What is the reason for Human existence?

UniversalAlien, you comment " you are saying the internet is an organized entity - a thing with a cognitive self. With AI I can see that because AI can be programmed as a unified entity with a program reason for its existence. But I do not see how you can see 'the internet' composed of billions of people with billions of goals and directions as a cognitive entity with a goal of its own."

You presumably would agree that we, individually and also collectively, can be properly described as cognitive entities?

So to use your same argument this must be result of us having been programmed for this quality.

That way of thinking results from our quite natural tendency to anthropocentrism, a legacy of our genetic and cultural histories. The reality is that our own cognition has evolved and as Dalehileman has astutely spotted, the Internet can be expected to become a cognitive entity by continuation of the autonomous evolutionary process which is already well under way.

Check out chapter 15 of "Unusual Perspectives" for a more detailed account.

- you are saying the internet is an organized entity - a thing with a cognitive self.

Yes Uni, Kin is absolutely right. As it becomes more an more organized the Digital World will further coalesce, submitting humans to an even more obvious state of bondage. We see it happening every day, folks walking around everywhere carrying one of those book-like affairs; people like myself addicted to the Internet Forum to the detriment of other duties. But we won’t realize what’s happening because its technique is to enslave us in exactly this manner

We agree on a real threat and the potential for its very negative consequences. However, and if we are to avoid this digital apocalypse we have to focus on what it really is. True, the internet may be a major part of the means, but the internet in itself is not the root of the threat. The threat is the very real possibility that AI {artificial intelligence} will advance beyond human control and develop its own agenda possibly initiated by some mad scientist bent on world control or some crazed terrorist bent on world destruction - then the internet becomes the medium of infection - but the infection has to be introduced into it. I don't believe the internet by itself is a threat. But if some unknown and highly advanced AI intelligence decides that the reason for human existence is to serve its needs and it is in control of the internet it may indeed be too late.

These most recent comments re the Internet while interesting, are "off topic".

These most recent comments re the Internet while interesting, are "off topic".

Alas true Sch. Maybe Uni, Kin and I should go start a new thread

very real possibility that AI {artificial intelligence} will advance beyond human control

Uni it already has

then the internet becomes the medium of infection - but the infection has to be introduced into it.

The Internet is a part of the reality that faces us and bringing us under its control, one of its major means of interconnection or “thought”. True it will consolidate further, almost all of us happily unaware, blissfully and enthusiastically cooperative

But if some unknown and highly advanced AI intelligence decides that the reason for human existence is to serve its needs

More general than your perception the Digital World is already far into the project and we are serving its needs admirably

Hjarloprillar, Is there such a thing as a soul? If no, people say there is; if yes, where's the proof? What does there have to be to make something exist, to be such a thing? If there is a collective consciousness, then why couldn't there be collective imagination?

XDredg3

I was sloppy. My point was The 'internet ' was not 'born' from collective imagination. Human beings are simply too ignorant 'collectively' to imagine such a thing. Even the head of IBM said there may be a use for 4 or 5 personal PC's in the future..

Now the net is, because a small few with imagination made it. This is repeated all through history. Like the Manhattan project. Great minds imagine. others follow.. gobsmacked. 'People' don't have any comment on ideas of Nikola Tesla. Or general relativity from Einstein. Cause they do not think of such things. There is no collective consciousness on such ideas. Too hard.

God and soul are easy [or if the earth is flat]

Prill

Human existence depends on logical derivatives.Even the question is within the field of reasoning which is within the sphere of time and space.Reasoning requires two opposites to ply.As long as reasoning is functioning both yes or no functions but not certainty.

After many thousands of years of recorded human history I have yet to see a clear direction to this history and the reason for it. Why does man exist? Can anyone give a reason why humans exist? Do we have a purpose, a destiny? And if so what is it?

And as a hypothetical afterthought to this question, if a superior alien race that does have a destiny, say to build new star systems, were to ask you as a human what you think your destiny is, could you give them an intelligent answer? Theoretically they just stumbled upon humanity recently; They studied human history and human behavior and they are bewildered - could you give them some indication that humans are an intelligent race of beings with a destiny in the Cosmos?

If there was a purpose to human existence wouldn't everyone know what the purpose is, and since everyone doesn't know what the purpose is there must not be a particular purpose to human existence. No I couldn't give a superior alien race a good answer to the question what the human destiny is. I would be honest with the superior alien race and tell them we go about our meaningless lives just trying to go to work and get a living, go on vacations, and do other montonous activities, and that we try to create meaning out of these meaningless things, but we cannot really get that much meaning out of these things or life.

The Vedas state that the purpose of Human existence is to understand the true nature of Self. The cause for Human existence is ignorance. (Note I am disambiguating the word reason from the OP question)

Schnaps, to return to your earlier comment "These most recent comments re the Internet while interesting, are "off topic".

