Anti-realism is often a way to soothe an inherent existential crisis

[Atla]

Realism isn't all rainbows and lollipops. You exist in an objective reality that you have very little influence over. You are insignificant. Your existence carries little to no meaning. The world was there before you, and the world will be there after you, your short existence never really mattered in the grand scheme of things.

That can make the inherent existential crisis worse. So people tried a thousand different kinds of escapisms, one of them being the anti-realism. Now in a strange sense, you have placed yourself into a central position within existence. The world somehow depends on you and maybe other beings. Without you, there is no world. Without you, there are no features of the world. You are significant, what you do and what you are is meaningful. You get to write the rules, at least to same degree.

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[Atla]

Notes: KIV

[nemos]

Strictly speaking, we (our conscious self) do not exist in time, but only at a specific moment in time. Everything that "was" before this moment in time exists only as memories, which are not always fixed in a clear mind. The future exists only hypothetically, in the context of fantasies or plans.
So, specifically, my existence is not affected by the question of what was or will be after me, because I am not there, I am only here and now.

[Peter Holmes]

Realism isn't all rainbows and lollipops. You exist in an objective reality that you have very little influence over. You are insignificant. Your existence carries little to no meaning. The world was there before you, and the world will be there after you, your short existence never really mattered in the grand scheme of things.

That can make the inherent existential crisis worse. So people tried a thousand different kinds of escapisms, one of them being the anti-realism. Now in a strange sense, you have placed yourself into a central position within existence. The world somehow depends on you and maybe other beings. Without you, there is no world. Without you, there are no features of the world. You are significant, what you do and what you are is meaningful. You get to write the rules, at least to same degree.

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Thanks. That's an interesting angle. And I think you're right about the many other kinds of escapism, among which I'd include religion.

And along with meeting individual need, there's the anthropocentric exceptionalism built into most religious myths - which carried and carries over into the kind of antirealism that VA promotes: reality is what humans experience and know.

[Skepdick]

Realism isn't all rainbows and lollipops. You exist in an objective reality that you have very little influence over. You are insignificant. Your existence carries little to no meaning. The world was there before you, and the world will be there after you, your short existence never really mattered in the grand scheme of things.

That can make the inherent existential crisis worse. So people tried a thousand different kinds of escapisms, one of them being the anti-realism. Now in a strange sense, you have placed yourself into a central position within existence. The world somehow depends on you and maybe other beings. Without you, there is no world. Without you, there are no features of the world. You are significant, what you do and what you are is meaningful. You get to write the rules, at least to same degree.

Views??
Discuss??

Antirealism isn't a stance against reality. It's a stance against the shortsightedness of realism.

Suppose that the project of realism, ultimately, succeeds. Suppose that the project of realism - the task of mirroring/representing nature comes to a fruitful end.

And now we have two copies of nature. One in nature and one in the heads of realists.
There's nature. There's the realists mirroring nature.

OK. And then what happens?

Follow this up with the philosophical idiocy of pursuing truth. OK. You lets say you found it! Now what?

[Iwannaplato]

Realism isn't all rainbows and lollipops. You exist in an objective reality that you have very little influence over. You are insignificant. Your existence carries little to no meaning. The world was there before you, and the world will be there after you, your short existence never really mattered in the grand scheme of things.

That can make the inherent existential crisis worse. So people tried a thousand different kinds of escapisms, one of them being the anti-realism. Now in a strange sense, you have placed yourself into a central position within existence. The world somehow depends on you and maybe other beings. Without you, there is no world. Without you, there are no features of the world. You are significant, what you do and what you are is meaningful. You get to write the rules, at least to same degree.

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Discuss??

I enjoyed the parody involved in this.
But let's take it at face value. I don't think antirealism needs to be founded on this need/desire/yearning/want, though I appreciate bringing it up being good for the gander.

It could be argued this cuts both ways: there can be an urge to humble everyone. Hey, you're not important - especially when coupled with 'and I have already faced this truth'. So, this could be a motivation for realism and that kind of dominance behavior.

Could, in both cases.

But, fun stuff!

[Skepdick]

And along with meeting individual need, there's the anthropocentric exceptionalism built into most religious myths.

reality is what humans experience and know.

Reality is. The end.

Everything after is exactly that "anthropocentric exceptionalism built into religious myths." - the myth of separating reality from humans.

The fundamental categorical confusion.

[Atla]

Realism isn't all rainbows and lollipops. You exist in an objective reality that you have very little influence over. You are insignificant. Your existence carries little to no meaning. The world was there before you, and the world will be there after you, your short existence never really mattered in the grand scheme of things.

That can make the inherent existential crisis worse. So people tried a thousand different kinds of escapisms, one of them being the anti-realism. Now in a strange sense, you have placed yourself into a central position within existence. The world somehow depends on you and maybe other beings. Without you, there is no world. Without you, there are no features of the world. You are significant, what you do and what you are is meaningful. You get to write the rules, at least to same degree.

Views??
Discuss??

I enjoyed the parody involved in this.
But let's take it at face value. I don't think antirealism needs to be founded on this need/desire/yearning/want, though I appreciate bringing it up being good for the gander.

It could be argued this cuts both ways: there can be an urge to humble everyone. Hey, you're not important - especially when coupled with 'and I have already faced this truth'. So, this could be a motivation for realism and that kind of dominance behavior.

Could, in both cases.

But, fun stuff!

