That is absolutely going to happen. The depth and nuance on this show. Soon, it’ll be listed here for great minds to ponder:
https://www.amazon.com/Popular-Culture-and-Philosophy-125-book-series/dp/B0897GS1YK
> Do you believe that if every living creature died and there was no one to perceive the universe, that the universe wouldn't exist
it makes sense to me that the only universe that "exists" is the universe that is being perceived. therefore if nothing perceives the universe, then the universe would not exist
it seems to me that my awareness and the universe i experience are both one. there is no reason to believe that the universe i experience will continue to exist after i die, anymore than there is reason to believe that the dreams i experience will continue to exist after i wake up. i am not saying that it is not possible, rather im saying that there is no solid reason to believe in such a thing, and that the more you think about it, the less sense it makes to be sure of it. one can believe it, but one can never be sure of it
let me put it this way: anything that "exists" does so only in awareness. sure, there are things that we've found that we weren't aware of prior, such as atoms, galaxies, uv light, etc., but all of these things still only exist in the conscious awareness of them. it is not reasonable to believe that the perceived reality exists as such outside of that which is perceiving. the perceiver and the perceived exist only within perception (aka awareness). this is duality vs nonduality, "perceiver and perceived" vs "only perception"
i very much agree with this book https://www.amazon.com/Refuting-External-World-Goran-Backlund-ebook/dp/B00NOXW8QE
it says it much better than i am right now. it is a short read (about 50 pages) that you may find interesting. if you read it and disagree with it, i would like to hear why
If you are a newbie and a fan of stuff, there's a series called "Pop Culture and Philosophy" that starts with some pretty famous properties and discusses some ideas related to those.
i think you're on the right track with the door-thing. basically, no specific object or thing "exists" outside of the observer who recognizes it as such. if i were to lose the entirety of my memory in this instant, then (despite the fact that i might still see the same pattern of shapes and color in front of me) i would no longer see "a door," since i would no longer have the mental concept with which to attach that specific visual pattern that we traditionally define as "a door." my visual field would be as undefined as a Rorschach blot
if you haven't read it already, this short book does a great job of illustrating this point in greater depth:
https://www.amazon.com/Refuting-External-World-Goran-Backlund-ebook/dp/B00NOXW8QE
I'm not sure, but I just checked and couldn't find an option to download directly on Google Books. I know there is a Kindle version on Amazon, and one can also buy the audio books voiced by the author if one prefers that to the physical book.
I bought the trilogy in book book after I read a couple of chapters online, and it's probably my best buy ever, so I can recommend it! :)
Oh, you will love the book More Than Allegory: On Religious Myth, Truth And Belief, (also on Amazon). The third section has a myth that it's exactly what you have in mind, by using psychedelic substances and electromagnetic stimulation they induce a transcendental state of mind where the protagonist of the myth can communicate with the mind-at-large and ask questions about the nature of reality.
awakening is a game of subtraction. to walk the path is to challenge everything you believe and identify with
there is no "self"
any identification with a concept of the "self" is an extension of the ego. ultimately, any form of identification is rooted in ego
the reason there is no self is because there is no other. duality is an illusion
"I am"
^ thats all there is. awareness/consciousness. again, awareness/consciousness isn't a "self" because there is no other
here is another (very short) book that does a great job at explaining perception as experienced through the lens of unity rather than duality
https://www.amazon.com/Refuting-External-World-Goran-Backlund-ebook/dp/B00NOXW8QE
I'm going to recommend this book for anyone who's interested in free will and compatibilism. It's one of the few books on the subject that's both readable and edifying.
I've found an ebook that gives a fitting answer to your inquiry. It's on Amazon: [https://www.amazon.com/Explanation-Life-Mysterio448-ebook/dp/B01D5HMONK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523213418&sr=8-1&keywords=the+explanation+of+life&dpID=51ORB8HUjCL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch]. The gist of the book is given in the sample.
Refuting the External World by Goran Backlund
This quick read (43 pages) really solidified the idea of a non-dual nature of reality for me. I downloaded it with reservations as it doesn't have much buzz around it and had never heard of it, but it was free through Kindle Unlimited so I figured why not. I was thoroughly impressed with the authors style and it has left me to constantly challenge notions of reality and the illusory constructs of human consciousness that we live by.
Sure. And if you want to look at it on that basis, you might consider adding When The Stars Are Right: Toward An Authentic R'lyeh Spirituality to your reading list.
CBT is great, man. I think Stoicism can really help you, too.
This book talks about using philosophy as a way to deal with modern problems, and the first section is on Stoicism. There are some cool stories in there about people using Stoicism to overcome some really tough shit. I think it could be especially useful for you, because a few of the stories are about people letting go of their past and moving forward.
I run a blog that talks about using philosophy (especially Stoicism) and psychology to deal with the issues of modern life, too. It's called Understanding The Man. I've only got 4 articles up right now, but maybe one of them (or all of them) will help you out as well.
Congrats on your sobriety, dude. Here's to keeping it that way.
If you have any more questions -- ask away.
> [...] argues that the only kind of metaphysics that can contribute to objective knowledge is one based specifically on contemporary science as it really is, and not on philosophers' a priori intuitions, common sense [...]