The Big Metaphysical Questions by Michael Manbeck

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The Big Metaphysical Questions by Michael Manbeck

What is the meaning of life?

My Beliefs I don't have an appeal to one theory in particular. However, I do see the reasoning why Nietzsche believes life doesn't have inherent meaning. From that stance, I believe it's up to me to make my life meaningful in my own way.

Friedrich Nietzsche According to Nietzsche, the meaning of life is to "live authentically and powerfully, creating one's own goals and values." Nietzsche popularized the theory of Nihilism, essentially stating that life doesn't have an inherent meaning or purpose.

Thomas Aquinas According to Aquinas, life is a gift from God to be loved, nurtured and lived in proper charity.

Baruch Spinoza Spinoza believed that the way to 'salvation' was to live life to expand one's understanding of God, and of nature and its laws. Spinoza believed that philosophy, like a spiritual practice, was a way of life, whose goal is happiness and liberation.

Does God exist?

My Beliefs I am not sure of my beliefs yet, but I like Spinoza's theory, that God is the whole of nature interconnected. Right now, I refuse to believe in any theory in particular.

Religion and Spirituality

David Hume Hume believed that if God exists, he cannot fit the criteria for being all-knowing, all-powerful, and entirely beneficent. The presence of evil suggests God is either all-powerful but not completely good, or he is well-meaning but unable to destroy evil, and so not all-powerful.

Ralph Cudworth Cudworth believed that God exists, not knowing what he/it appears or manifests as.

Thomas Aquinas Aquinas believed that God exists, because existence in itself is a part of God's essence or nature.

Friedrich Nietzsche Nietzsche famously said "God is Dead." Nietzsche believes that the Enlightenment eliminates the possibility for a god to exist.

Cosmology and Cosmogony

Thomas Aquinas Aquinas believed that something can not come from nothing, therefore there must be a 'first mover' of the universe, which is God.

Baruch Spinoza Spinoza believes that there is only one substance in the universe, God, and therefore everything that exists is God. He believes the universe follows a set of natural laws, that everything that happens could not have happened differently, and that the universe is one being, which is God.

What is consciousness?

My Beliefs I am not sure what I truly believe in yet, but I would like to believe that the mind and body are separate entities, which is called dualism. I believe this theory allows reincarnation to be possible.

Mind and Matter

Thomas Hobbes Hobbes denied the existence of a non-material mind, because everything that existed had to be material.

Rene Descartes Descartes founded the concept of Cartesian dualism, which in simple terms states that the mind and body are distinct substances.

Existence and Consciousness

John Locke Locke believes that personal identity, the self, is founded on consciousness.

Rene Descartes Descartes believes that consciousness is an innate property of all thoughts, by which the individual becomes aware of the thought itself.

Overall Conclusion I've learned more about myself in researching these questions and theories, in that I am very undecided in what I believe in. Since there are so many answers and theories to these questions that I still don't know of or understand, I cannot come to a reasonable conclusion to any of them yet. From what I have learned in this short period of time, I find each theory and answer to have many pros and cons, with good-willed reasoning in all of them. For the future, I will continue to expand my depth and breadth of understanding on many of these concepts. Eventually, I'll be able to come to conclusions on my beliefs around these questions.