"Can UPB exist in Human consciousness if it wasn’t attributed to one person presenting it to the world .
"Would there be multiple versions of UPB if there were different apostles of UPB .
"As we see in Christianity .
"We understand Jesus to be the master of Christianity because perfection is attributed to him and secondly the apostle Paul and St Peter became they were also crucified for their faith .
"So if you hadn’t coined the phrase
"UPB would it even exist as a truth to be shared if you hadn’t discovered it .
"Would UPB be waiting for someone else to discover and share ?"
0:00 - Reconnecting with Father
1:10 - Processing Disappointment and Liberty
1:34 - Manipulators and Hope
3:02 - Growing Up and Taking Responsibility
3:25 - Fall of Christianity and Environment
6:04 - Excuses and the Fall of Christianity
7:15 - Path of Excuses
8:05 - Christianity and Immorality
9:28 - Existence of UPB
11:40 - Validity of UPB
15:02 - UPB Universality
16:38 - UPB Beyond Human Consciousness
17:51 - Stability of Matter and Consciousness
18:22 - Consciousness and Rationality
In this episode, I answer listener questions. The first question involves a personal experience of attempting to reconnect with a family member, only to face verbal abuse when expressing a difficult truth. I delve into the concept of disappointment and freedom, drawing parallels to historical events like the American Revolution. We discuss the notion of hope and manipulation by abusive individuals, highlighting the importance of giving up hope to gain true freedom.
Moving on to a philosophical discussion, I explore the implications of the fall of Christianity and the rise of secular humanism on personal responsibility and accountability. I emphasize the impact of one's environment on shaping their beliefs and behaviors, contrasting this with the Christian belief in an immaterial soul unaffected by external factors.
Transitioning to a conversation about universally preferable behavior (UPB), I compare it to scientific truths like E=mc², asserting that UPB exists independent of human consciousness. I elucidate the immutable nature of moral absolutes such as theft, assault, and murder, which transcend individual beliefs or cultural norms.
As I walk through nature and contemplate the universe, I contemplate the interconnectedness of consciousness, logic, and material reality. I underscore the fundamental role of stability in matter for the emergence of consciousness, condemning anti-empirical and anti-rational ideologies as inherently self-destructive and counterproductive. I conclude with expressions of gratitude for engaging in deep philosophical discourse and encourage support for the show's continuation.
[0:00] All right a couple more questions somebody wrote to me it's a quote from me withholding truth from your father is treating him like a hysterical woman yes so then says well after many years of silence between us i have attempted reconnecting with him this year and after months of pointless small talk i finally got to a point this weekend of actually telling him an uncomfortable truth and even though i did so with the utmost tact and respect he still blew up at me and threw through a bunch of verbal abuse my way. Sorry about that. Thanks, Steph, for preparing me for this moment. In the past, it would literally crush me to face his anger because, of course, he knows all my weaknesses and isn't afraid to attack them in his rage. As disappointing as it is to realize that apparently he hasn't grown at all in the last 20 years.
[0:47] Wow, that's some overgrown path here. And it's still prone to throw tantrums like a child, at least. Now I have my answer and I can stop guilt tripping over myself. What if he's right? He's not. All he's doing is acting out my mom's anger about losing her influence over me and refusing to do her bidding for her. My disappointment is immeasurable, but at least I am free. My disappointment is immeasurable, but at least I am free.
[1:10] Well, that's a very deep and philosophical statement, my friend, and I'm very glad that you made it because you have to be able to process massive disappointment in order to gain your liberty, right? So if you look at something like the American Revolution, they finally gave up on trying to get justice from King George and went about, took matters into their own hands. So yeah, disappointment and liberty are one and the same.
[1:35] You have to be able to give up hope in order to avoid being manipulated, because basically what manipulators do, what abusive people do, is they're in the process, continual process of holding out hope, right? So if they can get you to hope, then they can continue to abuse you by dangling the dopamine of satisfaction when they can't in fact deliver anything. Like when my mother realized that I wasn't going to handle or deal with any of her aggression anymore, what did she do? Well, she then dangled money.
[2:06] She dangled money to me. And it was, well, I'm about to win all these court cases. There's going to be a fortune. I want you to participate in that fortune. And boy, boy, there's going to be so much money it'll choke a horse and uh boy you just need to uh uh hang hang in there and and you'll be well paid right so this is this is hope right and uh by the by it didn't work right i didn't didn't have any hope regarding that and so when you give up hope you gain freedom, trying to figure out how much wind noise we're getting here it's always the curse i love to do shows outside. But there is that little thing called wind noise, and I'm not sure how well it's doing here, but we'll struggle on regardless, because it's nice being out.
[3:03] So, I am sorry for that. It is very hard to grow up and take responsibility, and very few people do it. It is very, very hard to grow up and take responsibility, and very few people do it. Very sad.
[3:25] I can't believe this thing doesn't appear to be picking up the wind. Most impressive. Now, this is one of the problems with the fall of Christianity. One of the many problems with the fall of Christianity. So Christianity.
