What's the meaning of life?

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ToxicGold420
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by ToxicGold420 »

I believe that there is no meaning to life, we just live day by day and then we die. We weren't put here for a reason but we just try to make the best of it.
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Freudian Monkey
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by Freudian Monkey »

I nowadays tend to think that life is a simulation and our experiences are perhaps being "recorded" for one reason or another. It might be the Buddhist concept of universe experiencing itself through our lives or something of that nature. But I don't believe good or evil exist - there are just experiencing individuals thrown around by different internal and external circumstances. I like to think that everything we experience throughout our lives is valuable - our experiences are unique due to their subjective and temporal nature. So it doesn't really matter whether one lives a happy or a miserable life, as long as he's witnessing as it unfolds. I find this a rather hopeful perspective. It might not be the true state of things, but it works for me right now.
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Newme
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by Newme »

Belindi wrote: December 25th, 2018, 9:39 am itt wrote:
When you are solving a problem you must look at it without having any preconceived idea of an answer to that problem. You must clear your mind of everything you know about the subject. Remember that previous theories, assumptions and facts could be wrong.
Reassess everything with an open mind. Do not make a conclusion to what the answer is until you have looked at the problem from every possible prospective. You must look at it in every possible way for every possible answer. Once you have run out of different answers than look at why you came up with those answers. Reassess every answer, combine every answer, dissect every answer.
Remember the problem might have more than one correct answer or the correct answer might be a combination of the different answers that you have come up with.
If you try to solve a problem with an open mind the true answer will reveal itself.
While it's good to aim to be as objective as possible it's impossible to not be subject to prejudices; after all you are not a newborn babe.

It's also impossible to look at the problem from every possible perspective . God is said to be omnisicent and there are no other contenders.

Not every problem has an answer .It's healthier to accept that you cannot know anything at all for sure.
I agree for the most part.
For the majority of countless daily decisions, there is not such exhaustive consideration of possibilities - and if there were, we might be paralyzed by constant skepticism and consideration. For big decisions that involve influential consequences, exploring many perspectives makes sense. Yet, generally, conscious value systems allow us to establish routines that spend our limited time living more than speculating about living. Values give us a sense of personal hierarchal meaning - and though ideally they adapt - they facilitate more opportunities to experience rather than just ponder possibilities. This suggests experience is more meaningful than considering possible meaning, which may be debatable.
“Empty is the argument of the philosopher which does not relieve any human suffering.” - Epicurus
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Pantagruel
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by Pantagruel »

Life may be meaningful without "having" a meaning. Life is a challenge, a project.
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PhilosophyForLife
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by PhilosophyForLife »

This thread is huge! I read from the beginning until 14 of April 2014, therefore my comment refers only to those posts I have read. I will continue reading, and will probably post again, but it will take months.

Here is my contribution.
It seems to me that the majority of the answers can be grouped into A) either life has meaning and one has to find it or B) life does not have a meaning and it is up to one to create it. Within these alternatives there is the series of individual opinions which constitute the majority of the posts. Therefore, reading this thread creates possibly only confusion because not one opinion is discussed thoroughly with rigor. A philosopher does not just give an opinion; and a philosophical discussion is a thorough examination of one opinion otherwise it become a babel of opinions. I would discourage any intellectually unarmed student in philosophy to read this thread.

The ‘meaning’ of life presupposes that life is defined by something other than itself. Some posts have expressed the idea that there is no meaning to life, in the sense that life does not need something else to be understood or justified. Think of this: when you search the meaning of a word in a dictionary you get another series of word that define the first one. Definitions are important in philosophy, as Socrates has shown in his elenctic questioning, but in philosophy one does not seek the same type of definition one can find in a dictionary. So, as it as already been said, the first step is the to discuss in order to rationally clarify ‘what is meaning?’ Do we know what are we talking about when we ask what is the meaning of life? If yes, then it should be possible to ascertain by reason what this meaning is. From the answers I read, one could infer that ‘meaning’ can be different things, purpose, motivation, aim, purpose, goal, etc. The point is: if we go on expressing our feelings and giving our individual opinions, we can reach only a statistical view of the meaning of life. Is this what philosophy does? We should aim at an agreement of what is ‘meaning’ and then discuss the argument(s) in favor of the hypothesis that express that meaning of life. We cannot discuss of the function of a tree if we do not have an agreement on what a tree is, can we? So we should define what the meaning of life refers to. Some expressed the idea that life is energy. So should we rephrase the question and say: What is the meaning of energy? Some others said that ‘meaning’ is purpose, so should we discuss about the rephrased question ‘What is the purpose of energy?’

