Adam, Eve, and Moral Cheating

The more I think about it the more I become convinced that, in the old Christian bible story of the Garden of Eden, God punished Adam and Eve for what effect the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge had on them, rather than for the actual eating of the fruit. I am, of course, an atheist, but I have been thinking about this Christian legend because I believe I have found a parallel between the story and how people act in regards to ethics today.

To summarize the story succinctly, the story of the Garden of Eden is about the very first man and woman to come into existence, and how they committed a "sin" which caused them to get kicked out of the Garden and damn the rest of mankind with finite lifespans, the sensation of pain, having to work for sustenance, etc. According to the version of the story I've heard, the devil in the form of a snake with legs tempted Eve and convinced her to eat the fruit even after God explicitly warned both Adam and Eve not to, and then afterwards Eve convinced Adam to eat the fruit, by which then they both got cursed and kicked out of the Garden.

Omitting from discussion obvious contradictions -- such as how God's omniscience could not have foreseen what Adam and Eve were going to do, why his omnipotence could not have made the tree unattainable or else restorable, etc. -- I have been thinking that what God truly got angry about is that the fruit made Adam and Eve knowledgeable about the nature of good and evil, rather than the actual eating of the fruit. In fact, and this is another contradiction, it's downright foolish for God to have gotten angry for the consumption of the fruit: Since Adam and Even did not know about good and evil beforehand, how could they have known that eating the fruit was a bad thing to do and then act on moral principle?

If my analysis is correct, then knowledge here is being regarded as innately evil while ignorance is innately moral. So long as a man is ignorant, in this context, then he can achieve morality.

And in regards to a proper philosophy it is true that there is a difference between innocent mistakes vs. moral failings. An innocent mistake in the moral context is when one commits a self-destructive action due to honest, unwillful ignorance and is willing to correct one's errors and act accordingly (and follows through with that intention). A moral failing, however, is when one commits a self-destructive action while knowing in advance it is self-destructive, and could have acted otherwise. In addition, the immorality is intensified when one is unwilling to examine and/or correct the errors, and is engaging in willful ignorance.

I've noticed that in my own life some people engage in willful ignorance consistently, often, and regularly as a way of preventing themselves from having to own up to their immorality, possibly with the implicit intention of achieving the moral "purity" of Adam and Eve. (The dominant religion in my network of people is Christianity.) For instance, if I recall the specifics of the conversation correctly, I was once having a discussion with someone about the merits of a government program, and he was implicitly trying to tell me that it was practical while I was arguing against it. When he questioned me on my position, I posited a question with an obvious answer: "Where do you think the government gets its funding?" Immediately he widened his eyes, broke eye contact with me, and nervously said "--I don't know--"

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I started to explain how the government got its funding and was cut off in mid-sentence by an angry outburst. He snarled that I should be thankful that such programs are available for assistance, but when I started to explain that they do not achieve their intended purpose he told me he was incapable of doing anything about it and then ended the conversation, and perhaps even walked away from me.

Reflecting back, it's obvious to me now that he knew how the government funded its programs and had refused to think about whether or not they achieve their intended purposes; when I started making identifications for him he panicked and cut off the conversation before the issue could be fully clarified, thereby maintaining his self-inflicted "ignorance." Given that government programs for economic assistance are destined to fail -- what with ignorant, unspecialized politicians being in charge; wealth merely being transferred from one party to the next, and so on -- I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to defend his moral status by stating "I didn't know!" when a government program he supported fails. More likely, however, is that he'll continually keep himself in a haze and treat economic failures as metaphysical facts.

But then again I could be wrong. It can be very easy to make philosophical identifications in ethics on the level of broad abstractions, such as the particular one above, but extremely difficult to find where they apply in specific situations. Even if you spend several months to study and integrate the proper code of morality, it can still take years of applying its standards to find how it applies to particular men, and even then one could still make an error of judgment. Men are, after all, capable of dishonestly presenting their natures, though I suspect it cannot be kept up indefinitely.

As such, I don't exactly know whether or not the person in my example was utilizing evasion to keep himself morally pristine of the consequences of government programs or if he was just terrified of questioning and altering his premises. In his case, he utilizes a clusterflop of techniques in order to try and make himself exempt from scrutiny. For instance, he advocates determinism and claims metaphysical necessities when he's being morally condemned or feels uncomfortable at my condemning someone else, but when it is I he wishes to scrutinize he suddenly advocates freewill and believes man's choices are not metaphysical necessities.

