Goals

Project Empyrean seeks indefinite happiness by using knowledge to guide deliberate choice, in this life and subsequent personal existence. Happiness need only remain above the subjective threshold of complaint; maximizing its intensity is not the goal. Transcending personal existence also qualifies insofar as it eliminates the possibility of unhappiness.

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Objectives

All striving may come to an end when the following conditions are satisfied:

• Permanent happiness beyond a threshold
  • A state such that the inclination to search for something better does not even occur. Individuals may choose how high their standards would be.
  • Incomplete freedom is satisfactory so long as it is above the threshold for incredible happiness.

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Intro

(Founder’s Prospectus by Shashank Rajesh)

As stated above, Project Empyrean is a non-profit research organisation established for the purpose of attaining epistemically certain solutions for the indefinite sustinence of happiness. The initial pursuit of this goal is in the form of this very document, an explorative prospectus into the scope of the organisation’s activities as they pertain to the goal. In the interest of expressiveness I will make free use of personal pronouns thoughout this document. There may be errors or logical inconsistencies, and I do not proclaim any form of absolute knowledge, but I do believe this formulation to be sufficient in its purpose of initializing the formation of this organisation. I do expect a more formal specification going forward.

An organisation comes into being as a response to a set of problems—this organisation responds the problem that underlies every problem:

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The actual goal: progressive infallible attainments

• We want to attain a level below which we can no longer fall. A secure position that is not subject to failure.
• Show the craving over time graph
• Similes to provide a taste of the ideal

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Second Wave

Thoughts {#thoughts-1}

There are difficult experiences born of seemingly uncontrollable volition from which the mind seeks freedom. One freedom is limited — conditioned phenomena. The other, being ideal, is unconditioned, unlimited, totally and permanantly free.

There are choices, and results thereof. Thus, all choices should be condusive to the attainment of a permanant solution.

What choices? Knowledge can help guide these choices, so that they really do turn out to be condusive to the goal. And how to aquire knowlege? Through information, contemplation, and direct experience.

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Knowledge is to be gathered to inform constraints and increase probability of success.

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• The objective is the attainment of the superior
• The superior is determined as a result of the functioning of reflective intelligence
• One reflects that affection underlies all objective pursuits
  • When one feels bad by way of appropriated displeasure, they tend to act in avoidance of it, usually in the direction of feeling pleasure.
  • When that appropriated displeasure ceases, they feel good, usually by the appropriation of pleasure.
  • Thus this twofold pursuit underlies everything that actually matters, as anything only matters on the condition of affection.
• Therefore they understand that feeling good is the superior. All other notions of superior are underlied by this affective domain.
• They also understand that volition is the only input to the attainment of the superior
• So they become heedful to attain the superior
• In other words, they think, “What will I do to be happy forever?”
• Thus Project Empyrean seeks the indefinite optimization of volition for the attainment of the superior.

Defining the Superior

• Stress is inferior, ease is superior.

• Stress

  • Appropriated displeasure

• Ease

  • Appropriated pleasure
  • Non-appropriation

• Both are momentary

• But consider a sequence of stress and ease across time

  • EEESEEE
    • Mostly ease with a moment of stress
  • EEsEsEE
    • A bit more stress but to a lesser degree each time

• Which is superior?

• In that case, I would say its arbitrary. Nonetheless, more ease generally superior to more stress.

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A Static Superior

• What one deems as superior is subject to change. Thus, we would be dealing with a moving target.
• However, there is only one type of superior which is true and rational: that which concords with the root of affection, desire itself.
• Thus, the superior is only that which is less stressful.
• Understanding this, setting the minimization of stress as the static and fundamental principle is rational and sufficient. The goal is no longer subject to momentary opinions. No longer subject to one’s addiction to inferior experiences.

Related topics (AI recommended)

The fundamental problem explains what these goals seek to resolve. Strategy considers how to pursue them, while Organization describes how the work is shared.

The current endpoint is indefinite nominal happiness above a subjective threshold, rather than maximal intensity or refinement.

The value of action without rebirth distinguishes effects during the present life from the value assigned to their limited duration.

The end of the project would follow implicitly from sufficient security, without a formal measure or declaration of permanence.

Garden map