Basman

I also found the point of how god would probably "enjoy" the scorn universe fascinating since it's such a unique and particular way of experiencing consciousness. Saying that it would not "appeal" to humans is such an understatement that it is comical. It's like the world of Scorn is so awful that an entire civilization devoted all of its efforts just to escape it (though in part due to their own machinations it seems). But it is interesting to look at from afar, through a screen.

Scorn is a fascinating game. I haven't seen anyone do Gigger justice before as inspired piece. One thing I noticed that these lore aficionados tend to focus on the "hard why" when trying to analyze abstract games like Scorn as opposed to looking at the thematic ques. Like, what is the work to meant to instill in the viewer. When there is no clear answer, I find that lore analyzer types tend to way over-analyze and speculate instead of focusing on the simple conclusions that you can infer from the thematic ques. The parasite at the end seems to be just scornful at the second protagonist and wants to drag him down crab bucket style because it doesn't get to ascend, which fits the theme of the game, of body horror, creepiness, cruelty and reproduction. It is an elitist enlightenment that has been automated in grotesque fashion off the sacrifice of countless and is only available to a certain few. Scorn reminds me of Rainworld, which has similar lore of a race of birdmen who also employed biotechnology and to whom enlightenment became an institutional process that their civilization revolved around.

Trump's issue as an authoritarian ideologue is that he is incompetent. He doesn't have any real strategy or plan, is addicted to drama and can't take advice. If Trump was conscious and competent he would first and foremost just have invested his inheritance into index funds. He would be richer now than if he made a bunch of businesses. He'd be less status chasing. Trump idealizes Putin because he perceives Putin to be a part of a prestigious society of autocrats which he wants to be part of. If Trump was competent he would have stalled on the issue of the Epstein files indefinitely. There's no reason why he actually had to make an official statement. He could've just made up some excuse why they can't be released "just yet" when questioned.

In practice you just sit there, from my understanding. That doesn't mean your not focused mentally, contemplating, philosophizing or just being present, but your not acting on survival, IE. work, entertainment, socializing, etc.

I notice that throughout the entire video it is almost like Leo is just talking to himself as building this case for why he should do genuine spirituality, which seems to boil down to essentially sitting with nothing in practice. I can imagine that that can feel like quiet the sacrifice when you could easily chase way more material success, praise and love. I also like how spirituality seems essentially quiet simple, though not easy. To just do nothing and be happy. It is quiet baffling to an ordinary perspective to find that joyous. I find that the things that are worth doing in general tend to be simple in practice (but rarely or never truly easy).

ChatGPT is extremely sycophantic. That is a fair criticism I think. It can be hard to distinguish between a genuine point it makes and all the glaze, and that is already beside it being hallucinatory. You have to direct it to be focused on sincerity and understanding in my opinion. Challenge it and ask it to challenge you as well. Then you establish a pattern of critical thinking, even though that is at least partially just sycophancy as well.

I don't have any diagnosises but I have experienced a GP not taking my concerns seriously. I had a sever fever once followed by tightening pain in my left knee. The doctor didn't know what to to say about that and assumed it to be a side-effect of the fever and sent me home. I was hospitalized 4 days later as it turned out to be a flesh eating virus that had colonized my knee and was working it's way up my entire leg. I think doctors can be so stuck in their textbooks and academic minutia that they overlook completely basic things like just asking questions, listening to patients and figuring out what is actually wrong. It's like, if the problem doesn't fit their idea of a sickness they've learned, they sooner just dismiss it. A good example of how being very book smart can make you stupid. Just ungrounded, reality deprived and lacking common sense. If the GP had been more attentive (and maybe if I was more insisting) then I could've gotten treatment sooner and avoid brushing with death to the degree I had as well as avoid the amount of life altering damage and scarring to my leg. Thank god being an athlete is not my life purpose or something.

The more I think about it and see of this people, the more I think it is just because they hate the US THAT much. They are so anti-US that they'll demonize assaulting a country in one instance but support it in another when it's NATO adjacent. Like, just the post above me is a great example. It's completely besides the point how the US fights wars compared to Russia, but that point is being made as a justification for their political views, even though it still makes no sense.

There is nothing inherently mysterious about why women act different than men broadly speaking if you understand the different survival incentives and pressures at play. It is an asymmetrical relation that is meant to compliment reproduction. The things that frustrate you about the opposite sex are there because they serve the goal of reproduction.

