Meaning of Life
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I thought of this when I was younger, and have come to a conclusion: The meaning of life is to continue our existence. I know it ain't grand and philosophical and all, but it makes sense considering our drive to reproduce and continue on our existence and that of our family.
Of course, I will most likely be proven wrong...
Of course, I will most likely be proven wrong...
Being Atheist as well as a "nerd" I would like to add something.
In regards to the "what if" stuff, yes, its entirely possible as the human brain is not fully understood, so the brain could percieve my blue as your purple. Science says otherwise, being that each frequency produces a certain color, however the absence of light is black, and the presence of all primary colors makes white. Again, though, people's brains percieve things differently, how do you know my white isnt your red?. It's impossible to tell, and may actually explain the horrid paint jobs on alot of cars.
If you dont accept the brain can see colors differently, then think of it this way: A dog will only ever see shades and mixes of yellow and blue, having dichromatic vision (meaning their primary colors are only yellow and blue), some color-blind people suffer from this as well, and some are even monochromatic (black and white). These people see this as normal, what I see as dark-ish gray, they see as blue. A "normal person"'s vision is trichromatic, or Red Green and Blue as primary colors. This will change our view on the world dramatically from one persons to the other's. Perception ALWAYS overrules science. Gravity tells us which direction is down, that is science, but in space there is no gravity, so what we percieve is down, is our down, and maybe someone elses left. Another example is before America was discovered, people thought the world was flat, we know this not to be true NOW, but according to their primitive science, it was true, and accepted. They also thought the sun revolved around the earth, again we know this not to be true now, but again, perception overrules science.
Also, as for the meaning of life: It's all about choices in my belief.
And finally, as for "42" being the meaning of life, it's not. It never was. It was the answer to life, the universe, and everything (IIRC), the meaning of life is an entirely different question. Plus half of 4 is 2, 4+2 is 6, half of 6 is 3, two and three makes 23 OMG! LOL
In regards to the "what if" stuff, yes, its entirely possible as the human brain is not fully understood, so the brain could percieve my blue as your purple. Science says otherwise, being that each frequency produces a certain color, however the absence of light is black, and the presence of all primary colors makes white. Again, though, people's brains percieve things differently, how do you know my white isnt your red?. It's impossible to tell, and may actually explain the horrid paint jobs on alot of cars.
If you dont accept the brain can see colors differently, then think of it this way: A dog will only ever see shades and mixes of yellow and blue, having dichromatic vision (meaning their primary colors are only yellow and blue), some color-blind people suffer from this as well, and some are even monochromatic (black and white). These people see this as normal, what I see as dark-ish gray, they see as blue. A "normal person"'s vision is trichromatic, or Red Green and Blue as primary colors. This will change our view on the world dramatically from one persons to the other's. Perception ALWAYS overrules science. Gravity tells us which direction is down, that is science, but in space there is no gravity, so what we percieve is down, is our down, and maybe someone elses left. Another example is before America was discovered, people thought the world was flat, we know this not to be true NOW, but according to their primitive science, it was true, and accepted. They also thought the sun revolved around the earth, again we know this not to be true now, but again, perception overrules science.
Also, as for the meaning of life: It's all about choices in my belief.
And finally, as for "42" being the meaning of life, it's not. It never was. It was the answer to life, the universe, and everything (IIRC), the meaning of life is an entirely different question. Plus half of 4 is 2, 4+2 is 6, half of 6 is 3, two and three makes 23 OMG! LOL
*apologies for obscure incoming analogies/metaphors*
To my mind, life is a (sometimes shit-flavoured) balloon, and throughout our lives we keep huffing and puffing away trying to fill it as much as we can. However at the end of the day, when the balloon pops, we realise it's not the amount of air in the balloon, but the shapes we made with it that count.
There, obscure metaphors over.
