[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f8pqRb3bQBSxIcJXtd8T6oLUnNpfmt8tRsZnHiVOMkoU":3,"$f_7we1znJnbo8B-MIsY3An3j3fS_4v99Sb5TSl6QPjMo":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},60808,"Owen J. Flanagan","O",5,null,"owen-j-flanagan",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":97},[14,27,41,68,82],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},555217,"In science, even if experience and reason can’t yield a definitive test for some unsolved problem, the rules require trying to gain some explanatory grip by looking to the best intersubjectively confirmed theory in the vicinity, the theory with the best potential resources for making sense of the puzzling phenomena.",2,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22],{"id":23,"tag":24},3004200,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},2982,"buddhism",{"id":28,"quote_text":29,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":30,"source":31,"quote_tag":32,"commentary":9},554962,"We are imperfect information processors, but we can learn about what sorts of false or incorrectly interpreted information lead to incorrect self-assessments (negative or positive) and work to get over the tendency.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[33,38],{"id":34,"tag":35},3003318,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},270,"philosophy",{"id":39,"tag":40},3003316,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":67},412291,"Someday you will die. Because you are embodied through and through, at that point you will cease to exist. You will not meet death, because, as the sage says, \"Where death is I am not; where I am death is not, so we never meet.\" When you die there will no longer be any self that is you. Use your self while you have it.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[47,52,57,62],{"id":48,"tag":49},2387169,{"id":50,"tag_name":51},119,"death",{"id":53,"tag":54},2387170,{"id":55,"tag_name":56},222,"inspirational",{"id":58,"tag":59},2387171,{"id":60,"tag_name":61},1192,"materialism",{"id":63,"tag":64},2387172,{"id":65,"tag_name":66},23524,"poignant","**The Backstory**\n\nThis profound reflection is attributed to Owen J. Flanagan, a philosopher and neuroscientist known for his work on the nature of the self. Given the context of Flanagan's intellectual pursuits, it's likely that this quote was written in one of his books or essays, perhaps around the time of his book \"The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized\" (2011), which explores the intersection of Buddhist thought and modern neuroscience.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nFlanagan's words contain a counter-intuitive truth about the human condition. By saying that we will cease to exist when we die, and that death is not something we will meet but rather an absence of our existence, he highlights the paradoxical nature of our attachment to selfhood. This insight challenges the common notion that death is a confrontation or encounter with an unknown entity; instead, it's simply the end of our individual experience.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nIn applying this mindset today, consider using your consciousness and sense of identity as a finite resource. Treat your life and experiences as a precious commodity, acknowledging that they will eventually come to an end. Focus on making the most of the time you have, and cultivate a sense of urgency and intentionality in pursuing your goals and passions.",{"id":69,"quote_text":70,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":71,"source":72,"quote_tag":73,"commentary":9},383187,"The worst question to ask is ‘‘What is the meaning of life?’’ There is no single meaning of life.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[74,77],{"id":75,"tag":76},2235778,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},{"id":78,"tag":79},2235777,{"id":80,"tag_name":81},728,"meaning",{"id":83,"quote_text":84,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":85,"source":86,"quote_tag":87,"commentary":9},383184,"Many people who say that they are 'spiritual’ but not religious are saying that they are seeking to understand and develop a sense of connection to that which is greater than and more comprehensive than their self.In this manner meaning is sought, possibly found and embodied in one’s life. The spiritual aspirations of such an individual do not, however, involve any theological beliefs. The individual might go to church, but not to worship God.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[88,91,94],{"id":89,"tag":90},2235764,{"id":36,"tag_name":37},{"id":92,"tag":93},2235763,{"id":80,"tag_name":81},{"id":95,"tag":96},2235762,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},{"currentPage":98,"totalPages":98,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":99},1,10]