<![CDATA[author's forum for Metaphysics by Default

<![CDATA[author's forum for Metaphysics by Default - All Forums]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:35:26 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[David Robert's Review and Analysis of the Essay, With Comments on Modal Realism]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=79674 Fri, 15 May 2020 19:30:56 -0400 http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=79674 David Robert's review paper.

Quote:The Existential Passage Hypothesis: Book Review

This review will focus on chapters 9 and 11 (accessed July 6, 2018). The review is divided into four sections:
(1) summary of the chapters’ conclusions
(2) assessment of the chapters’ arguments
(3) further comments on the chapters, including suggestions for future research, and
(4) concluding remarks.

]]> David Robert's review paper.

Quote:The Existential Passage Hypothesis: Book Review

This review will focus on chapters 9 and 11 (accessed July 6, 2018). The review is divided into four sections:
(1) summary of the chapters’ conclusions
(2) assessment of the chapters’ arguments
(3) further comments on the chapters, including suggestions for future research, and
(4) concluding remarks.

]]> <![CDATA[Sample posts and exchanges]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=79662 Fri, 15 May 2020 17:12:23 -0400 http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=79662
Members at the defunct RichardDawkins.net forum ran a very active debate on this essay and many related subjects from May 2009 through January 2010, with over 1200 spirited posts in all. I participated under my own name, as member 'wstewart'.

As backup, I attach self-contained archival copies of the first and second Dawkins threads (.zip).

Thank you.]]>
Members at the defunct RichardDawkins.net forum ran a very active debate on this essay and many related subjects from May 2009 through January 2010, with over 1200 spirited posts in all. I participated under my own name, as member 'wstewart'.

As backup, I attach self-contained archival copies of the first and second Dawkins threads (.zip).

Thank you.]]> <![CDATA[Links to Open Individualism subreddit content]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=42174 Tue, 04 Dec 2018 23:52:37 -0500 http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=42174
Link: Open Individualism subreddit

Link: This author's subreddit posts

As backup, I attach a self-contained archival copy of posts and comments in r/OpenIndividualism and other subreddits: archive, June 2022 (.zip).

Thank you.]]>
Link: Open Individualism subreddit

Link: This author's subreddit posts

As backup, I attach a self-contained archival copy of posts and comments in r/OpenIndividualism and other subreddits: archive, June 2022 (.zip).

Thank you.]]> <![CDATA[Sample posts and exchanges ]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=8721 Thu, 10 Oct 2013 14:12:27 -0400 http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=8721 Scientific Conjecture About an Atheistic Conception of the Afterlife. I participated under my own name, as member 'wstewart', January 2013 - February 2013.

A SciForums sample:

A poster introduces Tom Clark's concept of generic subjective continuity: 1
I join the thread and summarize propositions from the similar concept, existential passage: 1
A poster proposes a same-structure criterion. Enforcement leads to intellectual chaos: 1 2 3 4 5 6
"So much for all that. All that... 'metaphysics'": 1

As backup, I attach a self-contained archival copy of the SciForums thread: archive, Feb. 2013 (.zip).

Thank you.]]> Scientific Conjecture About an Atheistic Conception of the Afterlife. I participated under my own name, as member 'wstewart', January 2013 - February 2013.

A SciForums sample:

A poster introduces Tom Clark's concept of generic subjective continuity: 1
I join the thread and summarize propositions from the similar concept, existential passage: 1
A poster proposes a same-structure criterion. Enforcement leads to intellectual chaos: 1 2 3 4 5 6
"So much for all that. All that... 'metaphysics'": 1

As backup, I attach a self-contained archival copy of the SciForums thread: archive, Feb. 2013 (.zip).

Thank you.]]> <![CDATA[Sample posts and exchanges]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=8703 Mon, 09 Sep 2013 13:30:02 -0400 http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=8703 Dar al-Hikma. I participated under my own name, as member 'wstewart', July - August 2013.

