What's the meaning of life?
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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?
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
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well similarly to the first post, i've thought of the "meaning of life" in two views.
PERSONALLY: the meaning of life for any individual is to find contentment and happiness - whatever that might be. everyone is searching, fighting or enduring for something. to me, it is really that simple (as a non-religious person). break it down - and it is the same for everyone; love (from whomever, including your god if religious), wealth, knowledge, enlightenment, popularity whatever - we want to live in that moment where all the crap you went through in life was worth it.
BIOLOGICALLY: in the logical eyes of my beloved cold-hard science, we are here (as many have suggested) to successfully carry on our genes. people often forget that we are no more superior (biologically-wise) than any other living organism - we're born, reproduce, we die. no reproducing - eventually there WILL BE NO LIFE. some people can't see that for some reason... don't understand why.
Remember - natural selection is not intelligent;
variation exists in all sexually reproducing species.
those who do not possess favourable features (due to genes) in a change of environment, gradually die off.
if you're dead, you can't reproduce.
Note: people continuosly expect a complex answer to our existance, and haven't been able to find the answer because they won't accept this simple answer written above.
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'...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?'
That reminded me that quite a few people don't know what makes them truly happy. Ofcourse the "what" is different, a daredevil's dream would be a nightmare to a pre-school teacher.
What is your question when you're asking for the "how"?
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The meaning of life / The purpose of life
Life: "The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism." Courtesy of "answers{dot)com"
The general 'purpose' of life, however, is 'to flourish'. Whether you're a monkey, a human being or a sea sponge-- FLOURISH! The question then becomes, what do we mean by 'flourish'? ...And how do we as human beings 'flourish'?
"Eudaimonia" is a term which will- (should) -pop up in this topic.
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Some people say religion gives them a meaning to life, some people say their actions and accomplishment give them a meaning to life. What ever the meaning proscribed, to me it's the same response. An external scapegoat created in order to satisfy a discontent with living. The question doesn't bother me, and it doesn't really make sense to me.
What is the meaning of life? of living? Being alive has a meaning? I don't see how there could be a sort of semantic meaning attached to the idea of being alive. I think the term is used too loosely in this question. In my view, the question "What is the meaning of life" doesn't even make sense semantically or logically.
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That's an interesting point of view, Patrarch. Thanks for posting!Patrarch wrote:Upon further reflection I decided the best idea I can attest to give a life meaning, if it is in fact possible, is Nietzsche's idea of eternal recurrence. Meaning is given to a life when it is lived in such a way that one would be content living that life repeatedly forever.
I wonder if there is any life that someone would want to live over and over... What do you think?
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yep
live for love, live for others &live for yourself
live for anger, live for vengeance &live for drugs
live for your loved ones &for the ones you hate
live for happiness &live for sadness
&live for the shadows in the gray areas
for those are the best of places
p.s. live for Ashley & Amber <3<3<3
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Call me simple but...
P E A C E
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First we must consider if there is even a meaning to life at all, and whether or not we are capable of becoming aware of it.
What does it mean, to "mean" (in the context of the question)? Causal purpose? As in something intentionally happened, and as a reaction, life came to be? Or is it the other way around; life is a cause itself for an ultimate intended purpose? Could it be both? Neither? Who or what defines that ultimate intention?
To assume that we, in our obviously limited understanding of the universe, can come to answer any one of these questions satisfactorily is by all means ignorant, naive at best, and arrogant at worst. We have yet to answer much simpler ones.
As Patrarch mentioned, the question does not make sense semantically or logically, and regardless, it's pretty obvious that we can never come to know the answer to such a broad and relative question through intense thought alone.
I'm not trying to kill the discussion, sorry if it reads that way. My argument does not by any means have anything to do with what meaning we wish to give OUR lives, that is something personal, and something we have the power of choice over. But I must add, to believe that our purpose in life extends in some magical sense before or beyond life itself is ignorant, naive, and arrogant.
With that, I'd like to add a short quote:
"But now I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth." -Umberto Eco
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Meaning of life...
So I believe that the true meaning of life is a test of spiritual morality... not religious... but spiritual. There will never be a universally accepted philosophical meaning to life as each life is different and follows a different path from others... but we can look at each life as a test with the difficulty based on each spirit's previous indiscretions and perhaps, a myriad of other factors. There is so much more that I have on the subject after some occurrences from a couple of years past, but this is my view.
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