something very necessary to balance the universe.. Are you familiar with the shape of the torus .. This is being argued as the shape of the universe which is very interesting.. This is why i tell venus thank you for bringing balance to the universe. polarity
I became aware of Michael Benner during the late 1970s to early 1980s and hadn't heard word one about the man in over two decades. I decided to Google for him and noticed his mention here and his audio downloads on the Web, many of which I recently saved and am going to listen to them now. God, but it's hard to believe I'm 44 now and I wonder how much Benner affected my life, but I know it's a lot and am still thankful to him for opening my eyes about sooooo many things. Politics especially.
Thank you for the deeply intelligent and insightful remark -- you are a credit to your nation. But I don't see how a word, and then the SAME word, with the pre-fix "UN" can be "the same."
The music at the beginning and the end was a very brief excerpt from a song by the band Olive. The album is titled, "Extra Virgin." I'm not sure which song I used, because it was such a tiny bit, but I will check and let you know -- and I may want to use it again.
And I actually do believe in giving credit!
The lovely song, "You're Not Alone," is on the album, you may have heard it. Mellow-ish techno/ambient music with a female vocalist.
I agree. As I said, with a cup, or door or window, it works by the part that is absent. Zen stuff.
I should've had a disclaimer that not EVERYTHING has an opposite. Like giraffes, or Switzerland, for example. ScientificDiscussion had a cool response vid about that, but he's taken down his vids. Look around the comments here for our back and forth on that. Thanks for your comment!
NO,NO,NO,You are missing something. OPPOSITES ARE NOT DUAL/POLAR THEY ARE ONE UNDIVIDED WHOLE. Polarity is an illusion. one cannot exist without the other because the one is the other. As long as you think in polarity, then realization of the Tao is not possable...
where do you draw the line between matter and non-matter? there is no line. The universe is one undivided whole.male and female are one. existence and non-existence are one. NOTHING is relative to the whole. therefore 'NOTHING' is truth,tao,god whatever name you want to call it. this is what the zen masters and the taoists and nihilists have been trying to tell us.
I don't think the nihilists have been saying this- perhaps you mean existentialists. Also, 'dual' isn't the same thing as 'polar', and neither are "illusions" the way Westerners think of that word. They indeed exist as relative truth. If they didn't exist, we wouldn't be having this exchange. The awakened simply point out that another Truth exists 'within' duality and polarity- the 'One' (or Nothing if u prefer) for which there is no 'two', or other.
re;zencat. No,i'm sorry! I don't mean existentialists, i mean NIHILISTS! And there is no such thing as "relative truth".There is only truth. Please stop thinking in relative terms and see the 'One'.2=1=0. And to me 'illusion' means deceptive perception. We draw illusory lines that are'nt really there. And like it or not Buddhism is ultimately nihilistic.
re;zencat,again....I'm not saying Duality does'nt exist, i'm saying they are illusory. Where do you draw the line between light and dark of the day, it is'nt light one minute and then dark the next, there is no line,it is one fluent movement,a cycle. the same principle applies to all opposites. We create duality in our minds.
re;re;zencat again. Don't worry freind, i'm sure you'll get there in the end. "The right way and wrong way are not two.When perfectly known,ordinary and sage are on the same road. illusion and enlightenment originally have no distinction;nirvana and samsara are one suchness."---Pao-chi(Zen master)
I don't wish to oppose you, but equating Nihilism with the teaching of the Awakened is to defile the Tao. To say 'nothing' exists is to swap one doctrine for another. You find there is no sufferer, so you think there is no suffering. This is to see the forest for the trees, and then abandon the trees. Zen teaches the merging of unity and difference (two truths) to form ONE Reality. Your quote is accurate- nirvana and samsara (2 TRUTHS) are indeed ONE Reality! Stop thinking and just LOOK!
re;zencat. You are still seperating things, making distinctions. "Nirvana and Samsara (2 TRUTHS)" NO!!! There is only ONE truth. Ultimately zen teaches to stop making these distinctions but you are still doing it. It's perception that creates these illusions "stop thinking and just look"-Your're exactly right! 0 and 1 are the same,what do you mean swapping "one doctrine for another".
You have swapped the doctrine of 'everything that exists is something' and replaced it with 'everything that exists is nothing' (nihilistic doctrine). Neither is truth. That's why Suzuki says Zen is not Nihilism. The Awakened Mind has NO DOCTRINES.
re;zencat. "...to see the forrest for the trees and then abandon the trees". i know what you're saying,but i'm simply saying the forrest IS the trees. I don't want to debate about Nihilism,if you think it defiles the Tao then thats your opinion. in the book by DT.Suzuki 'an introduction to zen Buddhism' he writes a chapter called is zen nihilistic? he says no,but i disagree.
re;zencat. Illusions are neccessary! we cannot function without them. So of course i must also seperate things and make distinctions,just like the so-called awakened ones also do. i'm talking about the ABSOLUTE TRUTH when i say everything is nothing. Here is some meditation material: MATHENMATICS ARE AN ILLUSION-(An 'illusion' does not mean non-existence by the way)
I think mostly we agree but are using semantically different terminology. When I say "two truths" I'm also saying ONE Truth that shows up as two. You're calling that illusion. However, by adopting nihilism, you are missing the reality that there is indeed "something" here. You can say that "something is nothing" and call it non-duality, but that just avoids the fact that something is here and it has to be dealt with. If only nothing is here it doesn't matter if I kill you- but it DOES matter.
I agree we have fundamentally agreed for the most part.How i have been using the word 'illusion',is basically seeing something that exists in perception only, do you agree that 'perception' of Truth is not THE Truth. The question is 'CAN WE SEE WITHOUT PERCEPTION?' From my understanding of zen i think thats what enlightenment is. Illusions exist,because our perception exists.
re;zencat again.....As for Nihilism,i see the contradiction that beleiving in 'Nothing' is beleiving in something. It is not a doctrine though,it is the NEGATION of all doctrines, it is an ANTI-philosophy. Like you say,the awakened mind has no doctrine-Absolutley. The parallels between zen and Nihilism are Undeniable!
re;re zencat again.....In Nihilism, subjectivity is an illusion(again i mean in perception only).I think Nihilism simply says that beyond objective reality there is nothing. But we obviously cannot function without subjectivity-so of course it matters if you kill me(Objectivley as well). Good grief!I'm not the most intelligent of people. All this intellectualizing is exhausting. I need to lie down for a while.
