Perry, Lawrence

So I’m Lawrence Perry. I like to talk a lot and I have a bunch of questions. Of course Philosophy interests me! I always wonder why things are the way they are. Why do humans suck? Why does life seem to have no meaning? Or is life full of meaning that we haven’t found yet?

I also wonder why things have to be the way that they are. Should we always respect our elders, even if they’re wrong? Should we always follow the rules, with no regard to why the rules were formed, or if the rules even make sense? Conversely, is it foolish to break a rule for the sake of breaking a rule? To paraphrase South Park, is it conforming if you conform to nonconformity?  

Because these questions are so metaphysical, there are no true answers. There are just a bunch of people putting in their two cents. That’s why I enjoy great thinkers like philosophers: they all offer a unique perspective that you wouldn’t think of.

Voltaire advocated for the freedom of expression and against the abuse of power(then in the form of organized religion). John Locke offered his take on the human mind, believing that all knowledge is preceded by our senses interacting with the outside world. Even religious figures like Christ or the Buddha proposed a solution to human misery and confusion.

I think that all of this is fascinating. The ideas that I just mentioned, plus all of the ones I don’t have time to mention, have all been absorbed in our collective wisdom. Even if I disagree with the ideas, even if the ideas contradict each other, even if the ideas were later disproven, the ideas inspire a never ending discourse that enriches us as a species. Each idea is a step that led us to what we know today. My sincere hope is that we can not only take a look at the previous steps taken, but take a new step into something new.