Do you consider everyone special ?

i had a very interesting discussion with jinaland on a slightly off but related topic

so the issue we are currently dicussing is do you consider everyone special ?

for special i just took the google definition of

better, greater, or otherwise different from what is usual.

Discuss

I've read everyone's post but it seems to me everybody that answered in the affirmative is using a different definition of the term special...they are using it or conflating it with the word unique or different.

I indicated what google defined special to be...

now for people indicating yes everybody is special - is there anything that would be considered non-special or not special?

Quote from keaji

But i literally took your google definition of special.

I was saying it's the matter of perspective, everyone can be special, greater in a different way, there is not only one measurement.

(Unless you ask: is everyone's ... (something specific) special?)

So in that kind of view also everyone could be considered as non special, because it again depends on what measurement/perspective is used.

well then if one person is not special then the statement everyone is special is nullified correct?

thus if I can prove one person is not special then the statement everyone is special is proven false?

thus (with all due respect to the suffering of rohingyas) there might be a child somewhere in a concentration camp with limited food, water and clothing suffering at the hands of the Myanmar government motherless, fatherless...what is special about that child?

Quote from keaji

Well i wouldn't say nullified if we use special without stating our perspective. Saying greater, better is not perspective, since you have to clarify greater better than what or at what. It's a comparison in this way and it depends what you use as a measurement. That's what i'm talking about, in one's perspective some are special, some are not. In the other's perspective again: some are special, some are not. So in one way everyone is special in at least one perspective.

The case you said: i know nothing about that child other than he's hungry and suffering. But in my mind the child is still special, valued, he has life, potential, possibility to become greater (i don't know what's going to happen to him in the future, i'm aware it's not looking great, but there is still a chance, in that perspective everyone has a chance).

I'm not going to treat someone different based on the circumstances he was born into or not take into the consideration the circumstances in which he lives.

well the original statement i posed is do you consider everyone special thus if it can be proven that not everyone ie a single person is not special then that would void the original statement correct?

Quote from keaji

Being special is a matter of perspective and it's subjective.

So you asked: do you consider everyone special?

To me it's pretty amazing that anyone who is here on earth is even here at all, so in that perspective/sense everyone is special.

What would you answer then? Who is special and who is not?

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them what would be your meaning of the word special? how is it different from unique ?

Quote from keaji

Greater, better, different than usual. And in the sense/perspective that i described, everyone is.

As i'm saying, not only definition of the word is important, also the perspective.

so therefore my question is moot because its a subjective question to begin with?

ie there can be no answer because everyone will have a different perspective on what is special to them ?

the usual in the definition of special must be looked st from each individual's perspective as oppose yo some collective overall usual ?

Quote from keaji

Exactly.

(some overall usual doesn't even exist, who would decide it or how would be decided?)

well i would not and cannot exactly state the usual but merely say overall there must be a usual level of talents, abilities, skills, looks etc right ? an average combination of such ?

Quote from keaji

There must be, but how can we determine it? It again depends on perspective.

So the usual can never really be decided. It's just something we have in our minds, same as average.

well if there is such a theoretical usual we dont need to decide that usual except to kniw that it is possible and it does exist correct ?

ie i'm not actually determining the usual but merely stating it exists

Quote from keaji

I only said that some overall usual doesn't exist. Usual exists, in our minds. But it's different for everyone and for every area, so it can not be determined.

well it doesn't need to be determined as long as some theoretical usual exists correct?

whether its mine or yours or whoever's theoretical usual doesn't matter and we aren't even going to try to determine it because its impossible but if it does exist then...I think you get my next point ahahaha

Quote from keaji

But even if it just mine or yours or whoevers, it exists as an expression to describe something we see as usual in certain situation. As special does.

It's not about right and wrong.

So yeah, if special and usual exists, i can still consider every person as special. Unless you decide the metrics on which we would say if someone is special. Like i said, not only we are 'special' to be here at all, but also if you look at every person seperately you can find something special about them. Not

everyone could, but it's possible. It depends again on perspective.

But i think that's meaningless. Because of course if everyone is special then no one really is. It's the same thing.

But your question was: do you consider everyone as special?

Thus: it's possible to answer yes, because you can look through many perspectives at the same time and in one way or another everyone is special (and no one is at the same time).

Btw what's up with your hahaha? I'm starting to think you really feel like you are smarter and better than others (or want to feel like that) and are maybe not really realizing you are also looking and thinking about things in a certain manner/perspective.

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Sorry for the hahaha ...I thought is was funny that's all bease I saw the argument in my head and automatically though that my conclusion based on that argument was funny...

I value each opinion and others perspectives and never try to feel superior but maybe sometimes I give that impression?

I guess for the special aspect of things I see this through a more macro level as oppose to a micro level...what I said earlier is that if I look at it on an individual level then of course we have persons who are special to someone and in someone's eyes I can't fault that logic...but then again I did ask do you consider everyone special hmm...maybe the question was correct but the questioner had something different in mind lol

Quote from keaji

The thing was, i didn't even found it as an arguement since it also depends on perspective, do you know what i mean?

Let's say i generally don't see anyone as special, outstanding, more valuable, greater than others. But i can at the same time look through differents views and through different scales/standards/measurements and see that it can make every person in a way special and usual at the same time (but not through the same measurements, a person can be usual through one standard and special through other at the same time). You know what i mean?

Btw i just wanted to tease you a little because of your hahaha :-D:-D :-D Don't worry about it hehe

But this is also something we can never know, like you say , we can never know how others see, understand or percieve us. I usually say even if we feel like we are always the same, every single person percieve us differentlly, through their own experience, so in a way there is as many our versions, as there are people we know.

I also value each opinion and perspective, but each of us has certain knowledge and experiences, so even if we think we value it, we might not fully understand what other person means, since they are coming from a different position.

Ok, that's another topic haha

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For me the issue was I tend to treat nobody as special until such times as they prove themselves special. Of course others might not see it that way and in the individuals perspective then anybody and thus everybody is special thus somehow logically that seems fallacious to me ????

Thus when i thought of my question again I should put it into a macro perspective as oppose to other who consider it from a micro perspective both of which have merit hence my point way above a few hours ago that this being moot hahaha

so in a way there is as many our versions, as there are people we know. - are you trying to convince me I'm LSM????

good point homour notwithstanding

but each of us has certain knowledge and experiences, so even if we think we value it, we might not fully understand what other person means, please tell me you are thinking of doing a PHD in philosophy or something lol you'd be really good at it

Quote from keaji

Of course if you say everybody is special and at the same time nobody is sounds wrong if you say it without any explanation with what you mean. But like i said, i meant it in a way that you can at the same time see people through many different perspectives and if you on on that macro level you can see it not really that illogical. If you distance yourself and try to look at the whole population you would see everyone as usual or average etc, from the universe everyone would look the same, but at the same time if one person was pointed out you would be able to see them as special in at least one way, even though they are not.

I don't know how to explain it, this is kind of how in see it.

Like, everyone has the same potential to be special.

Hahah no, i don't actually believe you are LSM, not even a bit :-D

Haha i don't know if you're joking or not, but phd, ah, long story.. But i don't see myself doing phd since there are some other things i should finish and dedicate myself to Also i wasn't studying philosophy haha

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I know you're not you've told me before but I'm being serious here you would make a fine philosopher if you ever did your PHD on philosophy