Eternalist Ploys

We return to the book "Meaningness" for the conclusion of the Eternalism chapter. I delayed this episode until now in case David Chapman wrote more, or revised them, and no longer considered them unfinished. It's worthwhile just as it is, and I have formatted all these short pages as if they were sections in one page. Eternalist Ploys: Ploys—ways of thinking, feeling, talking, and acting—which stabilize eternalism; and antidotes to use against them. https://meaningness.com/eternalist-ploys Imposing fixed meanings: Forcing fixed meanings on experience always eventually results in unpleasant shocks when reality refuses to conform to your pre-determined categories. https://meaningness.com/imposing-fixed-meanings Smearing meaning all over everything: Monist eternalism—the New Age and SBNR, for example—say everything is meaningful, but leaves vague what the meanings are. https://meaningness.com/smearing-meaning Magical thinking: Hallucinating causal connections is powerfully synergistic with eternalism. https://meaningness.com/magical-thinking Hope: Hope is harmful in devaluing the present and shifting attention to imaginary futures that may never exist. https://meaningness.com/hope Pretending: Eternalist religions and political systems are always partly make-believe, like children playing at being pirates. https://meaningness.com/pretending Colluding for eternalism: Because eternalist delusion is so desirable, we collude to maintain it. To save each other from nihilism, we support each other in not-seeing nebulosity. https://meaningness.com/collusion Hiding from nebulosity: Physically avoiding ambiguous situations and information. https://meaningness.com/hiding-from-nebulosity Kitsch and naïveté: The denial of the possibility of meaninglessness leads to willfully idiotic sentimentality. https://meaningness.com/kitsch Armed & armored eternalism: When nebulosity becomes obvious, eternalism fails to fit reality. You can armor yourself against evidence, and arm yourself to destroy it. https://meaningness.com/armed-eternalism Faith: Privileging faith over experience is an eternalist ploy for blinding yourself to signs of nebulosity. https://meaningness.com/faith Thought suppression: Maintaining faith in non-existent meanings. It leads to deliberate stupidity, inability to express oneself, and inaction. https://meaningness.com/thought-suppression Bargaining and recommitment: When eternalism lets you down, you are tempted to make a bargain with it. Eternalism will behave itself better, and in return you renew your faith in it. https://meaningness.com/recommitment Wistful certainty: The thought that there must exist whatever it takes to make eternalism seem to work. https://meaningness.com/wistful-certainty Faithful bafflement: Maintaining the eternalist stance that remains committed but begins to doubt. https://meaningness.com/faithful-bafflement Mystification: Using thoughts as a weapon against authentic thinking, to create glib, bogus metaphysical explanations that sweep meaninglessness under the rug. https://meaningness.com/mystification Rehearsing the horrors of nihilism: Reminding yourself and others of how bad nihilism is can help maintain the eternalist stance. This is the hellfire and brimstone of eternalist preaching. https://meaningness.com/rehearsing-nihilist-horror Purification: An obsessive focus for dualist eternalism mobilizes emotions of disgust, guilt, shame, and self-righteous anger. https://meaningness.com/purity Fortress eternalism: In the face of undeserved suffering, is difficult not to fall into the stance that most things are God's will, but not the horrible bits. https://meaningness.com/fortress-eternalism On next week's episode, we return to the Nihilism chapter of Meaningness: Objectivity. You can support the podcast and get episodes a week early, by supporting the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/m/fluidityaudiobooks If you like the show, consider buying me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattarnold Original music by Kevin MacLeod. This podcast is under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial International 4.0 License.