Do you believe you were put on this earth for a reason?

[Borfl]

Nope I don't believe in any fate crap. You're product of your mother and father.

[Kalyyn]

I'm here for the purpose of continuing the species.

However, if all goes according to plan I will never have children, so I suppose I'm failing my purpose.

[Providence]

nope. we're born, we live, we die.

thats it.

[titan972]

Yep - I definitely believe that I have a purpose.

Of course for those that disagree with me it doesn't really matter anyways. If you believe that there is no purpose or some kind of eternal consequence to your actions then the end is the same. Regardless of what any of us say/believe/act out in the past, present or the future, we're pretty damn certain that one way or another all human life will end. Either we won't achieve faster than light travel, in which case human life ends when our sun turns into a red giant...or we somehow find our way to another planet - in which case human life ends when the universe either rips itself apart, collapses back in on itself, or expends all of its usable energy.

The point is that life/existence in this universe is almost certainly finite. So for those of you that believe there is nothing to follow, I often wonder why in the hell you give a damn about anything...especially the opinions/beliefs/happiness of others (especially those of us who believe that something is to follow).

So with the above considered, I would actually be very interested in someone (who doesn't believe like I do) explaining to me logically why they care about anything...when no matter what anyone believes and/or does changes the logical conclusion of all things. Should it not just be a selfish pursuit of pleasure and happiness for one's self...given that this life is all you will ever have?

[Ordrek]

So with the above considered, I would actually be very interested in someone (who doesn't believe like I do) explaining to me logically why they care about anything...when no matter what anyone believes and/or does changes the logical conclusion of all things.

I'll give it a stab.

I think curiosity is one of our many naturally selected human qualities. We have all this brain power because it was adaptive, but what do you do with that brain power when you're not trying to solve some survival related issue? I think one of nature's answers was to make a curious and creative, and to find enjoyment in things in a way that goes beyond drive to satiate immediate needs (though we still have plenty of that).

Because we have this curious/creative tendency, we can find enjoyment in many parts of life. Beyond this, we have the capacity to decide that something has meaning for us, even if it really is just another meaningless thing. One of the more common things to find meaningful is other people and their needs. This is also a very adaptive belief because helping each other directly contributes to survival, thus the more helpful and companionable people will tend to reproduce similar people. Those of us who don't believe in a "meaning" simply choose which parts of life are worth living for and go with it... or we just don't worry about it and live life as it comes.

Does that shed some light on it? It isn't some grand revelation, just a consequence of being what we are: an intelligent, social animal.

[schwarzkopf]

nope. we're born, we live, we die.

thats it.

I wouldn't mind so much - if I had the money to do some of the second one.

[semaphore]

I don't understand the question. Is the OP suggesting that I was put on this planet by aliens?

[titan972]

I'll give it a stab.

I think curiosity is one of our many naturally selected human qualities. We have all this brain power because it was adaptive, but what do you do with that brain power when you're not trying to solve some survival related issue? I think one of nature's answers was to make a curious and creative, and to find enjoyment in things in a way that goes beyond drive to satiate immediate needs (though we still have plenty of that).

Because we have this curious/creative tendency, we can find enjoyment in many parts of life. Beyond this, we have the capacity to decide that something has meaning for us, even if it really is just another meaningless thing. One of the more common things to find meaningful is other people and their needs. This is also a very adaptive belief because helping each other directly contributes to survival, thus the more helpful and companionable people will tend to reproduce similar people. Those of us who don't believe in a "meaning" simply choose which parts of life are worth living for and go with it... or we just don't worry about it and live life as it comes.

Does that shed some light on it? It isn't some grand revelation, just a consequence of being what we are: an intelligent, social animal.

Thanks - definitely gives me an interesting perspective into what you're thinking. That being said, there's a part of me that (for whatever reason) just can't accept that this universe and existence (with all of it's grandeur, majesty, beauty, messiness, pain, humor, and flat out ridiculousness) is ultimately meaningless and will amount to nothing. Call it an evolutionary trait...or my immortal soul speaking up, I just can't believe that all of this is for nothing.

[semaphore]

Thanks - definitely gives me an interesting perspective into what you're thinking. That being said, there's a part of me that (for whatever reason) just can't accept that this universe and existence (with all of it's grandeur, majesty, beauty, messiness, pain, humor, and flat out ridiculousness) is ultimately meaningless and will amount to nothing. Call it an evolutionary trait...or my immortal soul speaking up, I have a hard time believing in nothingness.

What made you think that?

Just because we are not created for a purpose, doesn't mean we are nothing. We are not nothing, we exist, and our life has whatever meaning we give it. So long as we recognise the majesty of life and the grandeur of the universe, if we we can feel and love and cry and laugh, there is meaning to our existence.

