I’ve recently been grappling with the concept of determinism and the implications it has on morality. Out of curiosity (and I suppose the entire casual web resulting in this message) what are your thoughts on this subject, is it still ok to show praise or to blame others for behaviour that is wholly and entirely out of their (and our) ultimate control? Even more curiously, how many people deserve writing credits when every single person alive (and who has ever lived before) has ultimately resulted in “your” finished song?
J.I @ Issue no. 194Demon answer to what is the utility of suffering. The mark of the beast is given to someone who is a slave to their impulses. They allow their instincts and other innate processes to dictate their behaviour. People who act badly because of their suffering are reacting instinctively to an innate sensation and have allowed themselves to become beastlike rather than a being of free will. We are sent suffering because if we are able to overcome it and still act morally, we have achieved greater sentience and moral strength. The most powerful example of this is Jesus, who in the midst of suffering said, “Forgive them they know not what they do.” Please ignore me if these messages are a problem, but I have messages from Up, so I don’t know what to do really. This has been weird.
REBECCA @ Issue no. 180Sorry I have a leak in my head. Acting morally wrong means we have lower sentience and are more beastlike because we are doing something without understanding the full consequences of our actions. God is the ultimate good because he knows everything and is able to act perfectly. We can choose not to act well, but that breaks the system, which supports us and ultimately causes harm, which is an evil.
REBECCA @ Issue no. 180How do you feel about the current trend of connecting the shortcomings of an artist’s personal conduct and the art they create and using that criteria to determine if said works are corrupted and therefore to be relegated to the dustbins or not? What does it mean for the future of art if we expect our artists, those that help us collectively explore and understand the human experience, to be morally perfect and beyond reproach?
JASON @ Issue no. 35