A Freethought Forum sample:

Opening with a question: "Does Old Paul pass to New?" 1
Essay approach to the question: Establishing precedence of the unfelt time-gap concept over personal identity: 1
Magical sci-fi thought experiments on personal identity: The case for lighting a match: 1 2 3
Opponents approach the question with lines of reasoning that seem irreconcilable. Someone's wrong: 1
An opponent tries to explain unfelt time-gaps: The predicted result: 1
The actual result: 1

As backup, I attach a self-contained archival copy of the Freethought Forum thread: archive, Aug. 2013 (.zip).

Thank you. ]]> Dar al-Hikma. I participated under my own name, as member 'wstewart', July - August 2013.

A Freethought Forum sample:

Opening with a question: "Does Old Paul pass to New?" 1
Essay approach to the question: Establishing precedence of the unfelt time-gap concept over personal identity: 1
Magical sci-fi thought experiments on personal identity: The case for lighting a match: 1 2 3
Opponents approach the question with lines of reasoning that seem irreconcilable. Someone's wrong: 1
An opponent tries to explain unfelt time-gaps: The predicted result: 1
The actual result: 1

As backup, I attach a self-contained archival copy of the Freethought Forum thread: archive, Aug. 2013 (.zip).

Thank you. ]]> <![CDATA[Sample posts and exchanges]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=21 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:21:50 -0400 http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=21 Continuation of Consciousness after Death. I participated under my own name, as member 'wstewart', June - December 2010.

A Philosophy Forums Sample:

A poster is intrigued by Tom Clark's naturalistic thought experiment, which raises questions on the nature of subjectivity, self and death: 1
Stripping the mask from self, and the other: 1
A poster attempts an abstract of EP/GSC reasoning, and I respond: 1 2
A cognitive science researcher explores models of subjectivity with us: 1 2 3
The metaphysical hazard of depersonalized conditions - a premise of EP/GSC reasoning: 1
Buddhism and EP/GSC reasoning: 1
Foundations of Consciousness - Drawing The Line: 1 2
Unfelt Time-Gaps - Does Old Paul Pass to New? 1 2 3 4
Does Old Paul Pass to New? A Poll: 1 2 3
Pulling out Occam's Razor: 1
A long conversation impresses the essay view of time-gaps upon a poster. He tacks to parallel our course: 1 2
A poster engages the concept of split passage: 1 2
Is metaphysical philosophy better without sci-fi? A Poll: 1

As backup, I attach a self-contained archival copy of the Philosophy Forums thread: archive, Dec. 2010 (.zip).

Thank you.]]> Continuation of Consciousness after Death. I participated under my own name, as member 'wstewart', June - December 2010.

A Philosophy Forums Sample:

A poster is intrigued by Tom Clark's naturalistic thought experiment, which raises questions on the nature of subjectivity, self and death: 1
Stripping the mask from self, and the other: 1
A poster attempts an abstract of EP/GSC reasoning, and I respond: 1 2
A cognitive science researcher explores models of subjectivity with us: 1 2 3
The metaphysical hazard of depersonalized conditions - a premise of EP/GSC reasoning: 1
Buddhism and EP/GSC reasoning: 1
Foundations of Consciousness - Drawing The Line: 1 2
Unfelt Time-Gaps - Does Old Paul Pass to New? 1 2 3 4
Does Old Paul Pass to New? A Poll: 1 2 3
Pulling out Occam's Razor: 1
A long conversation impresses the essay view of time-gaps upon a poster. He tacks to parallel our course: 1 2
A poster engages the concept of split passage: 1 2
Is metaphysical philosophy better without sci-fi? A Poll: 1

As backup, I attach a self-contained archival copy of the Philosophy Forums thread: archive, Dec. 2010 (.zip).