[3:44] Gave you no excuse for your environment. Right? Christianity gave you no excuse for your environment. Why? Because you were a soul, independent of material effects. You were an immaterial soul. By definition, your soul is independent of material effects. And therefore, you cannot blame your environment because God gives you a perfect immaterial soul. He gives you perfect moral commandments, the offer of heaven, the threat of hell, and your free will can never be compromised by circumstances, because circumstances cannot change the divine nature of your free will.
[4:32] Saying that your free will as a Christian is crippled by the environment is like saying a ghost cannot pass through a closed door. Well, of course a ghost can pass through a closed door, right? That's kind of one of the definitions of being a ghost, is you're immaterial and therefore not bound by the material. Now, what is material is your environment, right? When you're a kid growing up, what is material is your environment. And your brain is affected by the material. Your brain is affected by what happens to you. It literally carves deep channels in your synapses and neurons, your environment. So your brain is physically changed by your environment as a kid.
[5:26] And if you are not a Christian, then your brain, being changed by your environment, inflicts and impairs your free will. Now, of course, if you are a Christian, then that isn't what happens. Because your soul is unaffected by your environment. Your soul is unaffected by your environment, right?
[6:05] So when you get the fall of Christianity, the rise of secular humanism, materialism, Darwinianism, and so on, then people get excuses. My childhood was so bad that... And listen, of course, of course, I accept that some of those excuses are very, very, very real. I fully accept that some of those excuses are very, very, very real. I mean, the ACE stuff doesn't come out of nowhere, right? The ACE stuff is real. But the ACE stuff is also conditioned by a lack of knowledge of free will and a lack of ethics in the conversation, which is why I had to have, really, UPB before I did the bomb in the brain. Because the bomb in the brain stuff, the ACE stuff, all sounds deterministic, doesn't it? It sounds deterministic. I get that I really do.
[7:16] I'm so sorry Slight distraction There used to be a path in here, And I don't know where it's gone But it looks like People have stopped using it Oh well Maybe it's up here, Let us Let us find out Yes, I think this is probably it But I think post-COVID, This path, as you can see has slightly fallen into disuse, to put it mildly. Why not see what I see? Do you hear what I hear? The crows, the crows gathering for the feast. They will try to suck down my eyeballs. All right, I think there's a vague-ish path here. All right.
[8:06] Yes, it is very hard for people to grow up. And what happens is Christianity took away excuses for immorality, right? Because they said, Christianity said that your soul is not determined by your material circumstances because your soul is immaterial. The environment you grew up in is like a closed door, but your soul, being immaterial, can go through a closed door. So you're fine. This is really like cruising cruising through a sea of wheat.
[8:50] But very pretty, as you can see. And it is good for the soul to look at things that aren't hard lines and corners and edges and boxes. Good for the soul to do that.
[9:06] All right. Back to me. Boy, you want to look at something pretty? Forget the nature. Look at me. So, Very few people grow up and it's very, very sad. All right. So he's got excuses, right? Okay, there's a long question about history here.
[9:29] No, I'll do that later. Okay. Can UPB exist in human consciousness if it wasn't attributed to one person presenting it to the world? Would there be multiple versions of UPB if there were different apostles of UPB, as we see in Christianity? We understand Jesus to be the master of Christianity because perfection is attributed to him and secondly the apostle Paul and Saint Peter because they were also crucified for their faith so if you hadn't coined the phrase, UPP would it even exist as a truth to be shared, if you hadn't discovered it would UPP be waiting for someone else to discover and share right it's a very great question What is the truth of a proposition before it is discovered? We can talk about UPB, of course. It may be easier for some to think of it. UPB brings all kinds of static into people's brains. Mine too. But it may be better to look at something like energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. E equals mc squared, right? Now, that is true because it is accurately describing the relationship between matter and energy in the universe. So that is true. That is a true statement. He does equal mc squared. That's the foundation of nuclear physics, right?
[10:54] And the theory of relativity is true, and so on, right? Now, the truth of these things is not created. Oh, sorry. Let me just see here. I'm trying to figure out where the path that used to be here. I haven't been down here for a while. Ah, I think there it is. All right. So E equals MC squared does not create that relationship in the identification of it. Otherwise, every statement that was made would be true. so the truth has to be external to the statement otherwise you could say E equals MC cubed E equals MC without the squared but that would not accurately describe the relationship between matter and energy.
[11:40] So UPB is valid just as E equals MC squared is valid, before it is shown, before it is established, before it is described. Right, so there are trees here, let's see. Let's pick a tree. There's a tree back there with the little things coming off the side. I've never seen that tree before. Right? So I'm looking at that and I'm saying that's a tree. Right? Right there. Right there. Right there through this Y.
