TRUTH & ASSUMPTIONS
We all have unprovable assumptions that lead to our beliefs, assumptions that are truly matters of faith. Once I boil beliefs down to the assumptions and find a logical consistency with those assumptions, I can truly KNOW what it is that I believe. My current assumptions are as follows:
1. I Exist. If I didn't exist, there is no point continuing this discussion.
2. Existence Exists. There IS a real reality out there, around me.
3. I Perceive Myself and Existence. I am aware of the Existence around me, of myself as part of that Existence, and of the interactions between myself and Existence and between different elements of Existence. Perception includes not only the five acknowledged senses, but any other means by which we could become aware of a portion of Existence. This includes means of perception held by other portions of Existence that WE do not have, but which when perceived by that other portion of Existence could affect us in even a minute way. In this way, all Existence is a seamless web. To the extent something cannot be perceived, now or at any time, in any such way, shape or form, it does NOT exist.
4. There are NO Contradictions. If I find a contradiction in my actions, words, beliefs, and/or feelings, something is wrong. It is then time to check my "facts," reasoning, or assumptions. Permitting contradictions to exist, wherever I find them, denies the fundamental reality of Existence.
5. 100% Proof of Anything is Impossible; But that Doesn't Make Proof Irrelevant. Hegel and Gödel pointed out that, ultimately, ALL our beliefs involve leaps of faith. However, I assume that any level of proof places a belief or theory closer to the truth than one that has a lesser level of proof. I see this as simply stripping down one's beliefs so that our assumptions can be clearly seen. To the extent we do not ask for proof, we allow ourselves to hold beliefs that are unquestioned at best, and rife with contradictions at worst.
6. I Have Free Will. The weight of the evidence tells me there is no free will. Against free will, there is the cause and effect nature of Newtonian physics, certain people who have "seen" the future, and the concept of GOD (such as in the Omega Point proof of GOD) that has unlimited perspective and hence unlimited knowledge. Cutting both ways are the mathematics of quantum mechanics that force us to accept that every universe that could happen does in fact happen, and the "probabilistic" nature of predictions as displayed in the TaNaKh Cipher (The Bible Code) and errors by otherwise credible "seers." In favor of free will, there is the utter unpredictability of quantum mechanics where "choices" seem only to be matters of probability, and the fact that I FEEL like I have a choice.
It seems to me that the concept of "free will" really doesn't address properly what we are doing here when we make "choices." Regardless, if I don't believe I can make a difference with my choices, I won't try to make choices anymore. I WANT to be able to make a difference in my life, so therefore, regardless of the evidence, I have chosen to act as if I have free will!
7. Learning is Important. My relentlessly questioning of someone on a topic is designed to encourage that person to say something that will change my mind. The usual reasons I will change my mind (in discussion or otherwise) include discovering new facts, discovering new perspectives, or finding an interplay between known facts and/or perspectives that I hadn't noticed before. To eliminate sources of error I would otherwise incorporate in my beliefs, I need to "lose" arguments.
8. Trying is Important. I can't even BEGIN to justify this assumption! All I know is that after I die, I would want to be able to look back at the life I led, the choices I made, and to be able to say to myself, I did it right. (Imagine Frank Sinatra singing "My Way.") I do not assume that I will have this ability, only that I would want to be proud of my choices if I ever had the opportunity to reflect upon them after death. This assumption REQUIRES that I avoid the short cuts offered by "authorities" that ask me to believe without independently considering the merits of their positions.
9. I am my Own Highest Purpose. I do not believe I am here on earth to serve others, I am here to serve myself. I do not feel the need to justify my actions, my words, my feelings, to anyone other than to myself and my own long-term self interest. Coercion is the ultimate "sin," and I do not accept a moral code that allows others to place a claim on my life, liberty or property without my consent. If I serve others I do it for my own sake, not for theirs. This does not mean I choose to act selfishly or immorally, or to dishonor commitments I have chosen to make, because ultimately these behaviors are not in my long term self interest.
As an aside to this final assumption, I believe that by serving my own long term selfish interests, I also serve society's long term self interest. I don't consider this an assumption, but an opinion with ample supporting evidence. I find that every coercive redistribution from a producer to a non-producer results in both the producer and non-producer become less likely to make further effort to produce. This is true whether the coercion is in the form of tax dollars exacted by an entrenched government or the implicit demand from an abusive lover for "unconditional" love.
Inflicting this coercion, and accepting this coercion, is nothing more than surrendering to short term self interest; the coercer gets the goods and the coerced gets to avoid conflict. This is true both from an individual and societal perspective. It is a slow-acting poison that ultimately kills respect, love, and joy. Inflicting AND accepting this coercion is a death spiral. I do the best I can not to take part in it.