Thank you.]]> <![CDATA[Simple Comment]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=8 Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:21:34 -0400 http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=8
My name is Chadi... I am Druze myself, and I like forbidden simplicity in everything including the way I choose to express myself. My English is average or even less, but I know just enough for what I need...I would like to express by overall content with the spirit of this Chapter and MBD in general.
Undoubtedly, the Druze agree that the Path of Metaphysics and Natural Science converge on the cross point of the Adamic Nature itself.. otherwise, the Druze would not be the only people on earth who refuse to admit to any form of repelling conflict to have ever existed between the philosophy of the Druze Prophet Plato and his Brother in Druze Prophethood Aristotle....According to the Druze, the Adamic nature itself is a giant proof of how the two worlds are meant to interact
together. If The Universal Constructor wanted things in any other way, he would have constructed humans as pure spirits or as spiritless bodies. Anything Metaphysical must be paralleled by a Natural Translation in order for it to be knowledgeable, and anything that is beyond knowledge might as well not exist on any level, metaphysical or natural... altogether. Existence = Knowledge, and Knoweldge = Translation, and Translation = a continous Bridge between the Metaphyscial and The Physcial that must be respected in the same way as the body must be exercised and nourished even until the last living breath... From here, the Superiority of the Metaphysical over the Natural could be compared to the Superiority of the Object Translated over the Body of Translation itself... Nothing more, no fancy metaphysical empires of proof beyond this simple fact... In the world of Gnosticism which is our world as Druze, The Metaphysical needs the physical and not only the other way around... The Creator, in the Druze Wisdom, created the world based on a Gnostic Need, the need to be known... If this need could have ever been manageable without the physical world, there is no need for this world to begin with... Anything scienctific in this world must be embraced as part of the translation 1st in order to be put into perspective... Resisting change in this respect is the language of Fear and not the language of Gnosis...

Those are few basic thoughts that come to mind which I may elaborate on later on in greater depth... Excuse my grammar and vocab and perhaps my spelling as well... I would like to take this chance to send my regards to Mr. Wayne Stewart who has taken his time and effort to present an objective understanding of the Druze which is something rare...]]>
My name is Chadi... I am Druze myself, and I like forbidden simplicity in everything including the way I choose to express myself. My English is average or even less, but I know just enough for what I need...I would like to express by overall content with the spirit of this Chapter and MBD in general.
Undoubtedly, the Druze agree that the Path of Metaphysics and Natural Science converge on the cross point of the Adamic Nature itself.. otherwise, the Druze would not be the only people on earth who refuse to admit to any form of repelling conflict to have ever existed between the philosophy of the Druze Prophet Plato and his Brother in Druze Prophethood Aristotle....According to the Druze, the Adamic nature itself is a giant proof of how the two worlds are meant to interact
together. If The Universal Constructor wanted things in any other way, he would have constructed humans as pure spirits or as spiritless bodies. Anything Metaphysical must be paralleled by a Natural Translation in order for it to be knowledgeable, and anything that is beyond knowledge might as well not exist on any level, metaphysical or natural... altogether. Existence = Knowledge, and Knoweldge = Translation, and Translation = a continous Bridge between the Metaphyscial and The Physcial that must be respected in the same way as the body must be exercised and nourished even until the last living breath... From here, the Superiority of the Metaphysical over the Natural could be compared to the Superiority of the Object Translated over the Body of Translation itself... Nothing more, no fancy metaphysical empires of proof beyond this simple fact... In the world of Gnosticism which is our world as Druze, The Metaphysical needs the physical and not only the other way around... The Creator, in the Druze Wisdom, created the world based on a Gnostic Need, the need to be known... If this need could have ever been manageable without the physical world, there is no need for this world to begin with... Anything scienctific in this world must be embraced as part of the translation 1st in order to be put into perspective... Resisting change in this respect is the language of Fear and not the language of Gnosis...

Those are few basic thoughts that come to mind which I may elaborate on later on in greater depth... Excuse my grammar and vocab and perhaps my spelling as well... I would like to take this chance to send my regards to Mr. Wayne Stewart who has taken his time and effort to present an objective understanding of the Druze which is something rare...]]> <![CDATA[What would the implications be if humans embraced the notion of existential passage?]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=7 Sat, 30 May 2009 22:41:23 -0400 http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=7
This is purely speculation, but given that the majority of people on earth today believe in some form of afterlife and given the growing trends of people giving up their supernatural and religious beliefs I think existential passage could well be a commonplace belief among future generations.

