Why a philosophy professor chose Stoicism over other systems for his personal life

[freedom]

@DKervick

What I said is that I do have dispassion about future states because I don’t belive in them. If there are no post-death states, what is there to be passionate about?

So, if there is no post-death states then you are either annihilated or there is no future state for you if you are not annihilated (arahant?) or you will be unchangeable after death? How do you think you would be after death if you are not annihilated? (Or maybe something else?)

[DKervick]

As I have said many times before, I have never been presented with any compelling reason to believe that my personal existence will continue after death. As a result, I don’t spend any time thinking about such a continuation, or worrying about whether it will go one way rather than another.

[freedom]

@DKervick

As I have said many times before, I have never been presented with any compelling reason to believe that my personal existence will continue after death. As a result, I don’t spend any time thinking about such a continuation, or worrying about whether it will go one way rather than another.

Fair enough. You can have your own view. All of my questions is to explain what I have said previously…

@freedom

Without carefully paying attention to future states of existence, we will not be able to correctly understand them. Without understanding them, we will not be able to fully see their disadvantages and dangers. Without seeing their disadvantages and dangers, we will not develop dispassion to them. Without dispassion, we will easily fall back into them especially when we have no concern of their existences.

Lack of concern with future states of existence does not mean that we will be free from them.

However, you do not need to believe in what I have said.

[Mat]

@DKervick

it is easy to have dispassion toward such future states, since I have no reason to believe they will occur.

True. It’s important to have dispassion towards the current states as well because according to the DO it is clinging to current states which will inform what kind of future rebirth will happen, regardless of whether the person believes it or not. For example an animal, according to EBTs can be reborn despite not having any view of rebirth. Of course it is only possible to have evidence of past lives and not future lives, as they haven’t occurred yet!

With metta