[QUOTE=ScientiaOmnisEst;4769846]I never thought I was intelligent enough to experience existential angst. Better late than never, I guess.

------------------You don't have to be intelligent to experience existential angst.
It's something you FEEL.

I guess my solution (however long it lasts) is to just kind of...ignore it. It still feels dishonest to not adjust your worldview to new information, to not experience yourself differently knowing everything from nameless fear to transcendent inspiration is just a lot of neurons firing and shouldn't be taken seriously.

-------------I don't mean to offend, but that sounds like a ridiculous statement.

But I know I'd be happiest to continue to feel those things as they come and conceptualize them abstractly and talk about concept as though they were things. Even if that makes me a crappy person who would rather be happy and ignorant. And yeah, it also gives me the right to explore things even if they're irrational and not real.

---------------So the fact that your science doesn't understand the "abstract" and "concept" as you call it, makes you feel like a "crappy" person ? And believing in the "spiritual" would make you an ignorant person but happy ?
I'm very happy that you now have permission" to explore the irrational and not real." Also if open-mindedness and inquiry make you feel "crappy", I would suggest you seek out a therapeutic consultation, at the least.

First of all you've just insulted about a few billion people with your ridiculous
scientific view of things as a-priori
Secondly, I'd just like to say I'm sorry your in this quandary in your mind.
I propose to accept BOTH concepts as valid in the human experience.
Therefore opening your mind and end your " existential angst ".

BTW: What scientific field are you in ?