I wanted to write an entry on philosophy, but then I got lazy, and looked for a survey by that name instead. Well. Here's a pretty good one:

1: Do humans have good or evil in their nature?

While I don't believe there is such a thing as absolute good or absolute evil, there are mindsets and actions that could be termed, in the abstract, good or evil. And I think humans choose between them - neither is in our nature.

2: What power do words contain?

Words themselves contain none. Words are very subjective, and each word, and each group of words, could contain an infinite variation of meanings and power for each person who may hear them. Words are an example of the variety of human experience.

3: What is God like (if God exists)?

God probably does not exist. If it does, I conceive of it as a Creator, the source of all life, but completely cut off from it's creation: it is infinite and immutable; we are finite and mortal. It cannot know our reality any more than we can know its.

4: What is our purpose (if any) in life?

You create your own. There is no inherent meaning to anything. Your purpose consists of your choices, reactions, and striving.

5: Mind? Body? Soul? Do any of these exist? Are they seperate?

My favorite definition of the soul comes from Camus: "If there is a soul, it is a mistake to believe that it is given to us fully created. It is created here, throughout a whole life. And living is nothing else but that long and painful bringing forth." That states it perfectly, for me.

6: Is there a flaw in language, and if so, what?

Oh, definitely, language is inherently flawed. You could never use language to express all your depth of feeling or thought. Any time you find yourself saying "if you know what I mean" or "sort of" or "I can't really describe it, but..." your language has failed you.

7: Morals - Divine gift? Relative to culture? Irrelevant? Common to all people?

Morals are relative to the individual. Definitely not a divine gift -- we are not born with a system of morality. Not even necessarily cultural, and certainly not universal, because you cannot possibly know the whole of your culture or the whole of your species. Your morality is determined by your choices and your personal set of experiences.

8: How ought we act to other people?

With love, when we can, with understanding and compassion. But that said, it is very difficult to love, understand, or feel compassion for someone you do not know. It is also very difficult to even respect people you can't know are worthy of respect. We shouldn't think of these things too abstractly. Perhaps I should say be kind rather than loving, reserve judgment rather than understand.

9: Who's a bigger hypocrite: Ayn Rand or Fred Nietzsche?

I wouldn't call either of them a hypocrite.

10: Do you think anyone will ever come up with a unified theory of physics?

I'm not a student of physics, so I'm not qualified even to speculate, but to say something like "Who can guess the extent of human possibility?" is a bit hubristic, while something like "No, human knowledge is confined to a smaller scope than would be necessary" is short-sighted.

11: Ideas - created or simply discovered?

I don't think any idea is completely novel; everything builds upon past experience and invention, so it's more like connect-the-dots. But to say they're discovered is way too akin to Andy, Lani's & my Idea Orb theory.

12: Socrates or Aristotle?

I find Socrates very inspiring, in his commitment to truth, true wisdom (rather, the absence of it) and right living. He challenged everything. You have to respect that. Aristotle is way too methodical for my tastes.

13: Who's your favorite pre-Socratic and post-Socratic philosopher?

I have never been an adherent of any pre-Socratic "All is water!" philosophy. To ask me to pick just one post-Socratic is evil, because I would draw from many and completely agree with none, but if I must it would be an existentialist, and if I must further specify... Sartre, I suppose, for our mutual obsession with freedom.

14: Say something about the beginning of the universe. (Assuming there was one?)

As an agnostic, I think both religious creationist explanations and philosophical conjecture along the lines of the "Absolute Spirit" are equally baseless. I don't know a thing about the beginning of the universe. It is inherently unknowable, and that is why there is so much anguish and mystique attached to it.

15: Has postmodernism gone too far in accepting anything as valid?

Personally, I think so, because my individual judgment is that certain things are more valid than others. However, I support everyone else's right to make an individual judgment about validity, and to scoff at my judgments while I scoff at theirs. There may be rules and systems and an order on an individual level that don't extend to any other individual. I guess that is postmodern of me.

16: Holy texts. Let's assume God did write them through people. Are they thus literally true? Why or why not?

Not necessarily. I suppose they would have an increased probability of being literally true, but that's assuming god doesn't ever speak metaphorically and doesn't expect conditions, and accordingly justice, to evolve.

17: When people reinterpret holy texts to better fit with modern science, are they merely struggling to hold onto their false faith, or are they indeed coming closer to the truth of their religion?