1. taoist77, no, you are missing something (and nothing ;)... This vid is about opposites. I agree with your Taoist point: ultimately they are an illusion -- the Universe/Tao is one complete whole.
But this vid is like an introduction to these ideas. If you notice, in my reading from the Kybalion: "Everything is dual," and ends with, Extremes meet." "...All truths are but half-truths." This is an allusion to the illusion of opposites.
2. Opposites exist -- as concepts. Note in the sidebar that this is not an exclusively Taoist vid: "Some thoughts from reading Alan Watts, Taoism, Joseph Campbell, Zen Buddhism, and the
Western Hermetic Tradition." You are letting your Taoist agenda get in the way of seeing what I am trying to accomplish here. I wanted to keep this short and sweet, and will be doing other vids about the ultimate unity of opposites.
3. From a Hermetic view, "down here in matter," is where opposites exist. I know from the Taoist view, "This is it." Here's one of the fundamental mysteries of existence: How everything we see tells us that we are separate from everything else, all bits & objects. Yet the ultimate truth, is that "really" -- or simultaneously -- All is One. As I say in the part on gender: "This is about abstractions -- symbols and metaphors." I appreciate your intelligent Taoist perspective!
re;StevenErnest. Despite my username i'am merely a truth/enlightenment seeker,and also consider myself a nihilist(i beleive in nothing-literally)as well as taoist writings i read buddhists,alan watts,J.krishnamurti, Darwin,Neitzche. I,m not an intellectual, just an ordinary guy trying to make sense of it all! Anyway....In western thinking we perceive opposites to be seperate when in fact they are cyclical. Thats my point, we draw illusory lines that are'nt there.They are one.
Taoist, you sound very well read! ;) I didn't mean to be critical, I agree with you about opposites only appearing to be separate; that we draw illusory lines.
I like to take ideas from different fields, as you apparently do. I'm pretty much an Existentialist, more than a Nihilist. Nihilism has a more negative connotation, which Existentialism has too, but it is not a negative philosophy.
I apologize for using your vid comments to debate with taoist77, SE. We should have taken it elsewhere after our 1st comments. We are two seagulls squawking in the wind!
Don't get pulled off the horse on this. Opposites are created by human awareness. The opposite of perfect is "not-perfect" (as in everything that is not perfect). Every time you draw a circle around an attribute and say 'that's it', the area outside the circle is by definition "not it". Before human awareness, there was no existence or non-existence, because there was no possibility for either.
I basically agree. But obviously, everything is filtered through human awareness. But the case can be made that some opposites may be a fundamental part of existence: Once there's existence, there's non-existence; once there's a solid object, there's the space around it. Ultimately, I think it's all one -- the Tao/Universe. I like your intelligent comment!
As a Buddhist, I take for granted that there is such a thing as "non-existence", occupying the same space as existence (the whole form is emptiness thing). However, I have yet to hear a good explanation of what non-existence is. The space around an object is not non-existent. Even unicorns exist in the mind's eye. You can't point to non-existence. There are no holes in Reality (we don't know enough about black holes to make that argument). Good vid! :0)
Yes, the space around an object is not non-existence, I was pointing that an object needs the area around it to define it, hence they are one -- Taoist-thought.
I think, technically, BY DEFINITION you can't describe non-existence. Unicorns are a concept; perhaps the singularity of a black hole? In a Vid/comments Zorio (check out his channel!) discussed the indescribability of nothing.
In the Yin Yang symbol, the light is Something, the dark half Nothing, and the whole circle = Tao.
Yes, and there are very good reasons why these things are indescribable! The Tao that can be named (or described/defined) is not the Tao! Notice also that the Yin and Yang do not "oppose" each other (just like your box example)- hence, are they really "opposites"? ;^)
since perfection is beyond human consciousness, so would be its opposite. no man can create perfection, not conceive perfection, so why would it be true of its opposite? the argument negates itself because it is outside the human realm of thought and cannot be effectively debated.
Perfection is NOT beyond human consciousness. Conception and thought are not the same as consciousness. Perfection is not what you think, it's what you experience. You're experiencing it right now!
My favorite opposites are Dr. Pepper and Diet Dr. Pepper. They have completely different nutritional values and are the two flagships of the Dr. Pepper brand, yet they taste the same!
Not so. A perfect being could have no direct opposite since there is no opposite to perfection. If "perfect" is defined as something completely without flaws, then how do you construct it's opposite, something is which is entirely flawed?
I should have added a "footnote" in my video, but if you watch ScientificDiscussion's video response, and our comments, I agree that not everything has an opposite: no opposite to gray, to lukewarm, to Switzerland, to a giraffe.
The idea of exact opposites really only applies to major abstract concepts. You bring up a very interesting point here: as Perfection seems to be a major concept -- but I'm not entirely sure if it does have an opposite!
A very interesting thought! I don't know if a "perfect being" could exist, that would be "God" I suppose. But to take the concept of perfection, the opposite would be imperfection; to be flawed, inferior, incomplete. I don't know if something "entirely flawed" is necessary to be opposite -- anything with an imperfection is not, by definition, perfect.
Imperfection is not the opposite of perfection, it is only a lesser version of it. In the same token, saying that something is less than something else does not make it its opposite. a partially full glass is not the opposite of a completely full glass.
Well, okay, it looks like you're right! I don't think you can have something entirely flawed -- then it virtually wouldn't exist -- and that would be a contradiction.
Only certain things -- up/down, on/off -- etc. have EXACT opposites.
re;maniacalmania.you say "Imperfection is not the opposite of perfection, it is only a lesser version of it".--There's no such thing. It's either 'perfect' or it is not, it's like saying someone is a bit pregnant, it does'nt make sense!
re;maniacalmania.again. StevenErnest was right when he said 'imperfection' was it's opposite(cyclical,no line between the two)- "A lesser version of it"??? Thats like saying cold is a lesser version of hot, or soft a lesser version of hard.etc. same thing!
I actually got into that subject... see the 2nd video response, by Scientific Discussion -- and our comments back and forth... he argued the same thing, that not everything has an opposite. That's true; opposites applies to general abstract concepts, up/down, black/white, on/off, etc. He asked, "What's the opposite of Denmark? Or a giraffe..." ^_^
No, I don't follow any particular religion. But I take bits and pieces from Taoism, Zen, Kabbalah, the Western Hermetic Tradition. World Mythologies. Thanks for asking. ^_^
That's a good point. But he spoke about peace. I could've used Mother Teresa or Ghandi but they get over-used. Of course, it's subjective -- to a Nazi, Hitler was the epitome of good.