If each opinion given starts from a different concept of meaning and of life then there will be, as it is the case, only opinions and no advancement in what we are looking for as an answer. It is very well that everybody can express what they think or what they feel, but doing simply that it is not a philosophical demarche.

Having said that, I must say that many answers have captivated my interest for their depth and articulation or simply because they made me think of a new perspective. Nevertheless, each of them would require an rational examination to decide how to integrate them into a higher and unifying understanding.

Have a great day.
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LuckyR
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by LuckyR »

PhilosophyForLife wrote: July 15th, 2019, 7:02 am This thread is huge! I read from the beginning until 14 of April 2014, therefore my comment refers only to those posts I have read. I will continue reading, and will probably post again, but it will take months.

Here is my contribution.
It seems to me that the majority of the answers can be grouped into A) either life has meaning and one has to find it or B) life does not have a meaning and it is up to one to create it. Within these alternatives there is the series of individual opinions which constitute the majority of the posts. Therefore, reading this thread creates possibly only confusion because not one opinion is discussed thoroughly with rigor. A philosopher does not just give an opinion; and a philosophical discussion is a thorough examination of one opinion otherwise it become a babel of opinions. I would discourage any intellectually unarmed student in philosophy to read this thread.

The ‘meaning’ of life presupposes that life is defined by something other than itself. Some posts have expressed the idea that there is no meaning to life, in the sense that life does not need something else to be understood or justified. Think of this: when you search the meaning of a word in a dictionary you get another series of word that define the first one. Definitions are important in philosophy, as Socrates has shown in his elenctic questioning, but in philosophy one does not seek the same type of definition one can find in a dictionary. So, as it as already been said, the first step is the to discuss in order to rationally clarify ‘what is meaning?’ Do we know what are we talking about when we ask what is the meaning of life? If yes, then it should be possible to ascertain by reason what this meaning is. From the answers I read, one could infer that ‘meaning’ can be different things, purpose, motivation, aim, purpose, goal, etc. The point is: if we go on expressing our feelings and giving our individual opinions, we can reach only a statistical view of the meaning of life. Is this what philosophy does? We should aim at an agreement of what is ‘meaning’ and then discuss the argument(s) in favor of the hypothesis that express that meaning of life. We cannot discuss of the function of a tree if we do not have an agreement on what a tree is, can we? So we should define what the meaning of life refers to. Some expressed the idea that life is energy. So should we rephrase the question and say: What is the meaning of energy? Some others said that ‘meaning’ is purpose, so should we discuss about the rephrased question ‘What is the purpose of energy?’

If each opinion given starts from a different concept of meaning and of life then there will be, as it is the case, only opinions and no advancement in what we are looking for as an answer. It is very well that everybody can express what they think or what they feel, but doing simply that it is not a philosophical demarche.

Having said that, I must say that many answers have captivated my interest for their depth and articulation or simply because they made me think of a new perspective. Nevertheless, each of them would require an rational examination to decide how to integrate them into a higher and unifying understanding.

Have a great day.
I too have difficulty analyzing comments that stand on the unsure footing of sloppy definitions of terms. Kudos to you for attempting the long slog of trying to read > 1000 comments on a topic that has defied greater minds than ours for millennia.
"As usual... it depends."
Kaz_1983
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by Kaz_1983 »

ToxicGold420 wrote: March 27th, 2019, 8:04 pm I believe that there is no meaning to life..
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Sy Borg
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by Sy Borg »

Like ants, we are born restless so we work off backsides off (or abdomens in the case of ants) and are driven to action to reduce agitation.

