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Originally Posted by zvacet Good questions and starting point,but I´m haveing trouble with ontological status of conscious. |
Perhaps this simple story will clarify the practical implications of different ontologies:
George belonged to the Mumbie clan so when there was an opportunity to kill the last remaining village full of Bubudu clansmen, he did so with enthusiasm and became a hero. George knew that his decision to vanquish his foe was supported by his ontology because he listened to and accepted that ontology as it was told to him all of his life. He even recited stories to himself before the battle to remind himself of that ontology: The Great Zorg created all life. Over time the Mumbie clan proved themselves worthy of blessing, while the despicable Bubudu clan proved themselves worthy only of curses from the Great Zorg. It is the duty of the Mumbies to eradicate the Bubudus. Praise Zorg.
Later in life King George, as he became known, took a strange turn. One day he ceased eating flesh. Then he ceased eating greens. Eventually, he simply ceased eating. He withdrew from his luxurious palace and his proud but restless clansmen and settled for the rest of his days in a cave near a natural spring in the woods.
He drank from the spring for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, breathing fresh air for desert. He talked to the trees and the ants and the clouds in the sky. People thought he had turned mad and so left him in peace. On the day he died an old friend passing though the woods saw King George sitting on a rock in silence. They embraced and smiled, but George had little to say of himself or his old life that he had left behind. The friend asked what it was that made George change his behavior all those years ago. "I have never stopped to think about it," George replied scratching his head. "I guess my ontology must have changed."
In the silly example we might say that George unwittingly exchanged one brand of monotheistic ontology to some sort of pantheistic ontology.
As to the question of value added, my example is funny: When he's aware of the motivational story of Zorg he seems evil, foolish, or both; whereas later in life he's living with respect for all existence without questioning the ontological basis of his actions.
But George doesn't exist. Back to you.