There is no other wisdom and no other hope for us but that we grow wise. – Surak
If a man can control his mind, he can find his way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. – Buddha
Welcome to VulcanBuddha.com. Despite the cute name, this blog is actually meant to be a (mostly) serious investigation of what it takes to live a good, happy, peaceful life.
My personal philosophy is always growing and shifting, but a few core fundamental beliefs underlie everything I think and do:
- Atheism: There is no god or gods, devils, or afterlife. What we experience here on earth is all that we will experience.
- Hard Determinism: All of existence is effect following cause following effect, extending back to the birth of the universe. Our experience of free will is an illusion, albeit a useful one from time to time.
- Nihilism: Life itself is inherently without meaning, so it is up to us to decide what meaning we will apply to our own lives–if any at all. By extension, there are no “true” beliefs or values, but only what is valuable to the individual.
- Prudential Hedonism: Pleasure for oneself is the only intrinsically valuable pursuit, so long as it does not bring pain to anyone else.
- Radical skepticism: Our experience is not reliable. We should question everything, at least when it is prudent to do so.
- Stoicism: Emotions are the enemy of reason, and reason is the only way to find happiness. (This is the big one for me, and for many Vulcans.)
- Utilitarianism: The “right” thing to do in any circumstance is whatever is logical.
These tenets are subject to change, and have indeed changed a little bit over time. But the process usually involves me coming to some philosophical realization and then discovering there is already a name for it. (As opposed to reading about a philosophy first and then deciding that I will live by it.)
Some of the other things you’ll come across here are philosophies of my own devising. You won’t find them in any textbooks, at least not by these names:
- Blissful Boredom: We are constantly trying to be entertained, but inner-peace comes from letting go of this desire.
- Obscurity: Specifically, don’t seek out social media fame. Don’t live your life for others’ entertainment. More broadly, this is a philosophy of just living in the moment and not worrying about posterity.
- Embracing Avoidance: It’s easy to avoid unpleasant things, but there is great value in finding the discipline to say ‘no’ to things that you would otherwise say ‘yes’ to. It helps to keep your mind free of clutter.
- The Five Things: A method of Embracing Avoidance. Keep a mental (or physical) list of no more than five things that you desire to have in your life, that you will say ‘yes’ to; to everything that isn’t on the list you must try to say ‘no.’
You can read more about each of these tenets by following the included links (coming soon).
The Vulcan Buddha 