ledzepfan329 wrote:Hi, this is my first time on this site and it looks like it is not too active but hopefully it will pick up. Just so you know, I'm a sixteen year old from Mississippi (please leave all stereotypes out of your jugdement of my character haha, yes we where shoes...). Anyway, here's what I humbly think:

Meaning, in the sense that most people in this thread are conveying which is much like the word purpose, is an elusive term. Any meaning that you assign to human life leads to another question of meaning. Example: The meaning of life is to love God etc....Well, what's the meaning/purpose of loving God? To make God happy. Then what is the purpose of making God happy?
i agree with you because your argumentation is patially and inevitably true
It can go on like this infinitely. So the conclusion I draw is that humans, like all other animals and lifeforms exist because the DNA in our cells exists. The DNA exists because certain chemicals exist, and this goes on back until...The Big Bang??? (not sure where it all leads back)

Now, the distinction between humans and other lifeforms is a very important one, and that is that humans are capable of reason and therefore capable of questioning (or the other way around?). Because humans possess the "instinct" to live and at the same time the ability to question/reason, it is only natural that humans question the purpose of their own existence simply for the fact that humans understand what purpose is. Because we understand purpose, it would be very depressing to accept that we have no purpose other than the purpose we assign to our lives, which could be religion, altruism, peace, etc. I believe though, that this must be the case. If we say that we are apart of some greater plan, then what is the meaning of the plan itself? We very often reject answers like the one I have proposed, but that is really only because our minds (for whatever reason, perhaps evolution?) give us desire for purpose, or desire to do "good".

So, like many people have been saying, the meaning of life is whatever you want it to be. If you have a desire to study philosophy, then fulfill that desire. If your "higher calling" is to help the poor, then go for it. Even if I'm right in saying that there really is no "greater" purpose for our existence, that's not a reason to abandon hopes, dreams, etc.

Wow, that took a long time; I hope someone will read this and leave some ideas that I overlooked haha. peace

CanisLupus wrote:The question "What is the meaning of life?" is a general question, not a personal one. It supposes that the answer will be general too. It doesn't ask what the meaning of YOUR life is, nor what makes YOUR life meaningful, it simply wants to know what the meaning of LIFE is.

I have often wondered about this, and I have come to the tentative conclusion that it is simply to remain living. You may say that this is extremely basic, and you would be right, but I think that we as humans are geared as much toward staying alive, and keeping our race alive, as the plant you see in your garden.

Life doesn't care if we are happy, or even comfortable, as long as it remains living. The individual does not matter, the species does.

Having come to this conclusion, my question has changed. I have realized that I have already fulfilled my basic function, since I have procreated and I am rearing my young, but that I would LIKE to be happy as well. I have realized that life doesn't care, but that I do. I do not believe there is a higher spiritual aim in life. I do not believe that we as a human race are moving towards some kind of spiritual destination.

Whatever you do outside your basic function of staying alive, is gravy. If an asteroid strikes today and wipes life off three quarters of the earth, you will not care what color your car was. You will care where your next morsel of food will come from.

We are basically animals with the potential to create our own little world in our minds and realise it in our lives. This changes nothing about our basic nature.

The meaning of life does not concern me anymore. The reality of the world I live in does.

Now I am wondering how one finds out what would make you happy. I am sure the 'what' would be different for everyone, it is the 'how' that may be the same though. Any ideas?

nobody wrote:The meaning of life. Human or in general?
Meaning of life is in general none exsistant. It's there.
Human existatnce has only meaning what human expects of it's exsitance. What you might ask, "What is my meaning in life"?
In general, for humans, the meaning of life is to solve problems. If a human can not find a problem to solve, then the human has a problem, which can only be solved by creating a new problem.
Do you understand the problem of the meaning of life?

Stoan wrote:Personally: To make your mark (good, bad, etc.) in history.

Physiologically: To reproduce.

Mentally: To keep at it until you discover what it is. (Perhaps never)