Well, it depends. I think holy texts, if you choose to believe them, should be viewed as evolving texts. What was true 2000 years ago simply cannot be true now. If you choose to reinterpret old truths from a modern perspective, I don't think that's necessarily self-justification; I think that can be viewed as progressive.

18: Can Accum's Razor be accurately used to choose the better of two possibilities?

Not going to pretend I know what this is, but I'm tempted to say no anyhow. Only you can choose the better of two possibilities. If you pass the choice on the Accum's Razor (this amuses me, somehow) you have still chosen to relinquish your right to choose; you are then responsible for the choice this device leaves you with. You might as well forget the go-between.

19: How many licks DOES it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

Whatever. Tootsie pops are gross.

20: Say some things about the nature of Art.

Art is sometimes a better forum than language in expressing emotions and inner truth, but even if the creation says everything you hoped it would, it immediately becomes open to all possible interpretations and ways of relating -- which is both beautiful and tragic.

21: Which philosophers have influenced you the most?

My beloved existentialists, who have shown me the reality of the world (I haven't fully accepted it yet) and that my only salvation from it is in me (somewhere), and my equally beloved Enlightenment thinkers, who never fail to restore my hope (stubbornly optimistic though it may be).

22: Is Western Culture destined for a re-emersion of Victorian philosophy (pre-Modernism) and Ludite thinking, with the greater and greater dangers that technology potentially possesses?

I really don't think so; I can't imagine reverting to a discarded cultural perspective in any lasting way. The thought of a new Victorian age seems ludicrous to me. I can only see things continuing on their path: becoming worse, becoming "more postmodern." Post-postmodernism. I think we're stuck; we're gonna keep trying to top our absurdism.

23: Is cloning ethical?

No. I don't think it is. Cloning organs is; that can save lives without essentially destroying lives. But cloning whole people, or choosing qualities children will possess before birth, is so contrary to any natural concept of individualism, and has such potential for disaster. I didn't really explain why it's unethical, though. Maybe it is ethical, but just really, really destructive.

24: How accurately can you make a moral decision? (If you believe morals are relevant.)

The concept of morality, like that of gender or ethics, is so vague and dissimilarly used as to have no real meaning at all. I'm not sure what a moral decision is, because if I tell you that is subjective, there is really no point in speaking of moral decisions at all, only "the decision that seems best to each individual." But you can still judge those decisions from individual and majority positions.

25: Do any animals have souls / existance comparable with humans?

I don't believe in "souls" but I do believe whatever sort of existence we have, animals do as well, only perhaps on a less-evolved scale. We share over 98% of our genes with chimps and about 50% with bananas. We're not so special. This is why I'm a vegetarian (aspiring vegan). My life is no more precious than any other living being's.

26: How can government be improved upon, realistically?

I am torn between realistically working within the system to effect change and idealistically wishing to start from ground zero. Realistically, I classify myself as a very liberal Democrat/Green and think someone like Dennis Kucinich has the best hope of improving American government, [somewhat] realistically.

27: Can science ever truly be objective?

Not really, because discoveries are necessarily rooted in the time and place they were discovered, and tied to the people who discovered them. Is there any true objectivity? Maybe not. Still I put a lot of faith in science: it is the best natural truth we can know.

28: What defines a human life?

I suppose this creeps into my feelings about abortion. Human life is defined by its experiences. Therefore, a body that has not yet had human experiences (ie, fetus) or a body that has ceased to have human experiences (ie, a complete vegetable) is not a real human life. The potential is there, but in a meaningful sense it is not "life."

29: By your definition in #28, when does human life begin?

Oh, there's the abortion question! ;) From a biological standpoint, an individual essence is created at the moment of fertilization. No human life will ever be the same as that simple cluster of cells. However, by my definition of LIFE, real human life begins at birth, when the individual first begins forming impressions of and experiences in the world.

30: What value is there pondering over non-practical issues? Should we simply spend that time living existentially instead?

There is much value in pondering over non-practical issues; some of my greatest joy is found in that. I want a career of, essentially, pondering over non-practical issues. It is a part of human existence. But, in a sense, it is a way of living outside real existence. I rarely ever find a way to reconcile my practical and non-practical beliefs. But it works, somehow.

Go ahead, you can laugh all you want
But I've got my philosophy
And I trust it like the ground
That's why my philosophy
Keeps me walking when I'm falling down
Ben Folds Five