Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by Traubenfuchs 1731 days ago
What's good about being special or being in a state of desire? Isn't being "happy" or at least "content" a more logical goal?

Maybe this boils down to the question: Would you willingly enter the matrix, a fabricated world where you can be happy or fight in the real world? I assume you would say "no", while I would say "yes".
2 comments
gbuk2013 1731 days ago
What is special is the possibility of growth - what a cat can be is very limited compared to what a human can be.

Your reference to the Matrix is flawed in that you assume the "real" world is somehow not "fabricated", but it actually is via your sense perceptions. ;)

link
engineer_22 1731 days ago
This is a really great question. The West has been working on this particular question for the past 2,500 years. Michael Sugrue's lectures on YouTube do a nice job surveying the development of thought in the West over that period of time.
link