The Meaning of Life
- Thread starter Psionicist
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Thanee
First Post
The meaning of life is to not waste your time.
Enjoy it for as long as it lasts, since it will be over sooner as you might think.
Of course, your life also has a purpose. Which is to procreate and/or to protect and feed. Anything else just serves these basic needs.
Now, if you want to know the meaning, why our life is, there are two possibilities:
1) It just is (a complex biological reaction).
2) Someone created us for his, her or its own enjoyment (there really can't be any other reason, considering how flawed we are) or we are just a test run to find the perfect 'balance' (mankind v1.5 or something like that).
Bye
Thanee
Enjoy it for as long as it lasts, since it will be over sooner as you might think.
Of course, your life also has a purpose. Which is to procreate and/or to protect and feed. Anything else just serves these basic needs.
Now, if you want to know the meaning, why our life is, there are two possibilities:
1) It just is (a complex biological reaction).
2) Someone created us for his, her or its own enjoyment (there really can't be any other reason, considering how flawed we are) or we are just a test run to find the perfect 'balance' (mankind v1.5 or something like that).
Bye
Thanee
Malachi_rc
First Post
Well, to take a page out of Plato's book...
Plato says that the meaning of life is to be happy. However, you are trully happy only when you are a just person, and even the most unjust person can never be as happy as a just and virtuous man. (Hey, I'm at a Liberal Arts college. If my friends ever saw this, and they didn't see me using some philosopher we studied, they'ed have a fit)
Personally, I see the purpose of life as to be virtuous, because then everybody benfits. And I do agree that by being virtuous, I am happy, not only in some next world, but in this world as well.
I am a Christian, but I've had this general view for a long time before I was a Christian. That said, this topic in general will eventually become a discussion on religion if we aren't very careful.
Plato says that the meaning of life is to be happy. However, you are trully happy only when you are a just person, and even the most unjust person can never be as happy as a just and virtuous man. (Hey, I'm at a Liberal Arts college. If my friends ever saw this, and they didn't see me using some philosopher we studied, they'ed have a fit)
Personally, I see the purpose of life as to be virtuous, because then everybody benfits. And I do agree that by being virtuous, I am happy, not only in some next world, but in this world as well.
I am a Christian, but I've had this general view for a long time before I was a Christian. That said, this topic in general will eventually become a discussion on religion if we aren't very careful.
the Jester
Legend
I think there are several interrelated questions here: what is the meaning of life, and what is the meaning of sentience?
I do not know what the meaning of life is, but I can deduce some things. In essence, it seems that the biological purpose of a life form is to pass on its genes (reproduce). But as to the meaning of it- well. That's a good one. And life is such a broad thing- I mean, even single-celled amoebae are life.
I think that the meaning of life is to demonstrate that from the primordeal clay and fire of our universe, amazingly complex things arise. Self-organizing chaos, demonstrated by the elder slime that grew up into man.
Sentience is a whole nother bread basket. I think the purpose of sentience is to realize one's connection to the rest of the universe as a whole. Add the two together (purpose of life + purpose of sentience) and you have what I guess is my equivalent of 'god or nature's plan' (which is neither a plan, nor instituted externally, but rather the natural progression and growth of the universe as a single divine self-aware entity). The purpose of it all it the transcendent moment when one realizes his or her connection to everything.
All this does tread dangerously close to religion, though. I'd like to thank everyone that has contributed so far for keeping it cool.
I do not know what the meaning of life is, but I can deduce some things. In essence, it seems that the biological purpose of a life form is to pass on its genes (reproduce). But as to the meaning of it- well. That's a good one. And life is such a broad thing- I mean, even single-celled amoebae are life.
I think that the meaning of life is to demonstrate that from the primordeal clay and fire of our universe, amazingly complex things arise. Self-organizing chaos, demonstrated by the elder slime that grew up into man.
Sentience is a whole nother bread basket. I think the purpose of sentience is to realize one's connection to the rest of the universe as a whole. Add the two together (purpose of life + purpose of sentience) and you have what I guess is my equivalent of 'god or nature's plan' (which is neither a plan, nor instituted externally, but rather the natural progression and growth of the universe as a single divine self-aware entity). The purpose of it all it the transcendent moment when one realizes his or her connection to everything.
All this does tread dangerously close to religion, though. I'd like to thank everyone that has contributed so far for keeping it cool.
Kai Lord
Hero
I believe that the purpose of life in general is to please God. I believe He created it, and created it for His own pleasure. I believe the purpose of *my* life, and everyone's life, is to please God through love, worship, obedience, and fellowship. Included under "obedience" is loving others and pursuing righteousness. Included under "fellowship" is accepting Jesus Christ's gift of salvation. I also believe our purpose is to choose all this through our own free will.
John Q. Mayhem
Explorer
I agree with Kai Lord and Mercule.