I happened to find a copy of the Kybalion in a local used bookstore. Copies are out there, Amazon, eBay, etc. It's a good distillation of Hermetic principles.
Please don't use Male and Female as a philosophical argument for absolute polarity. Haven't you ever heard of hermaphrodites, guys with Bitch titts, and really butch lesbos that look like your Uncle Bruce?
Instead of deleting your lame comment, I will leave it here to embarrass you.
I never said "absolute," -- these are models and metaphors, abstractions. I stated that it does not negate people who are gay, lesbian, bi -- and "etc." implied transgender, hermaphrodites. The nasty comment re "butch lesbos" is extemely insulting to lesbians; damn you're stupid! I have no Uncle Bruce. Get a life.
Actually I completely disagree with you. The universe is not divided into two, that is a human construct. Nothing is the opposite of anything else.There is light, half light, bright light, semi darkness, absolute darkness, etc etc Absolutes do not exist. There is no absolute good or evil, these are judgements. Language is set up in such a fashion but it doesn't make it a reality. Paradox is there because it all needs synthesising into either one or an infinite number.
Loreleila: Actually, I completely agree with you! Well, not "completely," because nothing is all one thing. ;)
For simplicities' sake I didn't state my disclaimer: That I actually believe ALL IS ONE. Aspects of the Godhead/Universe/Tao. As you said, there is no separation, that is only an illusion -- a human construct of language.
lol I realised as I typed I was putting an absolute in and saying they didn't exist. I'm glad to understand your perspective/wholeness a little better.Good to mmet you. :)
The Kybalion line, "All paradoxes may be reconciled," alludes to that. And as I mentioned re gender: these are Models and Metaphors -- contructs of language, useful tools. Through poetry, symbols, and myths -- we can look at and appreciate the Great Mystery: Everything is really ONE thing -- yet all the apparent objects tell our eyes, that everything is separate. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
very good. i like the way he changes camera angles so you can see all the books in his room. i wonder if his mom, whom he lives with, makes him pay 2 rent checks? one for him, one for that moustache?
That was interesting. I`m not very educated or intellectual (although I`m improving now that I got the internet just last year) Here are my fav opposites: life vs death, matter vs anti-matter, protons vs electrons, asexual vs sexual and Bush vs Tesla. :P
By 'Bush vs Tesla' I meant moron vs genius. Maybe I should`ve said 'Bush vs Einstein' since 'Einstein' is synonymous with 'genius'. I personally think Tesla`s the bigger genius. And no one`s a bigger moron than Dubya.
Thanks! But remember, this is just one model, or way of looking at things. Of course, not everything is Either/Or. There are infinite shades of gray, or the whole spectrum of colors.
Hmmm...something about this makes me think about Sassi Bob lol
randyhelzerman 8 months ago
@randyhelzerman LOL, Randy. Yeah, you saw my comment over there... XD
StevenErnest 8 months ago
Yes, but I do think duality is more primal, or basic. Of course, it is all a matter of human thinking and abstract concepts. Jung liked to use 4's... I agree that there are an infinite number of ways to look at the universe. Thanks for commenting. ^_^
StevenErnest 1 year ago
Duality is an interesting concept, but so is the Trinity. In actuality, there are an infinite amount of ways to think about and understand the universe. It's all about what works for you!
metronomeleftarm 1 year ago
@metronomeleftarm Exactly, one can use a model of two-'s -- as I did here -- or three's, four's (Jungian, etc. These are models and metaphors. Thanks for your comment!
StevenErnest 8 months ago
you explain things so unique, it is easy to understand. you put things in thier simplest form. along with the sense of humor.
CMKify 1 year ago
@CMKify Thank you very much, I really appreciate it! ^_^
StevenErnest 1 year ago
It's like trying to figure out 'who's on first', isn't it?
ThePhantomBlacksmith 1 year ago
@ThePhantomBlacksmith Lol, exactly! ^_^
In fact, I did a collab video on that very idea...
I wrote the words, and a wonderful guitarist, Boucrate, wrote the music. "What, Why, and Who's on First?" Here's the YouTube link:
youtube(dot)com/watch?v=RF6QoL-bzIs
StevenErnest 1 year ago
ok, so what's the opposite of a banana :-D
MrsNesbit1 1 year ago
@MrsNesbit1 Easy: a donut. ^_^
StevenErnest 1 year ago
The beginning is always the end of what was. The end is merely the beginning of what is.
I think I'm going to make a video response. Thanks, Steven.
fellowtuber123 2 years ago
I agree -- a wonderful way of wording it!
Beginnings and Endings could not exist without each other. Really, they don't exist as such, but are processes. "Really." ; )
"Every exit is an entrance somewhere else," to paraphrase the theatrical quote.
Where is the exact beginning and ending of Joyce's Finnegans Wake? Or with Samuel R. Delany's Dhalgren...?
Thank you for your thoughtful comment -- I look forward to your response. ^_^
StevenErnest 2 years ago
we are in the third dimension duality is observing the two extremes
Most never look at the line in between
Positive Neutral Negative
The yin and yang is only a blob without the finite line of neutrality
Something and nothing and is that point of neutrality that few look at
It is a confusing place one must see both sides and stand strong on the place of neutrality
Very nice video thanx Sehr shurn
goddog0309027 2 years ago
very nice video man!
PhilosopherFresh 2 years ago
Thank you, I appreciate it. ^_^
StevenErnest 2 years ago
Einstein creates relativity GOOD Einstein writes a letter to roosevelt VERY VERY BAD there is also grey when you mix black and white.This is why I personaly like the celtic model best because they thought in trees or is that threes.
hartejoseph 2 years ago
love these ideas. Some of which are explored in my new webseries, I'd love for you to watch!
GrampawUniverse 2 years ago
also humping is the representation of the universe imploding and exploding infinity times before climax but the climax is up to us :D kabbalahDOTinfo !!!
rosettast0ned 2 years ago
That's a great example, I should have used it! In and Out.
StevenErnest 2 years ago
Has anyone every told you, you look like a straight haired Wierd Al Yankovic for the 80s?
Penfold8 2 years ago
yeah he does look very 80's
aflockofmusic 2 years ago
It's the lame hair, isn't it? Lol. I did see Devo and Styx live in concert. Heheh. ^_^
StevenErnest 2 years ago
Ha ha! Yes, I used to get told that all the time, lol, esp when Weird Al was first real popular. When I had my hair wilder I REALLY looked like him. ^_^
StevenErnest 2 years ago
And the white is part of the black. We are all of
us good and evil part of nature. Which does not mean don't fight evil. Good and evil are man-made constructs however and are not real. Nature could give a shit for us. I am still fighting this western construct now
but is that in itself a dualism? I think so. I dunno. Maybe I am wrong.
limeslimey 2 years ago
Yes, in actuality I believe we are all One/The Universe/The Tao. That bit I read at the end kind of says opposites meet, and I have the Yin-Yang symbol at the very end.
