Phillip K. Dick: Philosopher and Crazy Person

I'm just wondering if anyone else thinks that in his philosophical rants he can be spot on but also borderline insane? Sometimes when I reflect on his theories I have a clear standpoint of agreeing or disagreeing but sometimes I just don't know what the hell he is talking about. And then the more I think about it the more I feel part of my sanity slipping away.

I really enjoy most of his fictional work because they have a good balance between characters, plot and philosophy but I'm about half way through the first book in his Valis trilogy and I find myself wondering if I should just ignore some of the rants entirely instead of reflecting on them. Two things to note about that book, there are many rants and they are very long. The whole premise is that Dick was possessed by some all-knowing entity and just scribed what he felt through that entity. Maybe he had aspirations of spawning a new Bible or something? Claiming he was divinely inspired.

I am particularly a fan of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Ubik. Androids because he questions the meaning and definition of life while exploring the possibility that everything is pointless or a lie and despite the knowledge of that people continuing theirs lives anyway. Ubik because it has an exciting plot but delves into his typical fair of questioning reality as a whole.

But this Valis series has very few plot elements and a lot of philosophy or what I like to call bullshit :D. Part of what probably drove Dick insane was that by pointing out the various dimensions of our existence it didn't necessarily accomplish anything. People still have to get up the next morning and go about their business.

Optimist, Pessimist, Realist

I was having a debate with a friend the other day about whether I was a pessimist or a realist. At the time they were telling me I was a downer and hence a pessimist but I thought there was more to it than that. I argued that the fact that I would rather be a realist instead of a pessimist showed that I cared to some degree and that cleared me from the label of pessimist. They responded by telling me I was just afraid of commitment, which my ex-girlfriend would probably agree with.

But realists can often seem like pessimists, especially when in the company of optimists (better known as naive fools, that is more realism based on experience). But never tell an optimist that unless you want to piss them off, in which case you can proceed that they should be more optimistic about your pessimism. This will quickly escalate the conversation into a primal affair and will render all intellectual conversation moot in exchange for a verbal pissing contest. Which is probably (subconsciously) the real reason anyone brought the topic up. Because one of you were probably just pissed about something unrelated and wanted to release your emotions in the most indirect and pointless way possible. Or you enjoy the emotional conflict because of some primal spirit, the spirit of debate or just plain boredom.

I guess optimists are setting themselves up for failure while living happily day to day. Pessimists are setting themselves up for success while living sadly day to day. Realists are just lingering between wasting away and blogging their thoughts, hoping someone important or some internet deity will object to or confirm what they are saying.

Stream of Consciousness

I doubt this is ground-breaking stuff, probably naive and inarticulate but what are you gonna do....

We have no free will. Choice is an illusion. We are all the direct result of our society. The choices we make are also influenced by the society. We attempt to identify ourselves and come to an understanding of who we are yet even this self-discovery is an illusion. Since a society can exist in a variety of contexts, one may have the influence of one or more societies in ones life. One may redefine their life entirely and "switch" societies. But most of us are some combination of macro and micro societies. The illusion of free will and choice are such that your choice will be a direct result of the various influences of your life. Your "choice" is simply the result of the strongest imprint left by the various influences. You take a "stand" on a certain issue. Dedicate your life to a certain purpose. But this purpose is merely a result of your influences and experiences. Does this make your purpose less valid? Not in the eyes of your peers. Perhaps in the eyes of some deity. But if your purpose is not valid to a deity, they are indifferent to it either way, and would take no offense to your direction.

Opposing an influencing society in your life is not abnormal because you must do this in order to accept another. Since we are finite and cannot be universally accepting of all societies (although we can probably at least be tolerant of them) it is natural to reject certain aspects or influences entirely. Our rationale for this task is most likely the culmination of our influences and experience. If you were raised without money and were taught to value it then your purpose may be stability or to a greater extent abundance. But if at some point you develop a disease that dictates your life you may switch your focus.

Natural instincts surely play a roll as by our biological clocks we may desire to procreate and extend our line. But that too is not truly a choice; merely a primordial societal impulse. The most generic and simplistic society is that of the human species. We all desire (to some extent) to live. We evolve, progress and continue our species because it is the ultimate purpose. As we split into smaller societies defined by religion and geography (and therefore skin color and culture) we still desire progress but have a priority shift to accommodate for these other influences. We want to live, but only in the fashion defined by our religion, which we believe should be the same for all others. All those who oppose will convert their views or die. Those that are alienated from their culture may convert. Those that prioritize survival may convert. Those that are alienated from that culture may resist. Those that believe they have a better chance of survival on either side will choose so accordingly.

Thanks Mom and Dad! (sarcasm)

As a child raised in a relatively traditional "Christian" household I was fortunate that my parents didn't force their beliefs on me.... well not directly.

It was more of the, hey I'm not going to tell you what you believe, but assume that you agree with me because it is the "right" thing to believe. And if you don't I'm going to passively aggressively manipulate and guilt you into doing what I want anyway.

I wouldn't really call my parents mean or manipulative, I honestly think to some extent they aren't really aware of their own behavior. What can a parent do but raise their children the way they know best? I guess they can try to find other "better" ways, but that has its limits. Obviously there are some flat out wrong behaviors that I don't feel the need to even mention, but even things like spanking a child are up for debate.

I still think "spare the rod, spoil the child" was thrown in by some religious person that was also an advocate for self-flagellation.

With that said, I still care about them a great deal, because we have shared many positive and negative experiences that have brought us together. I just wish they didn't fear the process of questioning ones beliefs.

Hopefully I keep this up

As a 20 something year old I seem to have this urge to try to new things randomly. I don't always follow through with them, but I try to. I still can't manage to exercise on a regular basis.

This blog is serving as the most recent addition attempt for me to do something new. Although I am doing this as a release for my thoughts and feelings, it would be great if people could learn things from my experiences (or vice versa). I haven't figured out if this is a backup to my journal or something that is going to function with it or in replacement of it, I guess there isn't any pre-defined set of rules to follow so we will see.

Let's get it on!