What is God? Where free will and determinism collide Tolkien writes: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” At first, this may be perceived as a testament to free will. But how free are we to will the processes by which we will? How free are we when all the freedom we have is to freely move about in our tiny prison cell; a cell without windows, without even a hint of possibilities beyond it? Unfree will I’ve been accused of being a pessimist,…
Why civilisations collapse: Peak existential absurdism **WARNING: Do not read if you find pessimistic philosophy unsettling.** Look at the pattern of civilisations: the more they advance, the more they solve their survival problems, so they have time to think and ponder. They escape and ascend from primal animalistic urges, which, up until then, dictated how they should have spent most of their time; surviving, laboring, and striving each day for some calories, desperately…
The dumbest objections against statelessness - An introduction Anticipating the illogical defense of statism Every single objection against statelessness applies even more to and against the state; even more so, given that the people controlling the state possess absolute unaccountable power to commit any injustice and atrocity, and get away with it. Consider how the state’s absolute monopoly of “legal” indoctrination and “legal” violence protects and indemnifies rulers.…
The dumbest objections against statelessness #1: "Show me one time it has worked!" “*Statelessness can’t work because no instance of it exists in history!*” This specific objection against statelessness betrays the objector’s intent: he doesn’t want statelessness to be valid, otherwise he wouldn’t be making this absurd appeal to tradition, as well as argument from illiteracy. He deludedly assumes that it a government of sorts is in his best interest, when, after logical…
Psychological profile of the ruling class: Elite syndrome The ruling class is comprised of individuals currently in institutional positions of *perceived*, and therefore *actual* power. They merely happen to possess the means to shape public perception, to define the illusion of monetary value, to impose money-supply monopolies, and to violently enforce regulations, whether using a dictatorship, monarchy, or the scam of “democracy.” They find themselves at the peak of these…
Pandemic ethics: Natural immunity to insanity Is your morality universally applicable, or is it subject to arbitrary and convenient conditions based on how you feel on a certain day? If your moral principles are subjectively and inconsistently applied, then is that meaningful morality at all? Or are your presumptions of ethos nothing more than a pretentious self-righteous facade of self-aggrandizing benevolence, applied only when benevolence is easy? The bottom line is, what…
In defense of brutalism: Why we embrace the ugliness The barbaric World Wars - and the subsequent US-regime hegemony based on blood and corruption - brought us the cynicism and hopelessness we express through the deliberate ugliness of brutalist architecture. We didn’t just lose faith in the world; we lost hope in ourselves. This post is a follow-up to ‘Why civilisations collapse: Peak existential absurdism.’ https://sotiris.substack.com/p/why-civilisations-collapse…
The heartfelt art of meaningful relationships Nurturing connections with purpose, value, and understanding I once was in an abusive relationship, and I was the abuser. I was terrorizing the poor lady with my oppressive demands and mandates, burdening her with my crippling fears and insecurities, making my problems hers. To my eternal regret, I was verbally and psychologically abusive to her, taking her love for granted, forcing her to be a punching bag for my inner demons. I…
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