DefiantDandelion on Nostr: I’ll take the claim on directly. If our actions are predetermined do our actions ...
I’ll take the claim on directly. If our actions are predetermined do our actions hold significance?
*Significance* doesn’t have a meaning outside of the observer. Significant to whom. Already your actions are fairly insignificant to me. I don’t know you or your family, your successes and failures don’t sway me emotionally. They don’t motivate me. They are insignificant. Predetermined or not they are already insignificant, why would whether they are predetermined or not sway significance in any direction further.
Saying it is predetermined is akin to saying the past and the future have been played out already, simultaneously with the creation of the universe. But it doesn’t follow that when it all played out simultaneously that I didn’t have significance. It’s just that our observation of the universe happens in one direction so I won’t observe what my will *will* be until I get to that point in time. But it doesn’t steal my significance from me. I’m still a creature in the universe with the history I have, evolved to this point. desires, wants, plans, etc. so when I carry out my actions they are significant to me. They motivate me, etc.
As a creature in space and time my actions remain significant to me and any observer that cares to know my life.
The modifier of “real” before significance in your question, means important or significant. So this just breaks into significant significance which is either repeated word without a distinction to the meaning without it, or their must be some observer whois if my life is significant to them, then it is *really* significant, not your run of the mill significance. If god exists then ones life is only really significant if the god has an interest in your actions. If no god exists I can’t make the phrase “real significance” have any different meaning as “significance” alone. In which case the significance of the actions is still held by the observer, still primarily themselves.
*Significance* doesn’t have a meaning outside of the observer. Significant to whom. Already your actions are fairly insignificant to me. I don’t know you or your family, your successes and failures don’t sway me emotionally. They don’t motivate me. They are insignificant. Predetermined or not they are already insignificant, why would whether they are predetermined or not sway significance in any direction further.
Saying it is predetermined is akin to saying the past and the future have been played out already, simultaneously with the creation of the universe. But it doesn’t follow that when it all played out simultaneously that I didn’t have significance. It’s just that our observation of the universe happens in one direction so I won’t observe what my will *will* be until I get to that point in time. But it doesn’t steal my significance from me. I’m still a creature in the universe with the history I have, evolved to this point. desires, wants, plans, etc. so when I carry out my actions they are significant to me. They motivate me, etc.
As a creature in space and time my actions remain significant to me and any observer that cares to know my life.
The modifier of “real” before significance in your question, means important or significant. So this just breaks into significant significance which is either repeated word without a distinction to the meaning without it, or their must be some observer whois if my life is significant to them, then it is *really* significant, not your run of the mill significance. If god exists then ones life is only really significant if the god has an interest in your actions. If no god exists I can’t make the phrase “real significance” have any different meaning as “significance” alone. In which case the significance of the actions is still held by the observer, still primarily themselves.