"You're asking me whether severely mentally challenged humans are people?"
No, I was asking about "ghetto people", most of whom fit the description I provided. Perhaps the IQ may be a bit higher, but, AFAICT, not by much (and as I mentioned, average human IQ is around 100 -- not that big difference from an above average gorilla, if you ask me).
"whereas many animals might be ignorant of the problem's universality"
Which was what I was asking. The folks I mentioned in my example would fit your description of an animal, since those people neither recognize some nebulous existential predicament nor do they live inauthentically. Sure, they bitch a lot about people and society, but that’s about it. And to be honest, in a lot of aspects I'm not that different from them. So, your position is rather troubling for me.
“existential predicament for living things that find themselves in an impersonal universe”
Or do you mean by this the awareness of mortality? Are little kids no persons then? And even after they start to grasp it, are you saying that they are inauthentic? However I look at it, that would be quite a stretch. But frankly, the only “tangled knot” I see, is the pretzel you twist from a simple fact that the very existence of first person perspective makes the universe (partly) personal in a very natural way. And as I see it, you do it only to be able to uphold the initial premises you set out to defend, that is to say, your self-image of the tragic hero worthy of being celebrated as the one who “gets it” and can withstand “the horror of the noble anomaly.” Well, I can only lol at such egomania.
"Who are these "misguided practitioners" of Buddhism?"
Those who mortify themselves despite the clear teachings about idiocy of extremes; those bowing to golden statues of Buddha or merely parroting cool phrases how "everything is empty" to look pious or knowledgeable despite the teachings about uselessness of belief and dogma; those who, without irony, venerate a former clero-fascist monarch; those who even twist the meaning of ahimsa to excuse their violent behavior. Should I continue?
"Are they just the authorities you disagree with?"
Obviously no.
"Can you name an authority who agrees with you about nirvana?"
Definitely Buddha. Also, in all likelihood, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. :D :D :D But isn't that an appeal to authority? Tsk, tsk.
