What's the meaning of life?

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froud
Posts: 8
Joined: April 30th, 2008, 1:44 am

Post by froud »

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
nobody
Posts: 39
Joined: April 1st, 2008, 4:42 pm

Post by nobody »

froud wrote:
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
To do good and Evil my learned friend with shoes. And for hope and dreams, I would leave them as they are, and, just live.
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Abiathar
Posts: 247
Joined: April 29th, 2008, 5:32 pm
Location: Angkor Wat.

Post by Abiathar »

To-wit...

The meaning of life, mabye, is to question the meaning of life, possibly, in doing so advancing your unification with the rest of the atomic structure of everything else, sort-of.

When one asks, what is the meaning of life, for a brief moment as even the most mundane of minds brings to bear the tool of philosophy, they will have thoughts beyond their normal scope of rationality or ability. In this, in some tiny way, the universe as a whole will be slightly more energized by alpha/beta waves. Though gentle and very very subtle, as with most things our universe over, the tiniest of spark can mean more than the big bang itself (ref: see Quantum Fluctuations).

In this, the meaning of life is that the universe lives and grows, and the continuity behind it.
Wilmar
Posts: 1
Joined: May 5th, 2008, 6:57 pm

Post by Wilmar »

Life has no intrinsic meaning --- that is, a meaning that inheres in it separate and apart from the human it inhabits. We come into this world only with our mammalian instincts, which are mainly to survive and later to procreate. On the day of that entry we have no purpose, no explanation for living beyond fulfilling those basic needs.

We are born --- no, more accurately thrown --- into a universe that cares nothing for whether we are in it nor not. We have no control over the timing of that entry, nor little control over what unforeseen and even undeserved fate (disease, automobile accident, etc) may befall us.

Whatever else we decide to do, other than fulfilling our basic needs, as a purpose or meaning for our lives is learned. Existence does precede essence. Thus whatever meaning life has is only that each of us gives it. Some, through the choices they make and through the passion with which they pursue those choices, find life rewarding and fullfilling, full of purpose and meaning. Others, through the choices they make --- or fail to make --- find themselves overwhelmed by the cold and indifferent universe. Unable to find a purpose or meaning for life, they drift into lawlessness, into drugs, and even into suicide.

Whichever course each of us takes to find the meaning of life is an individual choice. Good luck.
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Abiathar
Posts: 247
Joined: April 29th, 2008, 5:32 pm
Location: Angkor Wat.

Post by Abiathar »

Meaning of life:
Constructs created of organic compounds, basic requirement being self reproduction, though other requirements include such things as the manifestation of waste, consumption of energy, metabolism...

Wait, wrong question?
"I aspire to say in ten sentences what one would say in a novel... and would not say" ~Nietzsche
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Samhains
Posts: 193
Joined: December 15th, 2007, 2:56 pm

Post by Samhains »

Wilmar wrote:Life has no intrinsic meaning --- that is, a meaning that inheres in it separate and apart from the human it inhabits. We come into this world only with our mammalian instincts, which are mainly to survive and later to procreate. On the day of that entry we have no purpose, no explanation for living beyond fulfilling those basic needs.

We are born --- no, more accurately thrown --- into a universe that cares nothing for whether we are in it nor not. We have no control over the timing of that entry, nor little control over what unforeseen and even undeserved fate (disease, automobile accident, etc) may befall us.

Whatever else we decide to do, other than fulfilling our basic needs, as a purpose or meaning for our lives is learned. Existence does precede essence. Thus whatever meaning life has is only that each of us gives it. Some, through the choices they make and through the passion with which they pursue those choices, find life rewarding and fullfilling, full of purpose and meaning. Others, through the choices they make --- or fail to make --- find themselves overwhelmed by the cold and indifferent universe. Unable to find a purpose or meaning for life, they drift into lawlessness, into drugs, and even into suicide.

Whichever course each of us takes to find the meaning of life is an individual choice. Good luck.
Unable to find a purpose or meaning for life?