To my mind, life is a (sometimes shit-flavoured) balloon, and throughout our lives we keep huffing and puffing away trying to fill it as much as we can. However at the end of the day, when the balloon pops, we realise it's not the amount of air in the balloon, but the shapes we made with it that count.
There, obscure metaphors over.
I agree with all of this completely, you sir have won the internets. And PR's cookie. You articulated what I was trying to say earlier perfectly. I think that for once, we have a question answered, thank you to shatnershaman, and mew for helping out.mew905 said:
We have answered the question that people can see colours differently, and maybe that it could relate to how people feel about different colours. Such as when you look at somebody's garage colour, clothes or car paint job and go: How could they pick that colour? Good job guys!
Anyways, here's another couple of questions:
If the universe as we know it is expanding, (see red shift effect) what is it expanding out of? ANd why is it growing? Is the universe a child? could we be cells on said child's leg? What if the child is god? Or what if the child lives in his own universe, which is on another child? (like the MIB galaxy marbles/locker galaxy thing) What if we're a universe contained within another universe, or we have several other universes contained within ours?
And another thing: If all human perception is based on our senses, how do we know if something does or doesn't exist? How do we perceive reality without these senses? Our whole perception of what reality is is rooted in our senses, but what if our senses are flawed, or we are missing a few? What could be out there that we don't know about?
That's nothing: I once took it upon myself to prove that 42 was indeed derivable from every number that my fellow maths classmates could give me, and was therefore the meaning of life. Some of those proofs were very complex and very, very silly.mew905 said:
That's vaguely reminiscent of this one time in Math Class I used various formulas to prove why:Saskwach said:
Luberjacks>Pirates>Ninjas=Asexual=Homosexual<Pirates=Heterosexual manlymen< Lumberjacks=Alpha heterosexual manlymen.
I drew up a chart and everything in class. Lol.
and schizophrenics are really just people who can perceive other segments of the electromagnetic spectrum that we aren't capable of experiencing.mew905 said:
actually, i just think schizophrenics are like out of sync videogame players on a peer to peer connection in an FPS. you know, they think they're getting 5 head shots in a row but to everybody else they are just standing in place running into a corner.
Alright, this appears to be more a thread about general philosophy than the meaning of life so I'll introduce you to my basic philosophical beliefs.
First off, you're wrong. I'm wrong. Everyone is wrong no matter what they're talking about. No one can ever be right because the concept of "rightness" excludes all possibility of change or growth or even individualization. Philosophical growth comes from excepting the fact that you're just as wrong as any other sentient being that could ever exist in any possible universe and that it doesn't really matter if you ever figure out what's right.
Second, life is more enjoyable when you're happy. Thus, you should endeavour to be happy all the time. However, those moments when you're with you're girlfriend at a concert by a band you love eating a snowcone on a perfect day don't count. When you base you're happiness around external stimuli you put your emotional well-being in the hands of a world that, ultimately, doesn't care whether you live or die. Philosophical growth comes from learning to be happy because you aren't sad. Learning to be happy no matter what's happening or not happening around you.
Three, change is inevitable and all change is good for you. Even the kind where you loss you're apartment, your girlfriend leaves you and you're sitting on a street wondering if you'll have enough money to eat tomorrow. All change is good for you and should be embraced because change teaches lessons while stability teaches complacency. Philosophical growth comes from learning to appreciate moments of stability while still being able to smile and wave as they pass by.
Four, the purpose of life is to grow philosophically. We have multiple lives to do this (yeah, I believe in reincarnation of a sort). We do this so that, once we have learned the important lessons, we can teach them to those who haven't. We learn these lessons and teach these lessons because life is more fullfiling and more beneficial once we've learned them. We grow as a species, as a civilization or whathaveyou, by civilizing and that growth could be called "the meaning of life". Although the meaning of your life would more accurately be called the lesson(s) you're supposed to learn this time around.
Of course, that having been said, the first rule of my philosophy prevents me from saying that any of this is actually true. All things considered I'm probably full of it.
