Explain yourselves

A niggers anus is more entertaining than this board
Explain yourselves

entertaining value
expecting to be entertained on an offtopic board

You see, there are intrinsic and extrinsic definitions. An extrinsic definition of evil might be "that which we avoid". But an intrinsic definition of evil is yet to be found. Here in comes choice. What is choice? It is the case when, through calculation, some thing is preferred over another. What kind of calculation? A calculation of goods and evils? Goods and evils which aren't intrinsically defined? Yes, whence comes forward a strange loop. We must acquire our values somehow, before we can choose. We cannot acquire them by choice yet, because we cannot choose yet without having them. So it is as the Sussman koan says "random prejudices", the initial state of the world. That thing called instinct has been perfected through many generations, to give us good prejudices on which to rely to start life. Afterwards we can do what many philosophers have tried, which is to examine our prejudices of childhood while agreeing on some simple rules of behaviour to not be paralyzed while making choices. This has been a similar project from Descartes' Method to Nietzsche's Transvaluation. Heck, even Socrates' "The unexamined life is not worth living" quote comes to mind.

This self-analysis is hard to do. What do we value the most? Why do we value it? Have we been acting blindly, have we let empathy rob us of our true selves, letting others make our decisions for us?

Entertainment, to take your example, is doubtful. It is produced by others, and you consume it passively. Its opposite might be work, action (maybe). All existentialists talk of work as the motivating purpose of a (social) life. Work is where we can be creative. Maybe you've beeen "programmed" (or subtly instructed) to search for that which would bring you least fulfillment, and avoid that which would bring you the most.

Arbeit macht Frei. Free as independent, as standing-on-own-feet.

But this is just me trying to help guide your own reflection, ultimately it is you who has to make it. I fear donating too much of my prejudices to you, and having just another copy of myself going around. This is the danger of making friends, and just talking in general.

>>2

We must acquire our values somehow, before we can choose.
strange loop.

/lit/ refugee? You're missing 'innate values' from biological conditioning of
primate evolution, which neatly explain how the value form:
fulfillment(animal needs) or suppression(denial of animal nature) of instincts.

The opposition of animal nature 'intrinsic values' and civilized culture values that largely suppress animal instinct underpins the human condition.
But entertainment seeking can't be explained as instinct-based or culture-bound, its a mix of animalistic group identity and cultural 'modes of expression' that combine into 'entertainment complex':
a game is a social construct where players are allowed to bring their animal instincts and culturally inappropriate tendencies in a safe manner,
whereas passive observation of people engaging in a game is culturally sanctioned position of a external critic who can indulge in animalistic desires without acting them out physically(a virtual simulation of animalistic behavior though mental mimicry and fantasy).

>>3
Yes, I tried citing them in >>3

That thing called instinct has been perfected through many generations, to give us good prejudices on which to rely to start life.

They neatly explain it, yes, and we can even explain the mechanism of consciousness and dreams, and what they are good for.
Consciousness is in its prototype the first choice between suppressing and not suppressing an instinctual response to some stimulus. Feldenkrais explains this well in his book Awareness through Movement. The idea is that the response must be fast, so the whole body tenses up, and waits, and if it is not interrupted in time, the instinctual response flows by itself. This is spontaneous behaviour. But if it is interrupted, it is something like a mini-trauma, and will be remembered in sleep, and there it will "heal", and this healing will modify slightly the instinctual response. That's how we overwrite our instincts, that's how we train, that's how we acquire learned behaviour, for good and for worse.

It is much more satisfactory to not suppress the response so much, and be spontaneous. Feldenkrais explains that too, and proposes a set of exercises to relearn to move about without effort.

But being too mechanistic in our view of the world doesn't encourage us. Maybe we should search for other values?

>>4

The opposition of animal nature 'intrinsic values' and civilized culture values that largely suppress animal instinct underpins the human condition.

I agree, and Freud comes to mind. His book "The Uneasiness in Culture" I was recommended to read but still haven't. But all the niceties of society, the politeness necessary to not be misunderstood in intent, all this is learned. And different societies have different values, because they also evolve.

But entertainment seeking can't be explained as instinct-based or culture-bound, its a mix of animalistic group identity and cultural 'modes of expression' that combine into 'entertainment complex':
a game is a social construct where players are allowed to bring their animal instincts and culturally inappropriate tendencies in a safe manner,
whereas passive observation of people engaging in a game is culturally sanctioned position of a external critic who can indulge in animalistic desires without acting them out physically(a virtual simulation of animalistic behavior though mental mimicry and fantasy).

Yes, I would think most things are mixed, except the simplest things. For instance, family relations are in part learned, in part instinctual. While culture has many institutions to constrain our behaviour, instinct has no voice, it (still) knows little of itself. Psychologists and pedagogues seem to know little of it, and even create whole pedagogies (mini-culturation, i.e. of the side of culture/oppression) on the assumption that the child or learning adult is being oppressed (so as to recognize it, relate to it, etc).

Maybe entertainment works as a "peace offering" between the two directions, as a way for culture to not oppress the vital so hard. Bread and circus, isn't it? All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. So it has a "social function", and individual as well. It's just like you've said.