Why anything?

[huntedannoyed]

Somebody already said why not, great. I like to look forward to new things, that keeps me out of a rut... New video games, books, movies, friends... To philosophical, I'm out of here!

 

[Uncompetative]

I think I may have inadvertently killed off this thread...

Depending on your belief system, it may be reincarnated, but as is too often the case all memories of what was discussed will be forgotten.

 

[Cheesus333]

Hedonism for the win!

If you don't enjoy life, then don't bother with it. Makes sense to me.

 

[Uncompetative]

If you don't enjoy life, then don't bother with it.

Don't give up so easily. At least try to work out what your real problem(s) are and do something to fix them.

 

[Amnestic]

(eternal life) may be a fate worse than Death.

But that's retarded.

I disagree. The way I see it, eternal paradise (or just life) would either have to change my very being in such a way as to make me not me anymore, or eventually I would get bored of it. Remember that we're talking about absolute Eternity here, not just "A very long time". Eternity, never ending existence. That scares me far more than the alternative (annihilation).

I agree with Uncompetative, he's obviously been sitting in on my Philosophy and Ethics classes without me noticing ;p

 

[BardSeed]

You aren't alone in asking the question of why we do anything; I don't have anybody to talk to about it. Everybody wants to ignore this simple question because it makes them uncomfortable. Animals are "programmed" to survive; we aren't very different. The only reason that you are able to ponder this is because we have such comfortable lives, all of our survival needs are taken care of.
I carry on living because I don't choose to die. I'll hang around and see what's going on until the time comes that I die. In the mean-time, I'll do what makes me happy while letting other people do as they like. We're all just drifting along, edging closer towards our death, where our atoms will be recycled and perhaps used in a new life-form.

PS. I agree with you on not being able to exist for eternity and be happy about it. I'd go completely insane, as opposed to partially insane.

 

[Jamanticus]

(eternal life) may be a fate worse than Death.

But that's retarded.

I disagree. The way I see it, eternal paradise (or just life) would either have to change my very being in such a way as to make me not me anymore, or eventually I would get bored of it. Remember that we're talking about absolute Eternity here, not just "A very long time". Eternity, never ending existence. That scares me far more than the alternative (annihilation).

I agree with Uncompetative, he's obviously been sitting in on my Philosophy and Ethics classes without me noticing ;p

My thoughts exactly, Amnestic. I mean, if there were eternal life, then none of us would have the vaguest concept of what it would be like, unless it is exactly what we fear it might be. And, if we couldn't comprehend what it was really like, what's the point of even thinking about it, right?

 

[Imitation Saccharin]

I disagree. The way I see it, eternal paradise (or just life) would either have to change my very being in such a way as to make me not me anymore, or eventually I would get bored of it.

First of all, the human memory capacity is finite. Hence, in about 200 years, you'd have forgotten everything that you'd experienced except the really juicy stuff.

Second, any technological advance that offers the capacity for true immortality would also require brain augmentation ability to ward off diseases in said organ. This would also indicate an understanding of the brain's mechanisms. It would therefore seem logical that artificial memory augmentation would be possible, and once one is bored of life, simply start over with no memory.

Third, if one can achievement true immortality, again, the required perfect understanding of the body's mechanisms would allow you to stimulate the reward centers of the brain directly. Like having a button you could press forever and ever that gave you the best orgasmic feeling.

Fourth, even if neither of these technologies exist when we do invent immortality, you are immortal. They will be invented eventually. Further, the number and amount of distractions offered seem to be increasing exponentially, such that even an immortal living since the Bronze age would have read even a fraction of modern published books, movies, or played the games.

Fifth, oblivion is the greatest human fear after the ones related to our offspring. Although it might be easy to idly say you would not want to live forever, I submit it would be a far more difficult choice with mortality breathing down your neck.

Sixth, you are immortal. Not task, mission, job, hope, or desire is truly futile to you any more. If you want, you CAN be a doctor/lawyer/President/General. You've got time to do literally anything you could want.

Remember that we're talking about absolute Eternity here, not just "A very long time". Eternity, never ending existence.

Why do you live?

I mean, if there were eternal life, then none of us would have the vaguest concept of what it would be like, unless it is exactly what we fear it might be.

That makes no sense.

 

[Amnestic]

Remember that we're talking about absolute Eternity here, not just "A very long time". Eternity, never ending existence.

Why do you live?

To have fun. Eternity doesn't seem fun to me, not after a while.

First of all, the human memory capacity is finite. Hence, in about 200 years, you'd have forgotten everything that you'd experienced except the really juicy stuff.

Second, any technological advance that offers the capacity for true immortality would also require brain augmentation ability to ward off diseases in said organ. This would also indicate an understanding of the brain's mechanisms. It would therefore seem logical that artificial memory augmentation would be possible, and once one is bored of life, simply start over with no memory.

Third, if one can achievement true immortality, again, the required perfect understanding of the body's mechanisms would allow you to stimulate the reward centers of the brain directly. Like having a button you could press forever and ever that gave you the best orgasmic feeling.

These three are all speculation with no proof, you're just guessing here, perhaps educated guesses, but guesses nonetheless. Seeing as how we've not had any humans live for 200 years yet, you can't say how finite the human memory really is.