The implications of such a world could be both positive and negative, depending on our confidence in the notion of Existential Passage.
With the following possible implications I will assume that we are almost 100% confident in our belief about EP:

The positive implications:

- We would have a self-interest in ensuring the safety and well being of all future conscious life forms.

- The world may become a more productive place as we may be less afraid of death and therefore less prone to wasting our time with irrational beliefs that play upon our fears of death ie. Religion.

- We may wear our personalities more lightly, realizing that it was just pure chance that we ended up with our particular bodies, characteristics etc. We may feel less hatred to people who are harming us in some way.

- We may feel more connected with each other and be less harsh/cruel to others.

- We may live happier lives coming to a fuller understanding of our place in nature.

The negative implications:

- Whilst we may have a self-interest in ensuring the safety of future conscious life forms we may still cause pain to present day conscious life forms since EP gives us no self-interest in ensuring their well-being. So a strong belief in EP still may not change our current ethical motivation to help others in the present.

- EP is a complete lottery as to who we end up existing as/"passing" to after we die. Given that the majority of conscious beings here on earth suffer painful existences, or at least painful deaths, EP does not sound a very comforting notion. Death may depress many people even more than it currently does.

- Life may be treasured less. People who are tired of their lives may be more willing to suicide in order to play their luck on the EP lottery in the hope that they pass to some being with a pleasurable life. The suicide rate might skyrocket.

- People hoping for peace when they die may be depressed that they must continue living as some other conscious being.

- People may try and kill off certain other species to ensure they don't pass to them.

I don't believe many of the above would actually play out but those are just some possible implications of a world that embraces the notion of existential passage.

Feel free to post your thoughts.]]>
This is purely speculation, but given that the majority of people on earth today believe in some form of afterlife and given the growing trends of people giving up their supernatural and religious beliefs I think existential passage could well be a commonplace belief among future generations.

The implications of such a world could be both positive and negative, depending on our confidence in the notion of Existential Passage.
With the following possible implications I will assume that we are almost 100% confident in our belief about EP:

The positive implications:

- We would have a self-interest in ensuring the safety and well being of all future conscious life forms.

- The world may become a more productive place as we may be less afraid of death and therefore less prone to wasting our time with irrational beliefs that play upon our fears of death ie. Religion.

- We may wear our personalities more lightly, realizing that it was just pure chance that we ended up with our particular bodies, characteristics etc. We may feel less hatred to people who are harming us in some way.

- We may feel more connected with each other and be less harsh/cruel to others.

- We may live happier lives coming to a fuller understanding of our place in nature.

The negative implications:

- Whilst we may have a self-interest in ensuring the safety of future conscious life forms we may still cause pain to present day conscious life forms since EP gives us no self-interest in ensuring their well-being. So a strong belief in EP still may not change our current ethical motivation to help others in the present.

- EP is a complete lottery as to who we end up existing as/"passing" to after we die. Given that the majority of conscious beings here on earth suffer painful existences, or at least painful deaths, EP does not sound a very comforting notion. Death may depress many people even more than it currently does.

- Life may be treasured less. People who are tired of their lives may be more willing to suicide in order to play their luck on the EP lottery in the hope that they pass to some being with a pleasurable life. The suicide rate might skyrocket.

- People hoping for peace when they die may be depressed that they must continue living as some other conscious being.

- People may try and kill off certain other species to ensure they don't pass to them.

I don't believe many of the above would actually play out but those are just some possible implications of a world that embraces the notion of existential passage.

Feel free to post your thoughts.]]> <![CDATA[Objections & Replies, Concerning Existential Passage / Generic Subjective Continuity]]> http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=6 Sat, 30 May 2009 03:25:30 -0400 http://mbdefault.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=6 naturalism.org site, under the page titled, "DNS Replies".

Mr. Clark and I have examined the objections and posted our respective replies to all. The structure of the page is as below:

]]> naturalism.org site, under the page titled, "DNS Replies".

Mr. Clark and I have examined the objections and posted our respective replies to all. The structure of the page is as below:

]]>