Maybe I should have been more explicit at the end, but I didn't want to get too complicated, lol.
So at the macro level, duality is an illusion, but at our micro level, we perceive opposites. I agree that good and evil are human-made constructs.
Enlightenment entails seeing the falsity of separateness.
StevenErnest 2 years ago
Good vid, I actually just finished reading "The Book" by Alan Watts, so it was cool seeing your humorous take on the matter.
mathiasgandy 2 years ago
That's an excellent book by Alan Watts -- he has informed much of my thinking on this. Another good one by him is, "The Two Hands of God: The Myths of Polarity."
Really all of his books are good. Thank you for the comment, I appreciate it. ^_^
StevenErnest 2 years ago
An example-one among many-of polarity; Taoism. I like to think of the phrase "we are nature" I came across in a permaculture design course last year. We- not us vs. them. I myself could not believe this when I heard it. Humankind-evil. Nature good. Uh not so simple. See the black is part of the white
limeslimey 2 years ago
Yes, I don't like the Us vs. Them of Monotheistic religions.
Jacques Derrida and Deconstruction; Structuralism, and Post-Structuralism point out this binary conceptualizing, which influences our thought unconsciously.
You might like my video on Kabbalah, on how the Tree of Life diagram divides up the One/Universe/"God" into various aspects -- or what I call Models, Metaphors, Archetypes.
My "StevenVisions" vid is about how humanity needs to see itself as one.
Thanks again for your comments!
StevenErnest 2 years ago
Polarity is NOT dualism. Dualism is gnosticism
(yeah I love them for being heretics but they were still in the Western tradition), Blake,
Dostoyevsky, (my favorite philosophers but again ever so often they are a pain when I am trying to solve a problem-I can't stand us vs. them anymore)and the monotheistic "religions"-They do not connect at all they tear
apart.
limeslimey 2 years ago
I used the word, duality -- not dualism. On purpose. ;) Yes, Gnosticism is dualism, but so are many Eastern philosophies. I like Gnosticism.
I greatly appreciate your thoughtful comments here. ^_^
StevenErnest 2 years ago
everythign comes in pairs? how about quirk colors, they are not in pairs like negative/positive.
EverettsVLOG 2 years ago
What are "quirk colors?" There are complementary colors, etc... But yes, you are right about colors.
I thought it was fairly obvious I was talking about archetypal concepts, symbols, which have equivalent opposites.
Yes, things like pink, giraffees, Poland, do not have their exact opposite. Thank you for commenting.
StevenErnest 2 years ago
what I noticed some while back is that the duality is an expression of the ONE LOVE, and therefore all duality is a symbolic expression of God.
the problem is that we (humans) have become disconnected from that ONE, and now all we see is a bipolar universe (because we assess it with bipolar minds), and we try to assess it as "balance".
Thinking that we somehow need "Hate" in order to "balance out" all the "love". Pain to balance out Pleasure, etc.
It's insane. There is only ONE truth.
Beatnuk 2 years ago
Beatnuk, yes, that is the essential teaching of Taoism, The Ageless Wisdom, Hermetic philosophy.
I don't think we need hate "to balance out love," but I do think these polarities exist, as the various aspects could not exist without something to set them apart.
Yes, ultimately ALL IS ONE. But look around: everything we see appears separate. I would not call this insane; misperception, perhaps.
StevenErnest 2 years ago
wow dude you are like the ultimate nerd
pingbong44 2 years ago
I suppose I am the nerd, but I doubt the ultimate. ^_^
StevenErnest 2 years ago
Well, the opposite of the biggest existing opposite pair "something and nothing", is "absolute nothing". Because normal nothing the "not-absolute nothing" is just a "pigeon hole" or "reserved space" for the possibility of "something". The real "absolute nothing" is non existing because even the tiniest amount of something is infinitely bigger than "absolute nothing". And even if that small something only existed for 1 second, it still infinitely bigger existence, than "absolute nothing".....
Edvin1010 2 years ago
....therefore "absolute-nothing" is non-existent. thats exactly why its is absolutely no-thing, as it does not exist at all (never was and never will), apart from our imagination. Therefore there is only absolute something. That's the explanation of the original video's statement that "every paradox can be solved"
Edvin1010 2 years ago
Edvin, I agree with you. The words, "absolute-nothing" exist, but nothing exists per se.
StevenErnest 2 years ago
Comment removed
Edvin1010 2 years ago
Schrödinger's cat says MEOW
faxodotcom 3 years ago
Yes, when he/she is in the box; when he/she is not there, no Meow. ^_^
StevenErnest 3 years ago
good video but the voice makes me wanna blow my brains out with a .44 magnum
domspinzoly 3 years ago
Perhaps my voice can be used as a weapon in the war against terrorism.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
'Nothing' doesn't exist, never has, never will. HaHaHa!
tahoeclimber 3 years ago
countless hours meditating............on this...........yielded fruit
alchemistra 3 years ago
Yes, thank you. ^_^
It yielded some fruit...
and no fruit. Both.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
wow you got a lotta books
Zabek2006 3 years ago
Yes, I have many books. They're my best friends.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
I respect your right to your belief. However, I do not consider the Torah, the Old and New Testament, "The Bible," or the Koran to be the inerrant "word of God." How do you know what Moses REALLY saw or experienced? There is some wonderful poetic imagery in religion, but no proof of God. In my opinion.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
I like this - quantum reality with a humorous twist.. *grin*
Shirl09876 3 years ago
Hey, thanks Shirl! ^_^
StevenErnest 3 years ago
Where did I say "that eternal something happen to be a person(god)?" I don't believe in the Creator God of the three Abrahamic religions.
Sometimes I say The All/The Tao/The Universe could be called "God," but that's as a metaphor.
I'm saying the universe seems to have this polarity aspect to it; I don't know why.
It may just be an artifact of the human brain.
If there was "just nothing by itself," we couldn't be having this conversation.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
i like how you indicate the principle of rythm at the end
cheesyrichardhead 3 years ago
Thanks, I appreciate that. ^_^
StevenErnest 3 years ago
you spoke a lot of words... but you said nothing real... fanciful rambling
metacognitive manure
rufeelinme1234 3 years ago
Your deep and insightful comments belie your "genius."