Whatever the case, the particular technique of evading in order to be "innocently" ignorant of the nature of one's actions does not allow one to achieve the moral status of being innocently mistaken. This is an attempt to cheat morality; and, in addition to the nature of the person's actions, the person opens himself to be more intensely condemned for the nature of his evasions.

Perceived Productivity and Actual Progress

One thing that bothers me is when someone judges me to be an unproductive person simply because they cannot see any physical manifestations of my productivity. If I were to isolate my activities to another location out of this kind of person's sight and engage in predominantly mental work, for instance, the person would assume I would be doing something equivalent to nothing. Once while engaged in studying I was interrupted in order to complete an insignificant task that could have waited, and then told to be thankful that I was given "something to do."

While it is true that accomplishments should have some manifestation of the sorts -- whether it be an emotional change resulting from introspection, a physical device being built, or the likes -- progress can nonetheless still be obtained purely in the mental realm. If one is stumped by an intellectual problem that affects one's life, for instance, one could still be considered productive in a personal context by having sat on a rock for a few hours in order to solve it.

In truth, if this be a more common problem outside of my context, I think the root lies in the fact that one's mental world is entirely private. No matter how loud you think or daydream such mental activities will be hidden from other persons, even if their ear is pressed against your head. While a person may be intensely engaged in a mental process, lacking telepathy, the only thing other people can see is a person standing around "doing nothing."

As far as I have observed, the persons who hold that thinking is akin is idleness are themselves particularly unproductive people. Since they don't stop to *think* about how to maximize their productivity, instead opting for thoughtless action and habits, they end up wasting their time spinning their tires. A person who "wastes" a few minutes examining driving routes, for instance, is more likely to reach his destination quicker than the person who simply relies on his habits.

This line of thinking actually occurred to me last year when I spent a bit of time thinking about to optimize a process at my old job as a Park Ranger. A volunteer and I were working on rolling some caution tape, and I was annoyed with how excruciatingly long it was taking. I remembered a technique I saw on Mythbusters, spent an extended amount of minutes trying to develop a process -- rather than dedicating myself entirely to the rolling -- and came up with a massive shortcut to the process by attaching the caution tape to a drill, which saved significant time. A person who wouldn't "waste" his time thinking would have spun his wheels in the long process of rolling via hands.

I have to wonder if this association of thinking with idleness has any deeper implications in formal philosophy. I had been thinking about Marxism in particular, though I confess I haven't studied it yet, so I cannot make any claims to ideological or historical accuracy. If I recall what I've read correctly, basing their actions on the Marxist doctrine, statist advocates actually went out and murdered industrial leaders since they thought they were evil for "exploiting" workers, that the workers engaged in the physical labor were doing the actual work while the bosses were being idle (that is, wasting their time on mental work). This explanation, I believe, was intended for clarifying why some statist countries (e.g. Russia) went to economic hell so quickly: They killed the brains that drove the economy, feeling their mental work was nonessential and insignificant to the process.

Either way, it incenses me that such an association is made in any number of instances, serving as proof that the particular persons who adhere to this believe that the mind is nonessential to life.

Chocolate Review: Endangered Species 72% Raspberry

I noted a few posts ago that I like to review chocolate on my Facebook profile. I've decided now that it would be better to do so on my blog, since I have a disclosures page anyhow and would like to share my thoughts with a wider audience.

First, a bit of a back story. When I started transitioning from my high-sugar diet to a high-fat Paleo diet I suffered for quite a while from intense lactose and general sugar cravings. I managed to easily cut certain sweet treats out of my life, but in exchange my body was sending me the signal to drink ever greater amounts of milk, and sometimes I would feel "possessed" to consume something sweet. After having a panic one night with one of my cravings I decided to purchase some dark chocolate in order to pacify my cravings in a healthy way, and to slowly mitigate them.

At first I didn't really enjoy the taste or bitterness of dark chocolate, but I kept at it in order to keep things under control and to benefit nutritionally from the chocolate. (I started at, I think, 70% cocoa.) Strangely enough, after repeated eating I develop a taste for the bitter stuff and can now enjoy upwards to 100% cocoa. Even though my constant milk and carb cravings have disappeared I still partake in dark chocolate and take pleasure in trying out different varieties and brands. I still utilize it for health reasons -- I seem to be suffering from a magnesium deficiency for instance -- but for the most part I enjoy it for its own sake. Just recently I have taken to reviewing the brands and varieties I try since I take the tasting so seriously, and I really enjoy sharing my thoughts on what I'm eating. I don't plan on becoming a professional food reviewer and I probably wouldn't enjoy it if I tried it; I just like detailing my preferences to other people.

