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Is Happiness More Important Than Truth?

zago

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I would say I'm balanced in that respect.

I don't recall making any definitive autobiographical statement there.

You said man/nature chooses the pursuit of happiness over the pursuit of wisdom. Balance is something I can agree with, from how you've defined it.

Forever_Jung started this thread…is that danseen?

Got my threads mixed up, was thinking about the "morality" one. That's who danseen is.
 

entpersonal

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You said man/nature chooses the pursuit of happiness over the pursuit of wisdom.

Usually. It's more that nature favors hedonism and pursuits like food and sex over the pursuit of wisdom, which nature hardly provisions with the same level of "feel-good" brain chemicals. In my estimation, wisdom helps the individual, and if applied his future well-being, more than the species and its continuation per se, commonly defined.
 

cafe

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Happiness is more important. The trouble is sustaining it in the absence of truth. Truth tends to pop out.
 

Mole

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If we are in touch with reality, we will be happy in some situations and unhappy in others.

But those who want to be happy all the time deny reality and seek illusions.

They seek the illusion of mbti, the illusion of astrology, the illusion of drugs and alcohol, the illusion of sex, and the greatest aphrodisiac of all: power.

But power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely, so that is why we limit power with liberal democracy.
 

Solar Plexus

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Great topic! I would say they are both equally important, but if I had to choose one over the other, I would pick happiness. There are plenty of wise/knowledgeable people who fail to use their intelligence for their own benefit or that of others due to a lack of confidence or "knowledge" of how to appropriate it. Oftentimes, confidence will get a person further in life than certain types of intelligence, but a balance between the two would be ideal. Still, better to be happy and delusional than wise and miserable.

Also, many people who esteemed themselves as having attained great knowledge were later discovered to be not as knowledgeable as they had supposed.
 

Mole

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Trust to do what? I'm not running for office here.

Well, is it wise to marry someone who is happy and delusional?

Is it wise to have children with someone who is happy and delusional?

Is it wise to employ someone who is happy and delusional?
 

Solar Plexus

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Well, is it wise to marry someone who is happy and delusional?

Is it wise to have children with someone who is happy and delusional?

Is it wise to employ someone who is happy and delusional?

Well...that depends on what their delusions are and to what extent they are delusional. Most people probably aren't 100% accurate in their assessment of themselves and others anyway.

Is it wise to marry someone who is unhappy?

Is it wise to have children with someone who is unhappy?

Is it wise to employ someone who is unhappy?

The worst case scenario would be to get involved with somebody who is unhappy AND delusional; whose delusions and unhappiness reinforce each other. Optimism, on the other hand, can go a long way; much further than pessimism. Negativity is oppressive. Positivity is progressive. I would rather be with someone who has a generally positive outlook on life than a person who dwells on the negative aspects of everything.
 
G

garbage

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'course, in the short term, being blind to the truth, whether willfully or not, can cause unhappiness later. Delusions can bite us in the ass later on, as can.. sheer stupidity. I'm sure we're talking more about an actual dilemma, though, which would give us a stickier question.

So the question could be whether we should trade for some long-term constant happiness (joy, inner peace, maybe?) for truth. Our only obligation in life is to experience it. Taking that philosophy, I'd say that happiness is more important. (If it can be reached through truth, all the better.)

The only niggling issue is whether it's important to pass something on to others. Both happiness and truth can do that to some extent. We can radiate joy and inspire others, and/or we can make ourselves miserable in seeking the truth for others' benefit.
 

Mole

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Well...that depends on what their delusions are and to what extent they are delusional. Most people probably aren't 100% accurate in their assessment of themselves and others anyway.

Is it wise to marry someone who is unhappy?

Is it wise to have children with someone who is unhappy?

Is it wise to employ someone who is unhappy?

The worst case scenario would be to get involved with somebody who is unhappy AND delusional; whose delusions and unhappiness reinforce each other. Optimism, on the other hand, can go a long way; much further than pessimism. Negativity is oppressive. Positivity is progressive. I would rather be with someone who has a generally positive outlook on life than a person who dwells on the negative aspects of everything.

Sometimes reality makes us happy, and sometimes reaiity makes us unhappy.

But whether reality makes us happy or unhappy, reality makes us sane.

Perhaps you are misled by your Declaration of Independence which guarantees the right to puruse happiness.
 

Solar Plexus

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Sometimes reality makes us happy, and sometimes reaiity makes us unhappy.

But whether reality makes us happy or unhappy, reality makes us sane.

Perhaps you are misled by your Declaration of Independence which guarantees the right to puruse happiness.

And what is Mole's declaration?

Are you sane or is your own sanity a delusion?
 

Mole

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There is no blood on the wattle.

And what is Mole's declaration?

Are you sane or is your own sanity a delusion?

Well,

We did not rebel against lawful authority and so have no need for a Declaration of Independence.

We have remained loyal to lawful authority in our Parliament and our Judiciary.

And we have had no Civil War.

Today is Australia Day, and the wattle is our national symbol, and as we say, there is no blood on the wattle.
 

Solar Plexus

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Well,

We did not rebel against lawful authority and so have no need for a Declaration of Independence.

We have remained loyal to lawful authority in our Parliament and our Judiciary.

And we have had no Civil War.

Today is Australia Day, and the wattle is our national symbol, and as we say, there is no blood on the wattle.

But you do have dingoes and they eat babies, which is far more vile than a civil war.

Why have you allowed the dingoes to eat your babies? Is that the hallmark of your sanity? Or does it give you some sick satisfaction? I wouldn't expect anything less from a colony of criminals who had no loyalty to their lawfully appointed authority.
 

Mole

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a colony of criminals who had no loyalty to their lawfully appointed authority.

Indeed, you were a colony for 200 years, and a penal colony to boot. But when you had your illegal rebellion in 1776, they couldn't send their convicts to you, so they sent them to us.
 

Solar Plexus

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Indeed, you were a colony for 200 years, and a penal colony to boot. But when you had your illegal rebellion in 1776, they couldn't send their convicts to you, so they sent them to us.

Then Badger, Ratty and Toad could no longer tolerate Mole's superiority complex and tendency to point out the flaws of others while ignoring his own. And as we know, Mole rhymes with Troll and this is no strange coincidence. And so Mole was ostracised for being a troll and exiled to a life underneath the bridge where he befriended Dingo and together they ate babies for the remainder of their days.
 

Alea_iacta_est

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Indeed, you were a colony for 200 years, and a penal colony to boot. But when you had your illegal rebellion in 1776, they couldn't send their convicts to you, so they sent them to us.

Actually I think Georgia was the only American colony that truly served as a penal colony for debtors and criminals.

To quote a favorite movie of mine:
"A rebellion is always legal in the first person, such as "our rebellion." It is only in the third person - "their rebellion" - that it becomes illegal."
 

Julius_Van_Der_Beak

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Actually I think Georgia was the only American colony that truly served as a penal colony for debtors and criminals.

To quote a favorite movie of mine:
"A rebellion is always legal in the first person, such as "our rebellion." It is only in the third person - "their rebellion" - that it becomes illegal."

It's also notorious for being the birthplace of Stalin.
 
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