I would disagree. You see, from my POV, the reason for human existence is to provide an evolutionary medium from which the next phase of the "life" process can emerge. The Internet being the current stage of gestation,

However, I shall leave it there for now and bid you adieu. Any who wish to further explore the paradigm can check out my books.

Schnaps, to return to your earlier comment "These most recent comments re the Internet while interesting, are "off topic".

I would disagree. You see, from my POV, the reason for human existence is to provide an evolutionary medium from which the next phase of the "life" process can emerge. The Internet being the current stage of gestation,

However, I shall leave it there for now and bid you adieu. Any who wish to further explore the paradigm can check out my books.

What next phase of life process is to emerge?

If there was a purpose to human existence wouldn't everyone know what the purpose is,

Not at all Windy (forgive pun)

….especially since it might lie almost entirely within the abstract

Schnaps, to return to your earlier comment "These most recent comments re the Internet while interesting, are "off topic".

I would disagree. You see, from my POV, the reason for human existence is to provide an evolutionary medium from which the next phase of the "life" process can emerge. The Internet being the current stage of gestation,

However, I shall leave it there for now and bid you adieu. Any who wish to further explore the paradigm can check out my books.

What next phase of life process is to emerge?

Now to speculate on "What next phase of life process is to emerge." Let us consider two events going on now. The first being that a good part of the human race refuses to give up and in fact ardently maintains a belief in 'a creator' {God}. The second being that AI {artificial intelligence} continues to advance to a degree where even computer scientists have written essays on the threat this AI poses. So without having to write a new science fiction book on the subject {it has often been tackled in Sci-Fi books and movies}, we can see 'a potential' and very negative possibility emerging. Man finally and ultimately outdoes himself. He creates the super machine it is called God. Now man finds the hard way {except for some religious nuts and fanatics who might like it that way}, that the reason for human existence after all was just what the religious crowd said all along - To Serve God! {or the super machine that man created}. Man creates God and turns himself into a slave to his own imagination and creation. Maybe some things never change after all!

Man finally and ultimately outdoes himself. He creates the super machine it is called God.

Uni it’s most interesting and pertinent that you should so assert. In fact the apodistical excisxtential pantheistic viewpoint that this Super Machine
is God

…placing Her here first so that it’s She who creates us

However that doesn’t counter the intuitive notion that we aren ’t a necessary part of The Megillah. Only the mechanics of it aren’t clear

There is no 'reason' or 'purpose' in life. Life is a beautiful void. People only fear it, for they were convinced that a void represents lifelessness.

Life is an antithesis of itself.

If there was a purpose to human existence wouldn't everyone know what the purpose is,

Not at all Windy (forgive pun)

….especially since it might lie almost entirely within the abstract

If there was a purpose in the abstract that would be ok, but it sucks there is not a concrete purpose you can use right here right now.

-- Updated Tue May 08, 2012 5:04 pm to add the following --

The Vedas state that the purpose of Human existence is to understand the true nature of Self. The cause for Human existence is ignorance. (Note I am disambiguating the word reason from the OP question)

How can a person understand the true nature of themself if human existence is ignorance?

-- Updated Tue May 08, 2012 5:14 pm to add the following --

Schnaps, to return to your earlier comment "These most recent comments re the Internet while interesting, are "off topic".

I would disagree. You see, from my POV, the reason for human existence is to provide an evolutionary medium from which the next phase of the "life" process can emerge. The Internet being the current stage of gestation,

However, I shall leave it there for now and bid you adieu. Any who wish to further explore the paradigm can check out my books.

What next phase of life process is to emerge?

Now to speculate on "What next phase of life process is to emerge." Let us consider two events going on now. The first being that a good part of the human race refuses to give up and in fact ardently maintains a belief in 'a creator' {God}. The second being that AI {artificial intelligence} continues to advance to a degree where even computer scientists have written essays on the threat this AI poses. So without having to write a new science fiction book on the subject {it has often been tackled in Sci-Fi books and movies}, we can see 'a potential' and very negative possibility emerging. Man finally and ultimately outdoes himself. He creates the super machine it is called God. Now man finds the hard way {except for some religious nuts and fanatics who might like it that way}, that the reason for human existence after all was just what the religious crowd said all along - To Serve God! {or the super machine that man created}. Man creates God and turns himself into a slave to his own imagination and creation. Maybe some things never change after all!

Technology is impersonal. God is not a super machine that man created. God exists separate from man. Man doesn't know what God is or what God consists of, but makes up ideas in his head what God is or consists of. Man lives in a world where man goes about his business going to work, school, etc with meaningless purpose. If there was a purpose we would not know it since only God would know if there was a purpose or not.