So from now on -- though not on a consistent or constant basis, since it costs money you know -- I'll take it upon myself to post my thoughts on the chocolate I'm eating here on Musing Aloud. Hopefully it will influence your eating!

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Disclaimer: I have no relationships with the chocolate companies mentioned other than that of a customer.

So I tried Endangered Species' 72% dark chocolate with raspberries. I'm disappointed, but it's good enough that I'd perhaps eat it again. It utilizes dehydrated raspberry flesh rather than using an extract, so it doesn't have the flavor integration and consistency you would find in ES's mint or cherry, which makes it inferior in my opinion.

However, the fruit flesh does give it a nice appearance. It's combined into the chocolate very inconsistently, rather than smoothly, so when you get into it it has this nice spotty bright pink appearance. In a way it gives me an impression of it being particularly feminine due to its pinkness, but it doesn't bother me and won't prevent me from eating it since all sweet foods remind me of women, therefore leaving me fine with the prospect of feminine sweets. In fact, why not make all sweets feminine in a way? It's a nice association.

Taste-wise it's particularly mild. The chocolate is good as always, but the chunks of raspberry are too mild and end up playing as quiet background singers. There is tartness, but not much. As I said, I'd still eat it again, but I'd like to see ES utilize an extract to intensify the raspberry flavor, as they use such extracts for their mint and cherry bars. In fact, what would really be nice is if they utilized both an extract and fruit flesh; the extract for flavor intensification, integration, and consistency, and the fruit flesh for appearance enhancement. That would be wonderful.

All in all, it's a nice bar, but you may want to pass it up unless you really like raspberries or mild tartness. Fruit-wise I think the cherry bar is superior, and you might come out alright if you stick to bars with fruit extracts. I might buy it again, but with my current supply of bulk chocolate and new flavors to try it sinks really low on my wish list. I'd *really* like to see a bar with apricot extract.

I'm looking forward to trying the organic health collection in my fridge since they have a greater amount of flavors blended into them, making me suspect more intense flavors, but I'm going to take my time getting to them due to my budget. I don't want to exhaust my variety and get into a monotonous cycle.

Categorizing Time

Building on my last post, I went through and brainstormed my essential values on a page in my introspection journal. Granted, my thinking wasn't scientifically precise, meaning I didn't measure out numerically the time commitments I want to dedicate to each value, but I did arrange the sections of my life into a hierarchy and devise good approximations. The categories and subsections I came up with are:

1.) Career: Employment, training, learning;

2.) Home activities: Cooking, reading, studying, exercise, writing;

3.) Media: Internet usage, television, DVDs, music, and movies.

(My career is likely not to be home-based, thus the segregation of career and home.)

The first item is the most important while the third is least. In each section, the individual items are approximately and loosely grouped according to importance. I plan on making my life fuller than this so to speak, but with my project -- keeping in mind my project is for the advancement of my life -- limits me currently, so some things will have to wait. Romantic aspirations are on my mind, for instance, but it may just have to wait for the next few months or so.

Anyhow, as I've said before my original problem was wanting to do "everything." After seeing how dissatisfied I was spending so much time in one area while neglecting others, I identified that my time commitments were messed up since I didn't have a proper *positive* value hierarchy. In this context, by positive value hierarchy I mean a hierarchy of values positioned relative to each other, not taking into account non- and anti-values; originally I just compared my values to non- and anti-values. My mistake still kept me value-oriented in my pursuits, but didn't help in budgeting time for some values over others.

Now as for my present thinking, I must confess that the only time commitments I feel truly certain and comfortable about are my recreational values. DVDs, for instance, can simply be rented or stockpiled and then watched whenever I wish, in however long a stretch I desire. I do not currently value any regular events that occur on specific dates or times, so I don't need to take into account as to how to align my life with my calendar.

My learning and skill development, honestly, is my biggest worry. For these I know to give the biggest time commitment, but I fret at making sure the proper learning and practice methods are being utilized, and whether or not actual progress is occurring. I take this to be perhaps be a fear that I might atrophy or lose my knowledge even at the slightest sign of slacking off or rest. This fear could be a lasting result from my institutionalized schooling, where the improper learning methods used forced me to simply memorize and parrot what was being "taught," and then to forget it shortly afterwards -- within less than a month. All the forgetting I've done of my school curriculum has probably spilled over into my personal studies as a fear I'll simply forget what I've learned or quickly retrogress in my competence.