Yeah so I put the word 'often' into the thread title. Neither is anti-realism usually based on spiritual escapist narcissism, nor is realism usually based on something similar. But I really think that to some anti-realists, the main reason really is that they can feel all special, all warm and fuzzy inside, now that in anti-realism, the world kinda revolves around them. VA has always generously overlooked this detail while blaming all realists for a very similar thing.

[Skepdick]

Yeah so I put the word 'often' into the thread title. Neither is anti-realism usually based on spiritual escapist narcissism, nor is realism usually based on something similar. But I really think that to some anti-realists, the main reason really is that they can feel all special, all warm and fuzzy inside, now that in anti-realism, the world kinda revolves around them. VA has always generously overlooked this detail while blaming all realists for a very similar thing.

That's hilarious!

In the most literal sense possible with metaphorical language - reality revolves around; and engulfs the realists.

Must be a warm and fuzzy place at the centre of realism. Surrounded by all these real things.

[Atla]

Realism isn't all rainbows and lollipops. You exist in an objective reality that you have very little influence over. You are insignificant. Your existence carries little to no meaning. The world was there before you, and the world will be there after you, your short existence never really mattered in the grand scheme of things.

That can make the inherent existential crisis worse. So people tried a thousand different kinds of escapisms, one of them being the anti-realism. Now in a strange sense, you have placed yourself into a central position within existence. The world somehow depends on you and maybe other beings. Without you, there is no world. Without you, there are no features of the world. You are significant, what you do and what you are is meaningful. You get to write the rules, at least to same degree.

Views??
Discuss??

Antirealism isn't a stance against reality. It's a stance against the shortsightedness of realism.

Suppose that the project of realism, ultimately, succeeds. Suppose that the project of realism - the task of mirroring/representing nature comes to a fruitful end.

And now we have two copies of nature. One in nature and one in the heads of realists.
There's nature. There's the realists mirroring nature.

OK. And then what happens?

Follow this up with the philosophical idiocy of pursuing truth. OK. You lets say you found it! Now what?

Your 'post' doesn't seem to be related to either realism or anti-realism.

[Skepdick]

Realism isn't all rainbows and lollipops. You exist in an objective reality that you have very little influence over. You are insignificant. Your existence carries little to no meaning. The world was there before you, and the world will be there after you, your short existence never really mattered in the grand scheme of things.

That can make the inherent existential crisis worse. So people tried a thousand different kinds of escapisms, one of them being the anti-realism. Now in a strange sense, you have placed yourself into a central position within existence. The world somehow depends on you and maybe other beings. Without you, there is no world. Without you, there are no features of the world. You are significant, what you do and what you are is meaningful. You get to write the rules, at least to same degree.

Views??
Discuss??

Antirealism isn't a stance against reality. It's a stance against the shortsightedness of realism.

Suppose that the project of realism, ultimately, succeeds. Suppose that the project of realism - the task of mirroring/representing nature comes to a fruitful end.

And now we have two copies of nature. One in nature and one in the heads of realists.
There's nature. There's the realists mirroring nature.

OK. And then what happens?

Follow this up with the philosophical idiocy of pursuing truth. OK. You lets say you found it! Now what?

Your 'post' doesn't seem to be related to either realism or anti-realism.

A non-sequitur exploited for the purposes of deflection.

Atla is a one trick pony...

[Flannel Jesus]

Notes: KIV

254?

[Wizard22]

The human animal, brain, suffers from Confirmation Bias from reality. When 'reality' is negative, which is very often, the human brain becomes defensive, and reacts with attempts to 'Negate' the negative-reality, which is Nihilistic/Nihilism. This attempt to "negate Negative-Reality" is the gateway to "Anti-Reality", an attempt to reject (Negative) reality. Ignorance (selective reasoning) is a mental defensive mechanism against negative-reality.

Philosophy is a craft, practice, and method to resist the compulsion to ignore negative-reality, but rather confront it and accept it for what it is: Realism/Realist Philosophies.

Philosophy is antithetical to Nihilism/Anti-Realism.

[Iwannaplato]

Yeah so I put the word 'often' into the thread title.

Ah, yes, I missed that. More generous that some of these generalized mindreading OPs we've seen.

Neither is anti-realism usually based on spiritual escapist narcissism, nor is realism usually based on something similar. But I really think that to some anti-realists, the main reason really is that they can feel all special, all warm and fuzzy inside, now that in anti-realism, the world kinda revolves around them.

Interestingly - to me - I mulled a bit over who are metaphysical anti-realists who are not directly philosophers or scientists, and these are the groups I came up with:
Postmodernists, Social Constructionists, Critical Theorists, some Feminist Epistemologists and Poststructuralists. Of course there are philosopher versions of all these categories, but there are a lot of people who got these views trickle down and may not have thought much about it. It just seems obvious within their social groups and subcultures.

Do they really see themselves as in the center and more important. The odd thing is that while some of these belief systems actually humble the members of the lay groups - who are often white, middle class for example - and deny the great narratives, you do get to be special as long as you are philosophically humble (and likely humble) in other ways. I don't know if that is inherent in metaphysical antirealism or has more to do with getting with what is or seems to be the in-group.

VA has always generously overlooked this detail while blaming all realists for a very similar thing.

Yeah, that crap was always both silly and rude.

Hence my enjoyment of the thread.

I mean, people can manage to take joy and seek domination in abasing themselves, even. I have abased myself but you haven't abased yourself enough (read: I am good and you are not). There are a number of worldviews where this is perhaps even common.

VA's mindreading and psychology have always been facile and self-serving when he throws in his universalized ad homs.

[Impenitent]

a number of worldviews?

nope, it has to have a framework

individual existentialist be damned...

-Imp