Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to play

[arlentk]

I used to play a videogame called kingdom hearts. Its about a boy named sora who is chosen to wield a "keyblade" and to go out on an adventure to save other worlds from destruction. The game also involves a collaboration of Final Fantasy and Disney characters. In the second game, he needs to stop a group of "nobodies" who have formed and organization named "Organization XIII" from unlocking kingdom hearts and from gaining hearts of their own so that order will be kept throughout the worlds. A "nobody" is a being that belongs neither to the light or the darkness and is considered to be "nonexistent" because of this. They have no hearts and are incapable of feeling any emotion whatsoever. Because of this, they cannot find any meaning for their existence without a heart. Except for two nobodies named Larxene and Marluxia who said that they were just fine without one. they and some other nobodies wanted to overthrow the organization for their own unknown purposes. But everyone else in the organization could not find any meaning to their existence without a heart.

This gives me something interesting to think about. Here's what I want to ask: Can anyone find meaning to their lives without any emotions whatsoever? And can life be just as meaningless with our emotions if we are put in different situations? :|

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

Ummmmm.... how old are you? Seriously, it actually matters to the answer I'm willing to give you.

Secondly, these questions seem a bit abstract. "Anyone" in real life has emotions, and they have to find their meaning in the context of those emotions. And no matter what the situation, life is always as meaningful as what we make it.

 

[DepricatedZero]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

I always took Kingdom Hearts as Christian propaganda

 

[arlentk]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

I always took Kingdom Hearts as Christian propaganda

Now that I think about it, I guess that fits really well. lol

Ummmmm.... how old are you? Seriously, it actually matters to the answer I'm willing to give you.

Secondly, these questions seem a bit abstract. "Anyone" in real life has emotions, and they have to find their meaning in the context of those emotions. And no matter what the situation, life is always as meaningful as what we make it.

I am 17 years old. Sorry but was this something I should have thought more critically about before I posted this? The way you are talking to me is implying that I did something illogical. I never wanted to come across that way, I just thought it was something interesting to think about. I now realize that using a video game that I used to play as an example is VERY unrealistic, and I probably should have thought of something that actually applies to.. well, reality. :facepalm: Is it possible to delete this topic and make a new one? Or is this still something worth looking into? (I hate it when stuff like this happens...)

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

I am 17 years old.

That's cool, but I'm old enough to be your dad. If we were both in West Virginia, I'd be close to old enough to be your grandfather.

Sorry but was this something I should have thought more critically about before I posted this? The way you are talking to me is implying that I did something illogical. I never wanted to come across that way, I just thought it was something interesting to think about. I now realize that using a video game that I used to play as an example is VERY unrealistic, and I probably should have thought of something that actually applies to.. well, reality. :facepalm: Is it possible to delete this topic and make a new one? Or is this still something worth looking into? (I hate it when stuff like this happens...)

Don't be sorry! It seems like you're trying to dig around and get at something that you think it important. You're using a specific reference that makes sense to you to try to get some sort of grip on the issue. It isn't that you shouldn't use fiction to address a more general issue, because that's totally fair and honest and logical. Unfortunately, you picked something kind of obscure.

What I'm trying to say to you is that I'm interested in the thing you want to talk about, but the game reference you used is out of my experience. I can talk about the meaning of life in a more general sense, but not within the context of the Kingdom Hearts game.

 

[arlentk]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

Don't be sorry! It seems like you're trying to dig around and get at something that you think it important. You're using a specific reference that makes sense to you to try to get some sort of grip on the issue. It isn't that you shouldn't use fiction to address a more general issue, because that's totally fair and honest and logical. Unfortunately, you picked something kind of obscure.

What I'm trying to say to you is that I'm interested in the thing you want to talk about, but the game reference you used is out of my experience. I can talk about the meaning of life in a more general sense, but not within the context of the Kingdom Hearts game.

Oh okay! (Whew...)

Secondly, these questions seem a bit abstract. "Anyone" in real life has emotions, and they have to find their meaning in the context of those emotions.

What I am talking about is a situation in which someone is born with no emotions whatsoever. I guess this isn't exactly in the case of real life, but lets just pretend for a moment that things like this happen. If that is the case, then is it possible to still find meaning in a different context instead of the context of the emotions we live with?

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

First off, I'm not sure an entity could be considered to be a "someone" without emotions. We're human beings, mammals on Earth, and everything we know as a "someone" would have to express emotions on some level. Even our most basic desires are tied into our emotions: a child born without emotion might not bother to cry when it is hungry, and could starve to death.

 

[Demojen]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

Antisocial personality disorder (APD)

And ....Everything Disney could be called christian propaganda.

 

[impiku]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

Hang around, I think you are the only person within my age group. :mrgreen:
Unfortunately, I cannot help you with this since existentialism is not my particular field of interest in philosophy.

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

I fucking played the shit out of Kingdom Hearts.
It was a very good game and I always enjoyed interacting with other characters from my childhood that I thought Disney had gone and tossed away like rags in the trash - such as Merlin from the Sword in the Stone.