So life tends to be best when one has a project. Enthusiasm is one thing that eases the internal fire that drives us and won't let us rest.
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RJG
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by RJG »

Greta wrote:So life tends to be best when one has a project.
Agreed. Without a "carrot" to chase, life becomes meaningless.
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PhilosophyForLife
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by PhilosophyForLife »

If we follow the Socratic teaching, the moral perfection is itself what he takes to make life worth living. I wrote an article which aims at a rapid scan of this topic from the angle of the relationship of the individual with the external world. This article is about 1400 words long and for that reason I will not post it here, but if you are interested I can give you the link to the website where you can read it from. Maybe you will find a stimulus to your reflection on the meaning of life. Have a great day!
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Mychael
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by Mychael »

To me meaning of life is-
To be or not to be the I am that I am or not
To find out what this really means is something everyone should have taken time to sought
The thing that will come to mind is staring you in the mirror
As time unfurls what is revealed as it becomes more clear
What is my use? what is my purpose? am I for the better of man?
Can we all take the time in our lives to help the Fallen Ones stand?
I am told that one candle can light many, and not one second of its life is lost
To be too busy or in denial of this, do you know what real is the cost?
You can lead a horse to water but that doesn’t mean it will drink
The writing on the wall says we been weighed and found wanting
And now it fills this world with destruction by our moral sink
The things that keep us too busy also keep us from our light
This confusion brought on is really an internal fight
That which you dislike in another be sure to correct in yourself
Be careful with your words and not speak of hate, if you can’t,
It’s better to be quiet and stealth
I am going to now finish these words I this morning was inspired to rhyme
To wake up and realize the importance of this, where we are in our time
To get out from behind our crystal squares, to go outside to see
To be a help and to know your neighbours as your friends
Is a locked doorway that you’ve been given a Key
If you open the door and go outside you will find The “I Am That I Am or
To Be Or Not To Be”
Is the question of conscience, is this really Me!
Written 2019-12-07 morning
Dachshund
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by Dachshund »

cynicallyinsane wrote: March 5th, 2007, 11:00 am What's the meaning of life? What's the purpose?
It is summed up nicely in the US State of New Hampshire's official motto: LIVE FREE OR DIE.


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Skip Russell
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by Skip Russell »

cynicallyinsane wrote: March 5th, 2007, 11:00 am What's the meaning of life? What's the purpose?
Popularity, money and sex. It COULD help in modern times to be rational and sane.
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musicgold
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by musicgold »

Hello all,

Here is what I think is the meaning of life. Please feel free to point errors/gaps in my thinking.

Humans along with the rest of life on Earth are nothing but the result of the chemical processes that began on Earth’s surface about 4 billion years ago. The products of this biochemical process (i.e. all living things we see around us) know only one thing: survive to replicate. All our raw desires (fornicate, survive) are distilled in us by this process.

The ape ancestors of humans caught a lucky break and potentially a mutation in their genes allowed them to evolve a better brain. This slightly better brain allows us to think and reflect. With the help of this advantage, humans united together and created societies, a society offered a relatively easier life than living alone (first tribes, then villages, and then civilizations). However to be allowed to live in a society, you have to be willing to follow its customs. A society chooses customs that would allow it to survive and thrive as a group. Here an individual’s preferences become secondary to those of the overall group. Living in such social setups, for about two million years, have also impacted our genetic makeup. That’s why we care about social customs and our social status (this is good, that is bad, pride, shame, guilt, suspicion, jealousy, etc.)

As a result, we are a sum total of our raw desires and the social pressures ingrained in us. The majority of humans, unaware of these two sets of rules controlling their lives, lead a life in this world. They come up with the meaning of their lives as a child looks at clouds in the sky and sees different shapes - some people take refuge in the idea of God or destiny and some people give credit to their hard work, etc.

So what do I think is the meaning of life? Firstly, I don’t think there is meaning to our lives. We are a momentary bubble in an infinite time and infinite space. After the bubble bursts, the atoms constituting our bodies will merge back with the rest of the universe, just like a rain drop merges with the sea. As simple as that. We should not try to add a divine will or any other meaning to that.

Then the next question comes, why or how should we lead our lives? Why not just end it now and avoid going through the miseries of life for a few more decades? I think that this is a fair question. And the reason I am not going to take that route is as follows: the atoms in my body have been part of the universe and will continue to part of the universe whether I am alive or not. My current life bubble is a lucky coincidence to enjoy this rare and special state in which I could think about and understand the universe. And I think that should be the object of everyone’s life: think about and understand the universe while you can and help your fellow human beings to enjoy it too.
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LuckyR
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by LuckyR »

Skip Russell wrote: February 29th, 2020, 5:11 pm
cynicallyinsane wrote: March 5th, 2007, 11:00 am What's the meaning of life? What's the purpose?
Popularity, money and sex. It COULD help in modern times to be rational and sane.
Perfect example of the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
"As usual... it depends."
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