First off, you're wrong. I'm wrong. Everyone is wrong no matter what they're talking about. No one can ever be right because the concept of "rightness" excludes all possibility of change or growth or even individualization. Philosophical growth comes from excepting the fact that you're just as wrong as any other sentient being that could ever exist in any possible universe and that it doesn't really matter if you ever figure out what's right.
Second, life is more enjoyable when you're happy. Thus, you should endeavour to be happy all the time. However, those moments when you're with you're girlfriend at a concert by a band you love eating a snowcone on a perfect day don't count. When you base you're happiness around external stimuli you put your emotional well-being in the hands of a world that, ultimately, doesn't care whether you live or die. Philosophical growth comes from learning to be happy because you aren't sad. Learning to be happy no matter what's happening or not happening around you.
Three, change is inevitable and all change is good for you. Even the kind where you loss you're apartment, your girlfriend leaves you and you're sitting on a street wondering if you'll have enough money to eat tomorrow. All change is good for you and should be embraced because change teaches lessons while stability teaches complacency. Philosophical growth comes from learning to appreciate moments of stability while still being able to smile and wave as they pass by.
Four, the purpose of life is to grow philosophically. We have multiple lives to do this (yeah, I believe in reincarnation of a sort). We do this so that, once we have learned the important lessons, we can teach them to those who haven't. We learn these lessons and teach these lessons because life is more fullfiling and more beneficial once we've learned them. We grow as a species, as a civilization or whathaveyou, by civilizing and that growth could be called "the meaning of life". Although the meaning of your life would more accurately be called the lesson(s) you're supposed to learn this time around.
Of course, that having been said, the first rule of my philosophy prevents me from saying that any of this is actually true. All things considered I'm probably full of it.
*thinks long and hard about Khedive's world view*
Doesn't point 1 mean point 4 is impossible. As well as point 3.
Oh and point 3 makes point 2 difficult, as does point 1.
Doesn't point 1 mean point 4 is impossible. As well as point 3.
Oh and point 3 makes point 2 difficult, as does point 1.
Do you mean that because no world view can ultimately be right it is impossible to learn life lessons? No. The idea behind point 1 is that you shouldn't be married to any idea because you have no way of proving it is right or beneficial in all cases for all people and even if you could there is no gaurantee that it would be the 'correct' opinion for as long as you'll be alive. In that regard point 1 works together with point 3: be ready for change.The_root_of_all_evil said:
As for your second point, if it was easy it wouldn't be worth it.
I will start by saying that I agree with MOST of your post, however I feel I must assert that it is a frequent misconception that before America was discovered people thought the world was flat. I am sorry to point this out as I know it is slightly off-topic and that you were merely using this as an example to explain your view. I however loathe such misconceptions being bandied around to further misinform people. Unfortunately I have only the ever-erroneous Wikipedia to quote (although there are an abundance of sources listed at the bottom of that particular article). This is due to myself being presently at work and so I regret that I do not have a more distinguished text to back up my criticism of your post:mew905 said:
"The modern belief that especially medieval Christianity believed in a flat earth has been referred to as The Myth of the Flat Earth. In 1945, it was listed by the Historical Association (of Britain) as the second of 20 in a pamphlet on common errors in history. Several scholars have argued that "with extraordinary [sic] few exceptions no educated person in the history of Western Civilization from the third century B.C. onward believed that the earth was flat" and that the prevailing view was of a spherical earth.
Jeffrey Russell states that the modern view that people of the Middle Ages believed that the Earth was flat is said to have entered the popular imagination in the 19th century, thanks largely to the publication of Washington Irving's fantasy The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1828."
Of course the 3rd Century B.C. was long before Columbus's 1492 'discovery' or the controversal theory of Leif Ericson's (amongst other seafaring norsemens') 'discovery' somewhere around the 9th and 10th Centuries A.D. (BTW I use marks on the word 'discovery' as it is highly likely, if not certain, that people populated the Americas long before any traditional Western or Eastern cultures chanced upon it, ergo: it was already discovered by the human race as a whole).