[Bakis]

Sience says no.

Just because we are not created for a purpose, doesn't mean we are nothing. We are not nothing, we exist, and our life has whatever meaning we give it. So long as we recognise the majesty of life and the grandeur of the universe, if we we can feel and love and cry and laugh, there is meaning to our existence.

The meaning ment by OP is if there is a specific meaning/reason WHY we evolved, and there is none.
That we happen to be more intelligent and able to form social hierarchies, feelings, skills, language etc are nothing but a fluke.

[Ordrek]

What made you think that?

Just because we are not created for a purpose, doesn't mean we are nothing. We are not nothing, we exist, and our life has whatever meaning we give it. So long as we recognise the majesty of life and the grandeur of the universe, if we we can feel and love and cry and laugh, there is meaning to our existence.

Ditto. Life has tremendous meaning if you decide it does. It's great to be alive... and it appears to be a rare and special state of being compared to most matter in the universe.

And yeah, it is a very adaptive evolutionary trait to believe we are special in the metaphysical sense. Beliefs like this stave off the cognitive dissonance of life being "meaningless." Beliefs like this can also be a powerful tool to bind us together and helping to organize us. And as I mentioned, an organized, mutually helpful people is more survivable and thus more likely to produce offspring. So in that sense, you could say that nature has selected those who are more likely to hold spiritual beliefs as more adaptive.

When you think of it that way, it's no wonder that most people claim to hold some belief in a higher being; after all, thousands of generations of ancestors predisposed them to thinking this way. Because of this, I don't blame anyone for believing in a higher purpose. Whatever gets you through your days, right?

[semaphore]

The meaning ment by OP is if there is a specific meaning/reason WHY we evolved, and there is none.
That we happen to be more intelligent and able to form social hierarchies, feelings, skills, language etc are nothing but a fluke.

I know that's what OP meant, I'm responding to the idea that just because there is no particular meaning behind the evolution of our species, that therefore our lives are necessarily meaningless. It's not.

[titan972]

What made you think that?

Just because we are not created for a purpose, doesn't mean we are nothing. We are not nothing, we exist, and our life has whatever meaning we give it. So long as we recognise the majesty of life and the grandeur of the universe, if we we can feel and love and cry and laugh, there is meaning to our existence.

I mean to say that if you're an existentialist, the meaning that we create for our lives is still just a creation of our own mind...and with our death so also dies the meaning/purpose that we created for it. In this case you can say that every idea and feeling humans have ever created (to include love, happiness and hate) will die with us...and so the end is the same regardless of what we believe.

[Bakis]

I know that's what OP meant, I'm responding to the idea that just because there is no particular meaning behind the evolution of our species, that therefore our lives are necessarily meaningless. It's not.

All lifeforms have a meaning, we are all designed to reproduce.

[Deleted]

Yeah I was put on this world for a reason, the reason being i was born.

[semaphore]

I mean to say that if you're an existentialist, the meaning that we create for our lives is still just a creation of our own mind...and with our death so also dies the meaning/purpose that we created for it. In this case you can say that every idea and feeling humans have ever created (to include love, happiness and hate) will die with us...and so the end is the same regardless of what we believe.

It's not the same though. How you live your life, and what you go through life believing, makes a difference to you. When you reached the end of the road, and looked back upon your life, all that matters if whether your life held meaning to you. The only question would be whether your existence has been worthwhile. The meaning of your life may pass with your death, but by then, why would you care? You'd be dead.

---------- Post added 2012-02-09 at 07:40 AM ----------

All lifeforms have a meaning, we are all designed to reproduce.

We're not designed.

[Bakis]

It's not the same though. How you live your life, and what you go through life believing, makes a difference to you. When you reached the end of the road, and looked back upon your life, all that matters if whether your life held meaning to you. The only question would be whether your existence has been worthwhile. The meaning of your life may pass with your death, but by then, why would you care? You'd be dead.

---------- Post added 2012-02-09 at 07:40 AM ----------



We're not designed.

It is very important to no compare the meaning of the bunch of cells that form our bodies with the meaning that we create for ourselves in our minds.

[Providence]

I wouldn't mind so much - if I had the money to do some of the second one.

lol yea same

[semaphore]

It is very important to no compare the meaning of the bunch of cells that form our bodies with the meaning that we create for ourselves in our minds.

A bunch of cells has no meaning, they just serve a purpose inside the great organism. I feel like we're having some really vague and circular conversation here.

[vep]

inb4 religious debate and then flame war.

I believe that we were put here for a reason, too many encounters that I should not have survived that I did somehow. Makes you wonder about things.

That would be RNG. Or if you wish, luck.

I dont think theres a reason why we are here. We make our reasons. When you have all that you wanted, then you can say "I lived my life". Until then, keep on trying!