StevenErnest 3 years ago
It's logical, but people are not logical, they don't think—and I intend to pander to their irrationality
nikkyo34 3 years ago
Thanks for the comment, but I don't understand what you are saying here.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
awesome vid
bftdgemma 3 years ago
Thanks, I appreciate it! ^_^
StevenErnest 3 years ago
What's sad is you have nothing better to do than insult people. Get a life.
It's my real hair, loser.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
do you live with your mom
youarefuckingweird 3 years ago
Ha! As a matter of fact I do. That must make me a loser, almost as fkd up as you.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
In studying the vedas, all originates from the fullness and returns to the fullness. 'Two' would be a minimum wave cycle as well, rather than just a binary switch from 0 (fullness) to 1 and back.
abbesieyes 3 years ago
That's interesting, I'm only vaguely familiar with the Vedas. The term "Fullness" is also used in Gnosticism, the Pleroma -- from which the universe emerges.
I like that Wave Cycle you mention. I think the binary opposition of 0 + 1 = The All is a fundamental principle. 1 + 1 = 2. And there is actually no separation of 1 or 2 -- it's 0, All/Tao/Fullness.
Of course, these are metaphors for what is essentially unexpressable. Thanks for you comment, and keep in touch!
StevenErnest 3 years ago
You are welcome. From what I've studied, it is the fullness that is complete in and of itself, no '0+1'...simply the 0. The Vedas (from which I believe the Gnostics adopted the 'fullness') infer that 1 and 9 are equivalent, being the closest to the fullness at inception and recursion. And I would argue that there is space between numbers. Interesting nonetheless. Have a good one.
abbesieyes 3 years ago
i think without opposites there is only completion. completion is the final stage to the journey of any knowledge, but the path there is also littered with truths and conflicts. the battle to compromise and unite brings about creation, or creativity. and since we live in a mulitverse of creativity.... it would be complete without the two opposing sides - hence no creativity.. which defeats the object of our mutiverse :D (my opinion only)
philliplister2002 3 years ago
That's very insightful! If everything was one and complete, everyone was enlightened, there wouldn't be anything to do. The necessary ingredient for drama is conflict.
The Universe/Godhead is whole, one mind -- and split itself up into all of us so that it could experience all these different events.
Like you said, "we live in a multiverse of creativity."
That's the Universe and YouTube. ^_^
StevenErnest 3 years ago
That is a meaningless and nonsensical statement.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
Nation?
StevenErnest 3 years ago
Thanks.
I been writing a bit about monism and dualism. Right there we have a contradiction. Because outside of monism there is nothing. Not even nothing. We turn our gaze away from the other. Infact we can go even stronger. We can experience a pre-monistic state. No philosophy. A sudden realization of life.
Israe5l 3 years ago
Yes, contradictions! Of course, language is limited; we speak about this with metaphors.
Ultimately there is Nothing, nada, zero, zilch. But since there can not be one thing without its opposite, there is also Everything, All That Is.
Some people criticized me for "dividing" up the world. I know everything is actually One, but the one then becomes two, three... and so on. That is the great mystery: All is One -- yet it appears Separate and Distinct, as objects in space.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
ABout contradiction. There are two types. Mathematical (logical) ones and philosophical ones.
Monism not treated will turn into contradiction. You have the Parmenidean One. But then what is outside of the One? Void? Void is named, so it must have some substance. Now we have two. Contradiction.
By the way, I do not believe the world is One, really. I think in a very deep sense human condition is bifurcated. I guess its a logical way of thinking about the world. What Logicians do.
Israe5l 3 years ago
Nice job.. Yes the universe does in fact have its polarity of constuction and destruction these can be seen as the universal flow. Even In Quantum mechanics we have found that every particle that exist has an anti particle . This seems to be something very necessary to balance the universe.. Are you familiar with the shape of the torus .. This is being argued as the shape of the universe which is very interesting.. This is why i tell venus thank you for bringing balance to the universe. polarity
particleion 3 years ago
Interesting thoughts, Particleion!
Yes, the universe may be shaped like a donut... isn't that hard to imagine? Finite or Infinite are both mind-boggling.
I'm voting for the universe to be shaped like a Mobius Strip -- I bet you like those! ^_^
Venus is wonderful; let's get her to do the Stickam chats more often. Later, my friend.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
Michael Benner is the voice of my own personal god! Seriously, the man is a mind expanding genius.
TheHeavyMetalGod 3 years ago 2
Yes, he's great! He recently moved to Hawaii, and has a podcast.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
I became aware of Michael Benner during the late 1970s to early 1980s and hadn't heard word one about the man in over two decades. I decided to Google for him and noticed his mention here and his audio downloads on the Web, many of which I recently saved and am going to listen to them now. God, but it's hard to believe I'm 44 now and I wonder how much Benner affected my life, but I know it's a lot and am still thankful to him for opening my eyes about sooooo many things. Politics especially.
TheHeavyMetalGod 3 years ago 2
Thank you for the deeply intelligent and insightful remark -- you are a credit to your nation. But I don't see how a word, and then the SAME word, with the pre-fix "UN" can be "the same."
StevenErnest 3 years ago
i think it was enjoyable! i always enjoy science and history and...what you explained lol
warwolf5 3 years ago
Thank you, I appreciate it! ^_^
StevenErnest 3 years ago
very good. I always enjoy your videos. What was the music at the end?
Tidnull 3 years ago
Thanks! :D
The music at the beginning and the end was a very brief excerpt from a song by the band Olive. The album is titled, "Extra Virgin." I'm not sure which song I used, because it was such a tiny bit, but I will check and let you know -- and I may want to use it again.
And I actually do believe in giving credit!
The lovely song, "You're Not Alone," is on the album, you may have heard it. Mellow-ish techno/ambient music with a female vocalist.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
Man you've got a point!, I grew up thinking that "three is a magic number", and now I see that two is important as well..oh well.
minombreoriginal 3 years ago
Hey, thanks! But three is also very important and symbolic:
Beginning, middle and end; youth, adult, old age; past, present, and future; father, mother and son/daughter. The Trinity.
My favorite is Hegel's Dialectic: Thesis, Anti-thesis, and Synthesis.
Zero through Nine have many meanings.
StevenErnest 3 years ago
I would argue that the opposite to an 'empty' cup (container) is a 'full' cup...
