Moji Motions

Existentialism is the idea that people are not born with a fixed purpose or identity and rather create meaning through their choices and actions. On the other hand, essentialism refers to the idea that there is an “essence” to our being, suggesting that an unchangeable aspect of ourselves precedes our birth and plays a role in determining our future identities.

The Oracle of Purpose is an ancient and trusted mechanism that assigns individuals their life roles based on an early identification of their talents. They are expected to train for and fulfill their assigned role throughout their lives (e.g., diplomat, scientist, caretaker, warrior, etc.) at the expense of pursuing other talents. Those who defy the Oracle often face exclusion or punishment.

The letters of last resort contain orders on what action to take if an enemy nuclear strike has both destroyed the government and has also killed or otherwise incapacitated both the prime minister and their designated "second person" of responsibility, typically a high-ranking member of the cabinet such as the deputy prime minister or the first secretary of state. If the orders are carried out, the action taken could be the last official act of the government. For the sake of this debate, we shall assume that the two options are to retaliate with nuclear weapons, or to not retaliate. We are explicitly not considering options that foist off decision-making to another actor (like the submarine commander, or another nation).

A Karmic Score refers to a point system that measures your good and bad deeds. Points are given for any physical action a person undertakes. The Karmic Score weighs out the weight of each action and assigns a score which is accurate to each action. If your good deeds outnumber your bad deeds, your score will be a positive number, while if your bad deeds outnumber your good deeds, your score will be a negative number.

The concept of ‘banality of evil’ claims that most perpetrators of great acts of evil are ordinary people, with no motive other than promoting their own advancement in society. Under this concept, perpetrators do not have to be "radically evil" and can be responsible for atrocities through their common acts or omissions.

(1) Epicureanism argued that pleasure was the chief good in life. Hence, Epicurus advocated living in such a way as to derive the greatest amount of pleasure possible during one’s lifetime, yet doing so moderately in order to avoid the suffering incurred by overindulgence in such pleasure. Emphasis was placed on pleasures of the mind rather than on physical pleasures. Unnecessary and, especially, artificially produced desires were to be suppressed. Since the political life could give rise to desires that could disturb virtue and one’s peace of mind, such as a lust for power or a desire for fame, participation in politics was discouraged. Further, Epicurus sought to eliminate the fear of the gods and of death, seeing those two fears as chief causes of strife in life. Epicurus actively recommended against passionate love, and believed it best to avoid marriage altogether. He viewed recreational sex as a natural, but not necessary desire that should be generally avoided. (2) Epicurus laid great emphasis on developing friendships as the basis of a satisfying life. While the pursuit of pleasure formed the focal point of the philosophy, this was largely directed to the “static pleasures” of minimizing pain, anxiety and suffering. ""When we say . . . that pleasure is the end and aim, we do not mean the pleasures of the prodigal or the pleasures of sensuality, as we are understood to do by some through ignorance, prejudice or wilful misrepresentation. By pleasure we mean the absence of pain in the body and of trouble in the soul. It is not by an unbroken succession of drinking bouts and of revelry, not by sexual lust, nor the enjoyment of fish and other delicacies of a luxurious table, which produce a pleasant life; it is sober reasoning, searching out the grounds of every choice and avoidance, and banishing those beliefs through which the greatest tumults take possession of the soul."""

The 'philosophy of water' comprises "H+H+O = H2O", which in detail means "Humility: water stays low in the river, yet it is a life-giving force; Harmony: water does not fight against its surroundings, it works with them to find a course; and Openness: water is open to change: gas, liquid, solid. It adapts and alters its form accordingly. The 'philosophy of fire' comprises opposite elements: Fierce, Insistent, Relentless, Exhaustive. It teaches one to develop a more rigid and firm sense of self that charges forward no matter what and burns all obstacles.

Effective altruism is a philosophy and social movement that advocates using evidence and reasoning to determine the most effective ways to benefit others.