If you would like to read the whole article just type "flat earth" into Wikipedia.
Again apologies for being slightly off-topic, I will ponder my personal viewpoint on the thread and will post it directly after reaching my conclusion.
Ahhh I see it differently its not the 'why?' that made us unique, its the fact we asked 'how?'Somethingironic said:
FireBlazer quote]
Ahhh I see it differently its not the 'why?' that made us unique, its the fact we asked 'how?'[/quote]
In fact I believe it is because we asked both 'Why' and 'How' to our actions and those of beings and objects around us.
Ahhh I see it differently its not the 'why?' that made us unique, its the fact we asked 'how?'[/quote]
In fact I believe it is because we asked both 'Why' and 'How' to our actions and those of beings and objects around us.
@OP
1) I don't believe this is correct. Most life forms have the ability to choose between say a button on the right and a button on the left. If they discover the button on the right shocks them every time they touch it, they will reflect upon it and choose to not touch it again and again.
3) Yes, reality does set a limitation on possibilities.
It would be great if you could draw conclusions from said assumptions instead of just throwing them out there, preferably something that relates to theology.
As for the meaning of life: as weak as a paradox it is, I feel my personal purpose in life is to find my purpose in life. Perhaps nihilist are correct, and this is just a meaningless journey, but it is in the journey we find the most change and growth, not the end.
1) I don't believe this is correct. Most life forms have the ability to choose between say a button on the right and a button on the left. If they discover the button on the right shocks them every time they touch it, they will reflect upon it and choose to not touch it again and again.
3) Yes, reality does set a limitation on possibilities.
It would be great if you could draw conclusions from said assumptions instead of just throwing them out there, preferably something that relates to theology.
As for the meaning of life: as weak as a paradox it is, I feel my personal purpose in life is to find my purpose in life. Perhaps nihilist are correct, and this is just a meaningless journey, but it is in the journey we find the most change and growth, not the end.
Yes, a basic animal could learn that one button is painful and the other is not, but the point I was making was that humans are the only beings on the planet who have made the choice to separate themselves from the norm. We have made the choices to build, to create, to ask questions, and the choices and sentience we have is the most important of all human assets. I didn't literally mean "Choice" in general.BurnoutPriest said:
Your truth is as lackadasial and boilerplate as Douglas Adam's 42. The simple fact is that we are not purely products of biology, but rather also that of enviroment and upbringing and a multitude of other factors.ANTI-SANTA said:
Also, your use of accident is incorrect. Accident implies:
A) There was no intention for you to come into being. Pardon me for saying this, but my experience of the matter was that I was wanted, as are a great many children.
B) Something else was intended to happen: Your own argument invalidates this concept, because as you point out ALL possible conceptions are random. So we are either all accidents or none of us, and since we are the desired outcome (in a normal, western situation) there was no accident. Indeed, the fact that two people actually rutted together implies at least a subconscious desire to reproduce.
C) I will no more be grateful for my existance than for the sun coming up.
I know that I'm probably going to get flogged for this, but I find that the meaning of life is to serve God and do His Will in my life. It is my duty on this plane of existance to touch the lives of others and make their lives as good as possible, and if they are willing, to allow me to share the message of God to others. I find this to be my purpose, and the purpose of all Christians, really. I also find that the true "meaning" of life is outlined in the Bible.
Sure, I know this isn't a very popular view here on the site, but it's what I truely believe in.
Sure, I know this isn't a very popular view here on the site, but it's what I truely believe in.
Fair play to you CodeChrono for stating your beliefs without being afraid to do so.
I completely disagree of course, and I don't want you to share the message with me, but well done all the same.
I completely disagree of course, and I don't want you to share the message with me, but well done all the same.