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RE: The Philosophy Of Free Will - Rules for Critical Thinking And For Arguing Intelligently

in #philosophy8 years ago

You made a very important point in recognizing that we all break our rules of best practices. Many people know what's the right thing to do and the right way to behave, but we all get caught up in the moment and forget. So that is why we have to constantly remind and re-examine ourselves, and reset our mindsets frequently to recenter ourselves.

This is why I remind myself of this quote frequently:
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." - Heraclitus

Heraclitus is also Terence McKenna's favorite philosopher.

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P D OUSPENSKY Strange Life of Ivan Osokin, 1971 Strange Life of Ivan Osokin (3366) by P D Ouspensky

"Ivan Osokin is a disillusioned young man whose self-inflicted failures have left him without prospects and yearning to return to his boyhood so that he may avoid his past mistakes, go to university, and get the girl. A time machine won't help as that would send him back as the man he is now, so instead he invokes a magical smokescreen to return him to his boyhood self but with his adult memories intact. Armed with this foreknowledge he resolves to put things right, but it is not so easy for people to change their ways as this thought-provoking inquiry into determinism versus free will shows."

Thats so romantic! I wish I could do the same, go back and put things right with the knowledge and experience I have now. I am not sure how this could work out though.
I take the advice as below instead.

“Life must be understood backwards. But it must be lived forward ” Søren Kierkegaard

You might not find it quite as romantic if you read the book, lol.

I am curious enough to find out ! Thank you ....

What a wonderful quote ! I get something to eat now and reply again ....

One of mine as well (Heraclitus)...I based a political analysis model on his concept of "flux" (what I call dynamic equilibrium). "You can never step into the same river twice."

I used to try to step in deep waters, same river more than twice ....always drowning

What he means is that because the water is moving, it's not the same water as you stepped in first, therefore a "different" river.

thinking more about the meaning, I do understand now. Thanks !