Anyways, I found it emotionally moving, and still do today. It isn't so much as Christian Propoganda as it is a story about how, even in the darkest of times, you can always cling to that stitch of hope with the knowledge that, ultimately, good will triumph over evil just as Light slashes away and cuts through the darkness.

In terms of the Nobodies, though - it was an interesting yet bullshit bid to the storyline. Personally, I couldn't really get into the 1 1/2 setting because it really didn't fit in ... It's just Disney milking a cow dry, like it always does. :|

 

[Laurens]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

I don't think an emotionless being would find a meaning to existence.

The meanings people do create are always emotional. Whether it is religion, or just a 'lets have fun in this life while it lasts' philosophy.

A being without emotion would just acknowledge the fundamental meaninglessness of existence and carry on with things. They would obviously not be driven to despair by that idea either. I'd imagine they'd be rather like Vulcans.

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

I don't think an emotionless being would find a meaning to existence.

The meanings people do create are always emotional. Whether it is religion, or just a 'lets have fun in this life while it lasts' philosophy.

A being without emotion would just acknowledge the fundamental meaninglessness of existence and carry on with things. They would obviously not be driven to despair by that idea either. I'd imagine they'd be rather like Vulcans.

Nihilism? What?

 

[Welshidiot]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

Did someone mention being unable to find the meaning in existence?

These guys agree with you:

​

 

[televator]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

^^ Their emotions seem pretty intact...

Also, I hate Kingdom Hearts. Too many menus for my liking and too heavy on the ham-fisted philosophizing. I prefer something more like Eternal Darkness or Deus Ex.

 

[Lallapalalable]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

Would an emotionless being even desire to find meaning in life? What impact would the lack of a meaning to life have on one who could not feel sadness/depression? Seems more like a logical hole in square's character development. As far as your questions go, everything is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[arlentk]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

Would an emotionless being even desire to find meaning in life? What impact would the lack of a meaning to life have on one who could not feel sadness/depression? Seems more like a logical hole in square's character development. As far as your questions go, everything is in the eye of the beholder.

Ooooh! Nice thinking there!

 

[Thomas Doubting]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

If there is such a being, may it live long and prosper

 

[PGEgeland]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

Anyways, I found it emotionally moving, and still do today. It isn't so much as Christian Propoganda as it is a story about how, even in the darkest of times, you can always cling to that stitch of hope with the knowledge that, ultimately, good will triumph over evil just as Light slashes away and cuts through the darkness.
:|

What? you play games and root for the light? What ever happened to leaning back and smashing faces in because the face was only slightly off the path? What about waging an arrogant insane war on every single life form that does not conform to you? Whatever happened to playing a game because ti was completely devoid of reality?

 

[Fiang]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

After watching an LP of KH3DS, I'd say the games as well as their themes have gotten quite darker and much more mature. Yeah, the first string of games came off as very thought provoking. As if Nomura wanted to say something, to get something across to the players. Unfortunately, I think whatever that something was was greatly...hampered by the Disney side of the game series. Someone said Kingdom Hearts was Christian propaganda, well...I believe it. It wants so badly to be different and to say different things that Westerners don't get to hear in their culture, but because it's Disney based, it can't. It has to stay dominantly Christian and keep in touch with Christian themes.

That always bothered me...in a way. Because in Christianity, it's the norm to think of Light (or pure goodness) as the epitome of perfection and that anything Dark (or evil) is sinful and should be punished. In Eastern philosophy, the two need to be together in order to keep the universe running. But in Christianity, there can be little to no room for evil. In Kingdom Hearts, that's how 'evil' is treated and it makes me feel uncomfortable. Because there are so many instances where it looks like Nomura wants to say, "Evil isn't as bad as you thought it was. It's kind of necessary if you want to stay human," but then...the 'Christian' theme of the game come into play when characters say things like, "Darkness is bad! Period!"

That's why I'm really liking the most recent installment, because it dares to explore the duality between light/darkness; good/evil. Riku at one point even 'restores' light to an extent...by embracing his own darkness, his dark side. Riku seems to be the only one who thinks with the mentality that every now and then...darkness/evil can be a 'good' thing, that it's necessary. On top of that, you have other themes in the game like...time travel, which they explain very well and without destroying your brain cells with quantum physics. And I could be over analyzing on this one, but if you've ever played The World Ends With You, there's a Jesus figure in it who shows up in Kingdom Hearts 3DS as well...and he sort of suggests that the entire world, maybe even universe, was dreamed up by him and that he's constantly just...dreaming. That God is dreaming. That in and of itself can open up a wholly different discussion on whether or not we're even here. Kind of like Descartes's theories and Plato's Allegory of the Cave. So it's an interesting game. If you haven't played it already, you should. It's deeper, darker, and is a little more....ballsy for lack of a better word...in the philosophical department, lmao.

 

[Lallapalalable]

Re: Philosophical question regarding a video game I used to

What? you play games and root for the light? What ever happened to leaning back and smashing faces in because the face was only slightly off the path? What about waging an arrogant insane war on every single life form that does not conform to you? Whatever happened to playing a game because ti was completely devoid of reality?

This, I like. I'm willing to bet your Fable characters were all grey-skinned, horn-bedecked polygamists with clouds of flies orbiting you, with that cool sword you get for killing your sister.