It is honestly quiet baffling and what gets to me is how inconsistent and hypocritical it comes off as because these people seem broadly liberal on a personal level. I think it is a mix of anti-western sentiment, seeing Russia as an alternative to western capitalism (which is not true, Russia is more libertarian than the US), Russian propaganda and being communists. They might also just be ideologically authoritarian to a certain degree (might makes right) but through a socialist lens. I don't know. It seems like particularity middle-eastern bros and other people who aren't culturally western are more likely to have these opinions. It's a bit copey. They have a lot to say about the short-comings of America, especially when it comes to US foreign policy, which is funny because Russia and China aren't exactly angels either but you don't see the same energy for them. What is this cope LOL? How? You have to admit, it is weirdly hypocritical to both support a people who's being ethnically cleansed and at the same time support an authoritarian regime assaulting a minor country for political control. If you say it is because Ukrainians are white then you are at least being consistent. You can't be against a government killing and displacing a people in one instance but be in support of it in another and be ideologically consistent at the same time.

Not before or too soon after GTA VI at least. But I don't think it'll be that long till another Elder Scrolls though. I would be surprised if it came out later than 2028.

Bethesda will never do anything as strange and hardcore as Morrowind ever again. They cater to casual gamers, which is a different market. No AAA will touch that shit A spiritual successor to Morrowind has to be indie. It's a huge opportunity for indies in my opinion. Lots of 30-40 year olds with childhood memories and disposable incomes. If it is good it'll market itself because that niche is that passionate (they are all on Reddit).

I think there is untapped potential to cater to these Morrowind neckbeards. A spiritual successor that captures the open-endedness and detail could be a huge hit within its niche, and it wouldn't need to have good graphics or crazy visuals, so it is well within the scope of an indie studio to make it. Hardcore RPG fans will put up with a lot of jank if the writing is good and the atmosphere is rich (and act as if it is not jank but charm). It also helps if you can mod it. You could for example have NPCs be sort of AI chatbots, making the player actually talk to NPCs and have wholly unique experiences every time. In general, I think there should be more spiritual successors as opposed to sequels. There are a lot of niches that are underserved currently.

Fair point. I think I have an overall issue with the tribalistic angle. You have something else in mind then I what I meant. By economist populism, I mean policy that raise the living standards for the average person by better management of resources.

I'm loving all this stuff on fake "woh-woh" spirituality. I remember when I had hipster hippie phase that ordinary people would cringe at all the spiritual stuff. I think to a certain degree, they cringe because it comes off as phone and insincere. It is a lot of feel-good wordplay, so fair enough.

Contribution is one of the most surefire ways to feel a sense of fulfillment. It makes you valuable to the community and is arguably necessary for a certain extent as certain social goods can not be achieved through without an aspirational drive, like conservation of endangered species or helping the homeless and disadvantaged. Helping people with their personal issues is rarely really worth it from an altruistic sense in my experience because you need a strong desire for better on a personal sense. Spoon feeding people self-help/spirituality tends to be a one ways street if they don't seek it out first. And people tend to stubbornly cling to their dysfunctional patterns because it is all they know.

The point is that they don't spend it on public goods. That is not unique to American conservatives. I believe the issue is way overstated. Focus should be on addressing basic policy of how public goods are funded and regulating the excesses of capitalism, etc. That is how you improve the situation for poor people. They are the same.

I have an instinctual aversion and disgust for alarmist rhetoric. It is almost always a manipulation tactic or highly exaggeratory for political reasons.

Conservative do budget cuts all the time. Of course, the political party for small government is going to negatively effect the poor. The state of racism is only improving in America. It's already improved tremendously in a matter of decades. The real progress is in economic populist policy.

One is way easier than the other. Changing how education is funded is no small feat which most politicians don't want to touch. Most of the issues with Afro-Americans is just poor people issues which require significant changes to solve. I find race to be largely a distraction and I hate how trigger happy people are with racism label. The solutions for Americas social issues are universal. Not racial.

It is actually for regime security reasons. It is about political control. But the point is that it makes sense from a partial US perspective. It is not a justification. You need to be able to put yourself into the perspective of state actors without freaking out and inserting your own biases if you want to understand them. From a partial Russian perspective, the Ukraine war is defensive as opposed to offensive, in contrast to what most of the free world thinks. You could argue that installing puppet governments in third world democracies is smart because it is good for the economy and stabilizes otherwise disparate regions. You could also argue that it undermines US legitimacy and also potentially causes more chaos due to power vacuums and the erosion of institutions in these third world countries, like with ISIS. They are both correct.

It makes logical sense for the US to back dictatorships in certain third world countries because they are more stable than the alternative and can be manipulated to align with US interests. A tribalistic society is inherently incompatible with democracy and it tends to lead to military coups. Then you get instability, communism and generally unfavorable conditions. Then it is better to install your own puppet dictator given the options you have.

I think it is kind of great that people keep asking if these forum is a waste of time. It shows a serious streak that is kind of rare.

You can learn a lot from engaging with philosophical topics that you haven't given much thought previously. You also learn to be constructive when dealing with others. These are valuable things.