What then is the opposite to a 'half-full' cup? (surely not a half-empty cup because they are equal)
PelicanFrost 4 years ago
I agree. As I said, with a cup, or door or window, it works by the part that is absent. Zen stuff.
I should've had a disclaimer that not EVERYTHING has an opposite. Like giraffes, or Switzerland, for example. ScientificDiscussion had a cool response vid about that, but he's taken down his vids. Look around the comments here for our back and forth on that. Thanks for your comment!
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Hey - I enjoyed you video. Nice work..!
Not everything ends though...PI, or should I say Bye.
SquareOfPi 4 years ago
Thanks! :)
Yes, Pi goes on and on. Infinity in mathematics is a whole other subject...
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Jesus understood this wholeness when he said, "There is no male or female in the Kingdom of God".
zencat 4 years ago
NO,NO,NO,You are missing something. OPPOSITES ARE NOT DUAL/POLAR THEY ARE ONE UNDIVIDED WHOLE. Polarity is an illusion. one cannot exist without the other because the one is the other. As long as you think in polarity, then realization of the Tao is not possable...
taoist77 4 years ago
where do you draw the line between matter and non-matter? there is no line. The universe is one undivided whole.male and female are one. existence and non-existence are one. NOTHING is relative to the whole. therefore 'NOTHING' is truth,tao,god whatever name you want to call it. this is what the zen masters and the taoists and nihilists have been trying to tell us.
taoist77 4 years ago
I don't think the nihilists have been saying this- perhaps you mean existentialists. Also, 'dual' isn't the same thing as 'polar', and neither are "illusions" the way Westerners think of that word. They indeed exist as relative truth. If they didn't exist, we wouldn't be having this exchange. The awakened simply point out that another Truth exists 'within' duality and polarity- the 'One' (or Nothing if u prefer) for which there is no 'two', or other.
zencat 4 years ago
re;zencat. No,i'm sorry! I don't mean existentialists, i mean NIHILISTS! And there is no such thing as "relative truth".There is only truth. Please stop thinking in relative terms and see the 'One'.2=1=0. And to me 'illusion' means deceptive perception. We draw illusory lines that are'nt really there. And like it or not Buddhism is ultimately nihilistic.
taoist77 4 years ago
re;zencat,again....I'm not saying Duality does'nt exist, i'm saying they are illusory. Where do you draw the line between light and dark of the day, it is'nt light one minute and then dark the next, there is no line,it is one fluent movement,a cycle. the same principle applies to all opposites. We create duality in our minds.
taoist77 4 years ago
re;re;zencat again. Don't worry freind, i'm sure you'll get there in the end. "The right way and wrong way are not two.When perfectly known,ordinary and sage are on the same road. illusion and enlightenment originally have no distinction;nirvana and samsara are one suchness."---Pao-chi(Zen master)
taoist77 4 years ago
I don't wish to oppose you, but equating Nihilism with the teaching of the Awakened is to defile the Tao. To say 'nothing' exists is to swap one doctrine for another. You find there is no sufferer, so you think there is no suffering. This is to see the forest for the trees, and then abandon the trees. Zen teaches the merging of unity and difference (two truths) to form ONE Reality. Your quote is accurate- nirvana and samsara (2 TRUTHS) are indeed ONE Reality! Stop thinking and just LOOK!
zencat 4 years ago
re;zencat. You are still seperating things, making distinctions. "Nirvana and Samsara (2 TRUTHS)" NO!!! There is only ONE truth. Ultimately zen teaches to stop making these distinctions but you are still doing it. It's perception that creates these illusions "stop thinking and just look"-Your're exactly right! 0 and 1 are the same,what do you mean swapping "one doctrine for another".
taoist77 4 years ago
You have swapped the doctrine of 'everything that exists is something' and replaced it with 'everything that exists is nothing' (nihilistic doctrine). Neither is truth. That's why Suzuki says Zen is not Nihilism. The Awakened Mind has NO DOCTRINES.
zencat 4 years ago
re;zencat. "...to see the forrest for the trees and then abandon the trees". i know what you're saying,but i'm simply saying the forrest IS the trees. I don't want to debate about Nihilism,if you think it defiles the Tao then thats your opinion. in the book by DT.Suzuki 'an introduction to zen Buddhism' he writes a chapter called is zen nihilistic? he says no,but i disagree.
taoist77 4 years ago
re;zencat. Illusions are neccessary! we cannot function without them. So of course i must also seperate things and make distinctions,just like the so-called awakened ones also do. i'm talking about the ABSOLUTE TRUTH when i say everything is nothing. Here is some meditation material: MATHENMATICS ARE AN ILLUSION-(An 'illusion' does not mean non-existence by the way)
taoist77 4 years ago
I think mostly we agree but are using semantically different terminology. When I say "two truths" I'm also saying ONE Truth that shows up as two. You're calling that illusion. However, by adopting nihilism, you are missing the reality that there is indeed "something" here. You can say that "something is nothing" and call it non-duality, but that just avoids the fact that something is here and it has to be dealt with. If only nothing is here it doesn't matter if I kill you- but it DOES matter.
zencat 4 years ago
I agree we have fundamentally agreed for the most part.How i have been using the word 'illusion',is basically seeing something that exists in perception only, do you agree that 'perception' of Truth is not THE Truth. The question is 'CAN WE SEE WITHOUT PERCEPTION?' From my understanding of zen i think thats what enlightenment is. Illusions exist,because our perception exists.
taoist77 4 years ago
re;zencat again.....As for Nihilism,i see the contradiction that beleiving in 'Nothing' is beleiving in something. It is not a doctrine though,it is the NEGATION of all doctrines, it is an ANTI-philosophy. Like you say,the awakened mind has no doctrine-Absolutley. The parallels between zen and Nihilism are Undeniable!
taoist77 4 years ago
re;re zencat again.....In Nihilism, subjectivity is an illusion(again i mean in perception only).I think Nihilism simply says that beyond objective reality there is nothing. But we obviously cannot function without subjectivity-so of course it matters if you kill me(Objectivley as well). Good grief!I'm not the most intelligent of people. All this intellectualizing is exhausting. I need to lie down for a while.
taoist77 4 years ago
1. taoist77, no, you are missing something (and nothing ;)... This vid is about opposites. I agree with your Taoist point: ultimately they are an illusion -- the Universe/Tao is one complete whole.
But this vid is like an introduction to these ideas. If you notice, in my reading from the Kybalion: "Everything is dual," and ends with, Extremes meet." "...All truths are but half-truths." This is an allusion to the illusion of opposites.