The meening of life is purpose...
everything has a purpose and is connected to the circle, the cycle, it is sacride, no one can escape it. The tree can not decide to stop producing oxegen or consuming carbons any more than the fish can decide to stop swimming. The bees are made to pollinate flowers, as flowers are ment to feed bee's. Each thing does not have a single purpose but multipial and infinite possible purposes, as in bee's make honey, and flowers produce medicians..as well.

Humans have a purpose as well, and all though one may or may not find a "personal reason" for existance, you as a human have purpose, and it is the reason you are.

Perhaps humans are here to simply produce plastic for the planet, wanted plastic for its self, didn't know how to get it, so it made us...(See: G.Carlin Youtube) Perhaps our purpose is to discover new worlds and learn how to inhabit them, make them inhabitable for others...spred like a virus..perhaps it is both..mabe we are simply here to produce Carbon for the plant life to breath, perhaps they are incontrol of things, and not us.

Either way everything has a purpose and because it does have a purpose on the wheel, the circle...the cycle of things...then this becomes its reason for being, and somethings reason for being is called "purpose".

The meening of life, all life, is purpose.

(in religion and magick there is a way to connect with the divine source, acording to that way this is what they tell me: "that the meening of life is purpose")
"there is no use looking in the box if you do not have the key.
The box is empty and never locked, yet all is in it."
ScaaMOOSE
Posts: 5
Joined: May 27th, 2008, 11:58 am

Post by ScaaMOOSE »

The meaning of life is 42.
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Samhains
Posts: 193
Joined: December 15th, 2007, 2:56 pm

Post by Samhains »

ScaaMOOSE wrote:The meaning of life is 42.
:)
it has to be purpose, or there is no 'reason' no purpose, so there for the meening of life is purpose.
"there is no use looking in the box if you do not have the key.
The box is empty and never locked, yet all is in it."
anarchyisbliss
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Joined: February 28th, 2008, 4:23 pm
Location: Maryland
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Post by anarchyisbliss »

what if the meaning of life is to waste our time debating on what the meaning of life is....
"If there is hope, it lies in the proles." - George Orwell, 1984
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Samhains
Posts: 193
Joined: December 15th, 2007, 2:56 pm

Post by Samhains »

anarchyisbliss wrote:what if the meaning of life is to waste our time debating on what the meaning of life is....
and these are the minutes we will never get back Anarchyisbliss
"there is no use looking in the box if you do not have the key.
The box is empty and never locked, yet all is in it."
mike
Posts: 50
Joined: May 6th, 2008, 11:40 pm

Post by mike »

'life' and 'meaning' are concepts. The things they are applied to defy f**king 'purpose'
gimal
Posts: 54
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 5:31 am

Post by gimal »

the meaning of life is just finding a meaning
cbrangwin
Posts: 2
Joined: June 7th, 2008, 11:26 pm

Post by cbrangwin »

I am a new member and thought someone might be able to help me with something. I talked to a priest today and he said that fear was a good thing because it helps us know what is important. What do you think this means?
tez
Posts: 6
Joined: June 9th, 2008, 11:14 am

Post by tez »

for the entity which built the cosmos there may be some meaning. but we are just part of the machinery. it is a wonderous machine, and endlessly interesting, but a cog shouldnt expect to have a meaningful purpose beyond rotating as per the machine specification.
tez
Posts: 6
Joined: June 9th, 2008, 11:14 am

Post by tez »

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.
the above is pretty silly.
the cosmos is a machine. its a wonderous and complex machine, and it works brilliantly. its consructed and operates through the application of simple chemistry and physics formulae. to imagine that a particular amalgamation of chemicals and processes, such as a rock, or a human being, will be more immportant to the machine, or will be allowed greater insight into the machines raison det, is taking huge liberties the little logic we have at our disposal. it is subjective nonsense.
rock and man are cogs within the machine, their purpose is to rotate according to the specifications of the machine. nothing more and nothing less.
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