Philosophical Reflections and Beliefs

The speaker shares a personal philosophy that embraces change and the desire to be proven wrong. Raised as an atheist, they find ethical guidance in religious teachings like the Ten Commandments. They believe in scientific and economic theories such as Darwinian evolution, Adam Smith's free market, and chaos theory. The speaker is open to changing views on human nature, seeing it as a subject of historical study.

What does the speaker find interesting about being a historian?

• Maintaining a static philosophy

• Being proven wrong

• Being consistent over time

• Proving their beliefs right

How does the speaker describe their upbringing in terms of religious belief?

• As an atheist

• As a devout Christian

• As a lapsed believer

• As a follower of multiple religions

What ethical framework does the speaker find valuable despite being an atheist?

• The principles of Hinduism

• The laws of ancient Greece

• The Ten Commandments

• The teachings of Buddhism

Which economic theory does the speaker believe in?

• Mercantilism

• Adam Smith's free market

• Keynesian economics

• Marxism

What scientific theory does the speaker subscribe to regarding the natural world?

• Relativity

• Quantum mechanics

• String theory

• Chaos theory

What is the speaker's view on Newton's Laws of Motion?

• They are outdated

• They are irrelevant

• They are still valid

• They are completely wrong

What is the speaker's instinctive belief about human nature?

• The state of nature is ugly

• Humans are inherently peaceful

• Humans are naturally cooperative

• Civilization is unnecessary

What is the speaker open to being persuaded about regarding human nature?

• Humans have an innate preference for order

• Humans are naturally violent

• Humans are inherently selfish

• Humans prefer chaos over order

What does the speaker believe about the motivations of human beings?

• They are simple and straightforward

• They are irrelevant to historical study

• They are complex and worth studying

• They are predetermined by nature

What does the speaker mean by 're our natural impulses in'?

• Encourage natural instincts

• Ignore natural instincts

• Celebrate natural instincts

• Suppress natural instincts