To remedy this I'll need a better understanding of what it is I would like to *do* (physically) in my life, and then to determine the knowledge that such action requires. After integrating such a premise and putting it to practice for a while, I predict my consciousness will be geared towards only its dedicated pursuits and I'll naturally lose interest in wanting to do everything else. My dedication to the culinary field, for instance, has made me lose the desire to study formal philosophy intensely, reducing me to partaking in mostly modern works. (Though I plan on reading the translated works of Aristotle.) While philosophy is immensely important, it's simply too great and intensive for me to dedicate significant amounts of time to.

My thinking and resulting actions may be better once I can afford to implement fully the advice offered in Getting Things Done, as right now I'm limited to only utilizing electronic lists. The documentation and storage procedures suggested in the book should be able to help me in the future by helping me identify patterns in my thinking and chosen values.

I certainly feel better after this round of thinking, but it's still an ongoing process. Enhancing my competence, ability to learn, and ability to know myself is what will cure my time budget maladies.

More on Essentializing

I might as well give up on my blog hiatus, as my reduced level of productivity has had a negative emotional impact. My original intention was to put off blogging and my other productive ventures in favor of my project since the problem that made the project necessary interferes with the quality of my life and my ability to be productive, as thoughts on solving this problem often pervade my mind. I've realized that not that much energy is required for focus on this project, and I've hit a point where I'm waiting for something to happen before I move on. Even when I do move on it isn't going to be back-to-back hours of working for the completion of this project, so I have little excuses for my lack of productivity and certainly deserve the discomfort.

Plus, I have to admit that even a brief absence makes me miss participating in the online Objectivist community, as I have no acquaintances that share these philosophical values and limited means, at the immediate present, to make things otherwise. Hopefully someday I'll be able to attend an Objectivist Conference. Until then, if I want to enjoy online company, then I must be present to provide company as well.

Anyhow, back into the vein of productivity, I am still having problems essentializing my life, as you have heard me speak of before (here and here). It's a really difficult task! I suffer not from the problem of wanting things to do, but having to choose from too wide a range of things, far more than I could ever get done or involved in. As such, I've been working to try and pick out only the essential values in my life and dedicating myself to them solely, but every now and then I get back into do-everything-mode and stress myself out. Blog reading, for instance, has been particularly bothersome since I follow so many blogs on Google Reader, and I know that if I read too much in a short time frame there will be too little time for thinking, thus deleterious to my long-term memory. As a solution to this problem I'm going to simply check certain blogs everyday for day-to-day news, and then let posts on others build up so I can dedicate myself to reading multiple posts of a blog (usually of one theme) in one sitting.

(Though perhaps my worries about my memory should be the subject of a piece. I do not have any inherent memory problems, but I fret at doing a great quantity of intellectual work in a short time for fear of most of it being forgotten due to information overload.)

But what of the other realms of my life? Cooking, writing, studying, and all that? I think maybe it will be helpful to split my life into categories, and then determine the value of each and the appropriate time commitments. I know that, at least, some activities can be neglected for a long time and then done in marathon sessions, such as (recorded) television series and movies. Other things, however, add more complications, such as the slow processes of studying or writing.

Oh! Hard thinking to do! I don't know what to say now except that I need to get a piece of paper out and do a bit of brainstorming. I'll give an update. (Don't I always?)

Project Update One

Despite a snag or two, things are progressing for my project. At this rate I'd have to say that things will advance very slowly; my project does not seem like it will be finished until near the end of this year, or even beyond. Being a new hire, my employer isn't giving me very many shifts right now, which stunts the growth of my finances, but I'm still enjoying my job, pursuing self-improvement, and still have yet to see how things will play out in the long-run. New developments may come about in a month or so.

And still -- I apologize -- the secrecy will continue. I'm not intentionally teasing you by not telling you what my project is; I consider it necessary. Explaining my plans could result in significant hardship, so mum's the word until completion.

As for my personal life, I've noticed a rather negative trend in my sense of life as of late. After clarifying my central purpose in life and intensifying my job hunt my sense of life got a boost since I was being purposeful and actively absorbed in that which makes my life worth living, but now that I have a job and have transitioned to focusing on my project I see the negative contrast. No, the job has not brought anything negative into my life: it has opened my eyes to the negatives that currently exist. In other words, after experiencing the good in life I become more sensitive to anger about the bad in life since it interferes with the good. After seeing in what direction I want to go, I detest more intensely the unnecessary obstacles, the people and conditions that serve as problems to overcome, but yet are not problems or difficulties inherent in the nature of the direction itself (such as acquiring knowledge and skills). Such has been adding significant stress in my life, stress that cannot be eliminated except through the completion of this project, and can only be alleviated through meditation, cooking a good meal, consuming my favored dark chocolate, and so on. In searching for new ways to enjoy myself I have even adapted new values to expand my enjoyment of life: Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Alfred Hitchcock movies.