StevenErnest 4 years ago
2. Opposites exist -- as concepts. Note in the sidebar that this is not an exclusively Taoist vid: "Some thoughts from reading Alan Watts, Taoism, Joseph Campbell, Zen Buddhism, and the
Western Hermetic Tradition." You are letting your Taoist agenda get in the way of seeing what I am trying to accomplish here. I wanted to keep this short and sweet, and will be doing other vids about the ultimate unity of opposites.
StevenErnest 4 years ago
3. From a Hermetic view, "down here in matter," is where opposites exist. I know from the Taoist view, "This is it." Here's one of the fundamental mysteries of existence: How everything we see tells us that we are separate from everything else, all bits & objects. Yet the ultimate truth, is that "really" -- or simultaneously -- All is One. As I say in the part on gender: "This is about abstractions -- symbols and metaphors." I appreciate your intelligent Taoist perspective!
StevenErnest 4 years ago
re;StevenErnest. Despite my username i'am merely a truth/enlightenment seeker,and also consider myself a nihilist(i beleive in nothing-literally)as well as taoist writings i read buddhists,alan watts,J.krishnamurti, Darwin,Neitzche. I,m not an intellectual, just an ordinary guy trying to make sense of it all! Anyway....In western thinking we perceive opposites to be seperate when in fact they are cyclical. Thats my point, we draw illusory lines that are'nt there.They are one.
taoist77 4 years ago
Taoist, you sound very well read! ;) I didn't mean to be critical, I agree with you about opposites only appearing to be separate; that we draw illusory lines.
I like to take ideas from different fields, as you apparently do. I'm pretty much an Existentialist, more than a Nihilist. Nihilism has a more negative connotation, which Existentialism has too, but it is not a negative philosophy.
StevenErnest 4 years ago
I apologize for using your vid comments to debate with taoist77, SE. We should have taken it elsewhere after our 1st comments. We are two seagulls squawking in the wind!
zencat 4 years ago
Hey, zencat, no need to apologize... I'm enjoying your debate here, that's the whole purpose of these comments! ^_^
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Don't get pulled off the horse on this. Opposites are created by human awareness. The opposite of perfect is "not-perfect" (as in everything that is not perfect). Every time you draw a circle around an attribute and say 'that's it', the area outside the circle is by definition "not it". Before human awareness, there was no existence or non-existence, because there was no possibility for either.
Thumper9 4 years ago
I basically agree. But obviously, everything is filtered through human awareness. But the case can be made that some opposites may be a fundamental part of existence: Once there's existence, there's non-existence; once there's a solid object, there's the space around it. Ultimately, I think it's all one -- the Tao/Universe. I like your intelligent comment!
StevenErnest 4 years ago
As a Buddhist, I take for granted that there is such a thing as "non-existence", occupying the same space as existence (the whole form is emptiness thing). However, I have yet to hear a good explanation of what non-existence is. The space around an object is not non-existent. Even unicorns exist in the mind's eye. You can't point to non-existence. There are no holes in Reality (we don't know enough about black holes to make that argument). Good vid! :0)
zencat 4 years ago
Good points!
Yes, the space around an object is not non-existence, I was pointing that an object needs the area around it to define it, hence they are one -- Taoist-thought.
I think, technically, BY DEFINITION you can't describe non-existence. Unicorns are a concept; perhaps the singularity of a black hole? In a Vid/comments Zorio (check out his channel!) discussed the indescribability of nothing.
In the Yin Yang symbol, the light is Something, the dark half Nothing, and the whole circle = Tao.
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Yes, and there are very good reasons why these things are indescribable! The Tao that can be named (or described/defined) is not the Tao! Notice also that the Yin and Yang do not "oppose" each other (just like your box example)- hence, are they really "opposites"? ;^)
zencat 4 years ago
quite right,the name is not the named. Please see my above comments for the definition of opposites.
taoist77 4 years ago
since perfection is beyond human consciousness, so would be its opposite. no man can create perfection, not conceive perfection, so why would it be true of its opposite? the argument negates itself because it is outside the human realm of thought and cannot be effectively debated.
Nebrikins 4 years ago
Perfection is NOT beyond human consciousness. Conception and thought are not the same as consciousness. Perfection is not what you think, it's what you experience. You're experiencing it right now!
zencat 4 years ago
My favorite opposites are Dr. Pepper and Diet Dr. Pepper. They have completely different nutritional values and are the two flagships of the Dr. Pepper brand, yet they taste the same!
maniacalmania 4 years ago
Not so. A perfect being could have no direct opposite since there is no opposite to perfection. If "perfect" is defined as something completely without flaws, then how do you construct it's opposite, something is which is entirely flawed?
maniacalmania 4 years ago
(i)If something without an opposite can be conceived, then your argument is not objectively true.
(ii) I have conceived of something that can never have an opposite (perfection).
.:.(iii) Your argument is not objectively true.
Everything does not have an opposite.
maniacalmania 4 years ago
I should have added a "footnote" in my video, but if you watch ScientificDiscussion's video response, and our comments, I agree that not everything has an opposite: no opposite to gray, to lukewarm, to Switzerland, to a giraffe.
The idea of exact opposites really only applies to major abstract concepts. You bring up a very interesting point here: as Perfection seems to be a major concept -- but I'm not entirely sure if it does have an opposite!
StevenErnest 4 years ago
A very interesting thought! I don't know if a "perfect being" could exist, that would be "God" I suppose. But to take the concept of perfection, the opposite would be imperfection; to be flawed, inferior, incomplete. I don't know if something "entirely flawed" is necessary to be opposite -- anything with an imperfection is not, by definition, perfect.
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Imperfection is not the opposite of perfection, it is only a lesser version of it. In the same token, saying that something is less than something else does not make it its opposite. a partially full glass is not the opposite of a completely full glass.
maniacalmania 4 years ago
Well, okay, it looks like you're right! I don't think you can have something entirely flawed -- then it virtually wouldn't exist -- and that would be a contradiction.
Only certain things -- up/down, on/off -- etc. have EXACT opposites.
A check is on its way to you in the mail! ^_^
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Anytime.
maniacalmania 4 years ago
re;maniacalmania.you say "Imperfection is not the opposite of perfection, it is only a lesser version of it".--There's no such thing. It's either 'perfect' or it is not, it's like saying someone is a bit pregnant, it does'nt make sense!
taoist77 4 years ago
re;maniacalmania.again. StevenErnest was right when he said 'imperfection' was it's opposite(cyclical,no line between the two)- "A lesser version of it"??? Thats like saying cold is a lesser version of hot, or soft a lesser version of hard.etc. same thing!
taoist77 4 years ago
Very nice video!