[12:15] I like walking in the woods because the trees and branches often spell the letter Y. So, I've never seen that tree before, but that tree was not created when I looked at it, and that tree, it does not come into existence because I look at something and point and say tree, right? Like if I look at the path right in front of me and I say shrub, right? What happens? There's no shrub. I can say leaves on the ground. I can say twigs, shadows, right? If I look up at these leaves and I point at the leaves and I say, these leaves are on fire.
[12:50] Well, these leaves are our own fire, nothing happens, right? If I look and say, these trees are deciduous, not evergreens, right? Well, they're evergreens, not deciduous. If I look at these trees with the leaves, they're deciduous, not evergreens, right? So I am not creating things by identifying them. I'm identifying that which is and formalizing it through language. E equals mc squared identifies the relationship between matter and energy that exists in reality. And we know that it's valid because it accurately describes that, which is within reality, right? If I look at this tangle of evergreens and I say, these are office buildings, I am incorrect. Reality doesn't conform to what I define, but my definitions, if they're claiming to be objective, should conform to reality. Now, the fact that theft can never be universally preferable behavior is true. Theft can never be universally preferable behavior. Rape, theft, assault, murder can never be universally preferable behavior. Now, that is true. It always has been true. It always will be true.
[14:05] Because it's logic. And that is not even inductive logic like probability. That's deductive logic like it's an absolute. It's an absolute. It's a moral absolute. Right? Theft, assault, and murder, these are moral absolutes. Can never be universally preferable behavior. It can never be moral. And it doesn't matter if you believe in God. And it doesn't matter if you believe in logic. And it doesn't matter if you accept it. It doesn't matter if you deny it. Right? E equals mc squared is true. Whether you believe in science, whether you believe in logic, whether you believe Einstein ever existed, whether you believe anything at all, it is true that E equals mc squared. And it is true that rape, theft, assault, and murder can never be.
[15:03] Universally preferable behaviors. Now, you say, ah, well, but Steph, what about, what about, huh, huh, huh? What about before people even existed? What about before there was such a thing as humanity? Right? What about that? Huh? Well, it doesn't matter. So imagine that there's some sort of interdimensional travel. Just go with me for a moment here. Right? So there's some kind of interdimensional travel, and some space alien a billion years ago popped into our dimension where, and let's say logic, of course, is the same for both dimensions, which it would be, because you can't have life without stable properties, and you can't have stable properties without stable matter. And the stability and predictability and universality of matter and its laws is the foundation for logic. So life cannot exist without logic, which is why those who are anti-logic are actually anti-life. If you say everything is subjective, you're anti-life, because life only survives by knowing that things are objective, like food, predators, and reproduction, right? Anti-reason is murderous. It's actually a genocidal, it's a species extinction mindset, because if your ancestors believed that, you would not have survived. You would not be alive. life. So.
[16:31] Oh, how pretty. How pretty.
[16:39] So, if some interdimensional traveler popped into our universe, where reason and evidence is the case, and like a billion years before humanity came about and there was such a thing as rape, theft, assault, and murder, which require conceptual processing, which requires humanity, we don't charge animals with rape, theft, assault, and murder, otherwise all the ducks would be in prison along with the dolphins. So, if an interdimensional traveler popped into our universe, would rape, theft, assault, and murder still be banned by UPB? Yep. Yes. So, it's not dependent upon human consciousness. Now, you say, well, concepts are dependent on consciousness. Well, sure. Sure. But... Ah, look at these fields of wheat. Or tall grass. The way the shimmering goes is just lovely. Ah, beautiful. I hope you all go out and appreciate and love nature. It's a beautiful planet we live on. Even with the people.
[17:52] So, matter does not contradict itself. Right? An elephant isn't an elephant and a duck at the same time. Blah, blah, blah. Right? An elephant cannot go into the water and out of the water at the same time, right? So, matter has stability independent of consciousness, because if matter didn't have stability, consciousness could never arise. Like, consciousness stands on the stability and rationality of matter, right?
[18:22] So, for consciousness to deny empiricism and rationality is to deny the very conditions for its own existence. It's both murderous and suicidal. Subjectivists and relativists are saying, that they wish that the world was, what would not allow them to be. They wish that the world was, the universe was, in a state that would never allow them to be. It is both murder... It's a death wish. Anti-reason, anti-empiricism. Straight up. Toxic. Horrible. Vicious. Murderous death wish. To wish for the conditions that would not allow you to exist is monstrous. And, you know, there's a lot of pain in that and I sympathize with that too, but nonetheless, right? It's terrible. It's horrible how sad it is.
[19:29] So, UPB is valid because of logic, because of reality, because of empiricism, and so on, right? UPB is not valid because I came up with it. I identified what is already true and valid in the same way that Einstein didn't change matter and energy by saying e equals mc squared, but identified accurately the relationships, of these two states of being. So it's a great question, and I really, really do appreciate it. And I really do appreciate y'all. Thank you for this great philosophy conversation. The best the world has ever seen, and frankly, the best the world will ever see because we've made so much progress. Lots of love from up here, freedomain.com slash donate to help out the show. Take care, my friends. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.
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