The biggest frustration, however, is certainly that this project has diverted my focus from cooking. I haven't been thinking or reading about it much lately, and my actual practice has declined in quality and quantity as well. My, how I would enjoy the prospect of reading and studying cooking and nutrition literature, and cooking all day, but now's not yet the time. Considering the immense value to be gained from this project, I must conjure up the patience to wait until then.

Anyhow, sorry to my regular readers. If my lack of writing deprives you, consider friending me on Facebook or following my Twitter account. I don't post much on Twitter, but I am active on Facebook, and I cannot repress the urge to do a bit of short writing on there, for I have gotten into the habit of reviewing dark chocolate in my status updates. Note, however, that if you should choose to send me a friend request on Facebook that I would appreciate a message explaining how you found my profile, as I do not add completely random strangers (i.e. people I've either never met or whom I have no philosophical friends in common with). ("Your blog," would suffice as an explanation.)

I'll keep you updated on my progress, and perhaps I might also be unable to repress my desire to write and construct some small posts, since I seem to have shifted my writing to Facebook after all. In the meanwhile, my main concerns are my career, project, values, and lifestyle.

Good News for Me; Bad News for You

The good news is that after several months of searching I have finally gotten a job! I work as a Kitchen Helper at an inn and restaurant one town over, and so far I'm really enjoying it. I never expected such a job to push the limits of my consciousness as this does -- considering I need to be super *aware* at almost all times (watching inflow of dishes, actively remembering dishes under heat, maneuvering to avoid people walking around, keeping a standing order to pay attention to stock items, etc.). It's good to finally be able to get physically tired from something, which I consider to be a form of satisfaction.

I find it odd how I got the job. After making the identification that I want to become a chef my job hunt became much easier and more fun. I knew where I wanted to work, why I wanted to work there, and in my cover letters displayed honest enthusiasm. Not only did my hunt become more enjoyable, employers became more interested in me since they could observe I was preparing to get myself into something long-term, rather than just being some young kid looking for a summer job. My employer was so intrigued by my resume and cover letter that I got hired virtually on the spot -- there was a message on my answering machine about a job offer just hours later after I handed in my information.

My interest in cooking has increased since my last three shifts. I enjoy the kitchen atmosphere, the fast-paced environment, and the delicious smells. If my shift didn't end so close to my bedtime I'd probably go home to do some cooking. They don't have me doing any food preparation yet -- I'm still in training -- but I can wait as long as it takes to prepare; even washing dishes is enjoyable.

I'm not sure whether I'll continue my experimentation with cooking and baking at home since I may be redirecting my resources to my next project. Which brings me to my bad news (for you)...

For the past few years now I have been bothered by a problem which has seriously imposed on my ability to pursue my happiness and be productive. Since this problem has been so cumbersome and yet unresolved, it often throws itself before my immediate consciousness, demanding attention and for it to be solved, which has interfered with my reading, writing, learning, cooking, and so on. Up until now it has be unresolved because I have had no means to solve it, but this new job will allow me to at least begin considering preparing, finally allowing me to give serious consideration to the means I'll employ.

No, this project is not something I'm going to construct for public consumption, but something that will advance me greatly in life. Until the project is finished, I'm not going to state what it is or what problem has prompted its necessity. It will take several months for me to accomplish, maybe even over a year. Aside from my career aspirations, this new job will allow me to begin saving up towards that goal, and will help me gain experience which will develop my wage earning potential.

I think part of the success of my job hunt can be attributed to the fact that I switched it over from being a side-pursuit to a goal of primary importance to be concentrated on. I performed terribly and felt horribly unmotivated when I treated the hunt as a pursuit to be squeezed into my life, but when I turned it into something I would spend my days on, my motivation drastically increased, my methods improved, and now here I am employed. I think, too, this project would be much more successful if I were to concentrate on it instead of thinking of it as a side pursuit. After all, it will bring me closer to my happiness, eliminate the current interference in my productivity, and be a major advancement in my life. In a way, you could say I'm temporarily "giving up" (or shelving) my other productive ventures (studying, reading, etc.) to deal with something that is significantly interfering with them.

As such, I may very well put my blogs on hiatus. In addition to the change of my writing habits (as per my identified purpose in life), it's just hardly worth the struggle given my current condition. Maybe I'll write some musings on food or what I've learned from my job hunt, but I don't know; more important things occupy my mind right now.

Anyhow, see you later.