How do we explain a duality for a random object like an orange or a lampshade though?
Its easy to see what the opposite of black is.
I'd like to hear your opinion on that. Keep making videos :-)
KlausDieSchrecken 4 years ago
Thanks!
I actually got into that subject... see the 2nd video response, by Scientific Discussion -- and our comments back and forth... he argued the same thing, that not everything has an opposite. That's true; opposites applies to general abstract concepts, up/down, black/white, on/off, etc. He asked, "What's the opposite of Denmark? Or a giraffe..." ^_^
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Ahh I see! I should've looked around first before I asked. Anyways good work.
KlausDieSchrecken 4 years ago
That's okay, it's good to ask questions! ^_^
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Nicely presented video and great topic. There should be more videos like this on YouTube ;)
TheRavenOfPoe 4 years ago
Thank you very much! I will try to provide more like this. ^_^
StevenErnest 4 years ago
I definitely look forward to them =)
TheRavenOfPoe 4 years ago
Cool hot media u got there. My dogeared copy of Sartre's "Being and Nothingness" thanks you for having me get it down from the shelf.
Does nothing exists?
It time infinite?
Is gravity actually a push?
Was Roger Penrose right about consciousness?
Was Godel right, and wrong?
Is the answer really 42?
noliketoregister 4 years ago
Förvisså
sevenoneeyedmidget 4 years ago
Reminds me of the guy from "office space" with the stapler obsession. (*just playing) Michael Benner had a great radio show.
mutedmajority 4 years ago
A swede digs you
sevenoneeyedmidget 4 years ago
Are you speaking of yourself? ^_^
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Steven Ernest.... do you follow/believe a religion or faith??
LolitaTolentino 4 years ago
Hi, Lolita, sorry I'm late with a reply!
No, I don't follow any particular religion. But I take bits and pieces from Taoism, Zen, Kabbalah, the Western Hermetic Tradition. World Mythologies. Thanks for asking. ^_^
What do you believe or follow?
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Technically speaking, we could say Einstein is evil. Considering the equation E=mc2 gave way to blueprints for the atomic bomb.
I've wanted to get ahold of that book for so long now.
Person009 4 years ago
That's a good point. But he spoke about peace. I could've used Mother Teresa or Ghandi but they get over-used. Of course, it's subjective -- to a Nazi, Hitler was the epitome of good.
I happened to find a copy of the Kybalion in a local used bookstore. Copies are out there, Amazon, eBay, etc. It's a good distillation of Hermetic principles.
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Well some could argue that Mother Teresa thing.
I've wanted to get it for awhile now but being 17, almost 18, and still having no job doesn't help. Hopefully Santa will be nice this year.
Person009 4 years ago
Please don't use Male and Female as a philosophical argument for absolute polarity. Haven't you ever heard of hermaphrodites, guys with Bitch titts, and really butch lesbos that look like your Uncle Bruce?
RichyVapors 4 years ago
Instead of deleting your lame comment, I will leave it here to embarrass you.
I never said "absolute," -- these are models and metaphors, abstractions. I stated that it does not negate people who are gay, lesbian, bi -- and "etc." implied transgender, hermaphrodites. The nasty comment re "butch lesbos" is extemely insulting to lesbians; damn you're stupid! I have no Uncle Bruce. Get a life.
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Actually I completely disagree with you. The universe is not divided into two, that is a human construct. Nothing is the opposite of anything else.There is light, half light, bright light, semi darkness, absolute darkness, etc etc Absolutes do not exist. There is no absolute good or evil, these are judgements. Language is set up in such a fashion but it doesn't make it a reality. Paradox is there because it all needs synthesising into either one or an infinite number.
Loreleila 4 years ago
Loreleila: Actually, I completely agree with you! Well, not "completely," because nothing is all one thing. ;)
For simplicities' sake I didn't state my disclaimer: That I actually believe ALL IS ONE. Aspects of the Godhead/Universe/Tao. As you said, there is no separation, that is only an illusion -- a human construct of language.
StevenErnest 4 years ago
lol I realised as I typed I was putting an absolute in and saying they didn't exist. I'm glad to understand your perspective/wholeness a little better.Good to mmet you. :)
Loreleila 4 years ago
The Kybalion line, "All paradoxes may be reconciled," alludes to that. And as I mentioned re gender: these are Models and Metaphors -- contructs of language, useful tools. Through poetry, symbols, and myths -- we can look at and appreciate the Great Mystery: Everything is really ONE thing -- yet all the apparent objects tell our eyes, that everything is separate. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
StevenErnest 4 years ago
very good. i like the way he changes camera angles so you can see all the books in his room. i wonder if his mom, whom he lives with, makes him pay 2 rent checks? one for him, one for that moustache?
lylemayshotmail 4 years ago
It has potential
The polarities may be reversed
But is has potential
srussert28 4 years ago
Thanks, but what has potential?
StevenErnest 4 years ago
Good vid with good examples.
artotem 4 years ago
That was interesting. I`m not very educated or intellectual (although I`m improving now that I got the internet just last year) Here are my fav opposites: life vs death, matter vs anti-matter, protons vs electrons, asexual vs sexual and Bush vs Tesla. :P
dopestr33t 4 years ago
Thanks for looking at it! I'm glad you found it interesting. Those are great opposites! ...but, Bush vs Tesla?
You mean Edison vs Tesla? Or Bush vs Kerry? Hilary vs Obama? Lol, ^_^ MicroSoft vs Apple!
StevenErnest 4 years ago
By 'Bush vs Tesla' I meant moron vs genius. Maybe I should`ve said 'Bush vs Einstein' since 'Einstein' is synonymous with 'genius'. I personally think Tesla`s the bigger genius. And no one`s a bigger moron than Dubya.
dopestr33t 4 years ago
Edison and Tesla were competitors but they weren`t opposite.
dopestr33t 4 years ago
Right, I was j/k re opposites. But didn't one pursue AC and one DC current as best?
StevenErnest 4 years ago
right.
dopestr33t 4 years ago
Okay, I get your metaphor, :)
StevenErnest 4 years ago
You're so totally right. I like boolean logic a lot. It's something people don't think about enough.
Chandlerklebs 4 years ago
Thanks! But remember, this is just one model, or way of looking at things. Of course, not everything is Either/Or. There are infinite shades of gray, or the whole spectrum of colors.
StevenErnest 4 years ago