Philosophy
The anthropocene has forced my hand and there is no time left to be anything but 100% authentic. I have decided to publicly share my beliefs in hopes they may help everyone (myself included) consider new ways of thinking.
This page is highly volatile. If you find something helpful, take note. If you can no longer find something that was once helpful, check the changelog.
My philosophy is not airtight. It is not comprehensive. It is not conclusive. Some aspects are in tension or even contradiction.
Mystic Atheism
I describe myself as mystic atheist.
There is no god. There is no life after death. There is no reincarnation. I don’t believe in karma. I am skeptical of authority (human and otherwise.)
Monotheist and polytheist models are superstitious coping strategies. Typically, these beliefs are propagated via shame, child indoctrination (e.g. “tradition”), and fear of eternal damnation.
The fundamental interactions of the Standard Model can explain all observable phenomena. Forces beyond these, while theoretically possible, will likely have zero impact on my life. I choose not to worry about it.
However, my direct experiences with the mystical — both with and without the aid of psychedelics — are un-dismissable. Whether hallucinations, delusions, apophenia, limit experiences, or something entirely else… these experiences cast a purely naturalist interpretation of reality into reasonable doubt.
Art
I believe artists have two jobs:
- Not give up.
- Help others not give up.
I have dedicated my life to creating, sharing, and teaching art. I aim to split my practice into 10% theory and 90% praxis.
Because my work is conceptually-rooted, I have learned multiple mediums. My favorites are music, software, and photography.
Attachment
Events only become imbued with meaning when attached to a thought.
I am not a Buddhist but Sage and I shared a Buddhist wedding. Our vows emphasized sharing a life of non-attachment. We’ve been happily together since 2010.
All that really matters to me is how much love I can give and receive during my short flicker of life. It is not a zero-sum game. I go out of my way to help strangers and commit random acts of kindness.
Nondualism
I have found as much terror in the light as I have solace in the darkness.
Dualistic antagonisms like good versus bad, masculine versus feminine, or nature versus nurture are absurd at best and actively harmful at worst. Cultural relativism complicates each of these examples.
Even the binary absolutism of zeroes and ones cannot be trusted.
I strive to embrace gradients, ambiguities, and messiness.
Chaos & Change
I reject all flavors of determinism. Furthermore, Occam’s razor suggests models such as the many-worlds interpretation or the simulation hypothesis are unlikely. The simplest explanation:
- There is a single consensual reality.
- We are not trapped a supercomputer simulation.
- There is no basilisk at the end of the rainbow.
The universe is chaotic, indifferent, and unfathomably complex. Neither science nor religion have, can, or will reconcile everything. Beyond each door is another door. Beyond the abject terror of such thoughts, I have discovered a type of ataraxia — a stoic tranquility in the face of the yawning abyss. Often, this makes life rather uncomfortable.
Probabilistic models are a helpful tools to navigate the uncertainty. The past is the best indicator of the future.
Anthropcentrism
I reject anthropocentrism, the belief that humans are privileged or superior to other species. I like plants and animals and coral and moss and mushrooms and dirt and clouds and rain.
I am probably somewhere between the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement and the Population Connection.
Anticapitalism
Capitalism ain’t working. I would like off this ride but, apparently, they forgot to build exits.
Anarchism
I am skeptical anarchy at scale would result in anything other than violence and, ultimately, a regression to patriarchal tribalism.
Socialism
I am attracted to socialism but remain unconvinced human greed and corruption can be sufficiently de-incentivized after centuries of cultural and mechanical programming.
Extraterrestrial Life
(Yes.)