Fourth, even if neither of these technologies exist when we do invent immortality, you are immortal. They will be invented eventually. Further, the number and amount of distractions offered seem to be increasing exponentially, such that even an immortal living since the Bronze age would have read even a fraction of modern published books, movies, or played the games.

I don't want to have to spell it out in that obnoxious putting a space/dash between each letter, but seriously. Eternity. Infinite time. Yeah, in the few thousand years between now and the Bronze age a person wouldn't have scraped much off on the whole, but he's got forever to do it, it's not like he's in any rush.

Fifth, oblivion is the greatest human fear after the ones related to our offspring. Although it might be easy to idly say you would not want to live forever, I submit it would be a far more difficult choice with mortality breathing down your neck.

Again, mere speculation. Until that moment comes neither you nor I will know truly, but at the moment I am fairly set in my beliefs that Annihilation is far preferable to the torture that Eternal life offers.

 

[Imitation Saccharin]

Again, mere speculation.

And what exactly do you think you are doing?

 

[Imitation Saccharin]

These three are all speculation with no proof

Humanity is gaining ever inreasing knowledge about the brain.
Eventually, humanity will understand the brain
The brain is a physical thing.
The brain can be manipulated with sufficient understanding as one wishes.

It's called deduction love.

 

[xitel]

Because I'd be bored otherwise. So yeah, to have fun.

 

[Amnestic]

Was there really a need to separate those two into different posts? ;/

Again, mere speculation.

And what exactly do you think you are doing?

Being realistic with the knowledge I currently have. I'm actually not speculating. I've looked at two different ideas and with my current understanding deduced my preferred choice.

These three are all speculation with no proof

Humanity is gaining ever inreasing knowledge about the brain.
Eventually, humanity will understand the brain
The brain is a physical thing.
The brain can be manipulated with sufficient understanding as one wishes.

It's called deduction love.

At the moment such a thing seems better suited for sci-fi stories than a scientific journal. Perhaps eventually, but until that time comes, I'm making do with what I know.

 

[Imitation Saccharin]

Perhaps eventually, but until that time comes, I'm making do with what I know.

'k

 

[Uncompetative]

Sixth, you are immortal. No task, mission, job, hope, or desire is truly futile to you any more. If you want, you CAN be a doctor/lawyer/President/General. You've got time to do literally anything you could want.

Even if there was a Heaven in which souls could lead approximations of human lives not everyone could be the US President. At least not at the same time - and before anyone tries to create a loophole with an adaptation of parallel universe theory you would know that you were not the US President, only a US President in an 'instance' of Heaven.

Also, saying that those wishing to be US President in Heaven could take it in turns. Yet, this doesn't work when one comes along who doesn't want to give up his job and declares Martial Law.

Furthermore, US President has some pretty far-reaching impact on interpersonal relations. To feel like a President one must have power over the US people (if not international influence as well) and how exactly are these souls expected to feel about this potential 'tyranny'? Again, if the "electorate" is essentially the same as a bunch of NPCs in an instance MMORPG then you will never truly feel Presidential.

It is only here in real life that we get the opportunity to be the man and influence others - should that be what you seek.

Incidentally, if my skull came with a couple of buttons, one marked full body orgasm and the other memory reset I would never press either of them, but hey... whatever floats your boat.

 

[Imitation Saccharin]

Even if there was a Heaven in which souls could lead approximations of human lives

Metaphysical immortality is even more retarded.

Incidentally, if my skull came with a couple of buttons, one marked full body orgasm and the other memory reset I would never press either of them, but hey... whatever floats your boat.

You already have the orgasm one. It's called genitals. But hey, whatever floats your pointlessly ascetic boat.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

The easiest answer would come from humanistic psychologists, who explicitly accept that we humans always search for a purpose. That's why religion does so well, we're obssessed with the idea that we actually have a purpose. It's because human rationality tells us that pretty much everything has a purpose that we seem to think we must have some sort of intrinsic value too.

Pretty philosophical, eh?

 

[Imitation Saccharin]

These three are all speculation with no proof

Humanity is gaining ever inreasing knowledge about the brain.
Eventually, humanity will understand the brain
The brain is a physical thing.
The brain can be manipulated with sufficient understanding as one wishes.

It's called deduction love.

The cute little scenarios you're presenting are so ridiculously far away you might as well stop thinking about them.

Its fine to reach for the sky but keep your feet on the ground.

Immortal.

Live forever.

Do not die.

Will be here in 10 billion years.

 

[Tartarga]

i only get up in the morning because thats what society dictates i do, if it were up to me i'd just lie in bed for as long as i freakin want

 

[The Lyre]

"Why do we continue to live?"

I feel like trying to be slightly controversial.

There is no specific, or quantifiable answer to this; there is no proof of any meaning to our existence, no solid, undeniable evidence to tell us there is a reason for us even being.

The unspecific answer to this, would be that any reason would be personal and purely subjective; based around the experiences that have made us what we are today - we take what knowledge we have, and use our fairly inadequate minds to determine a grand, ultimate meaning to our unimportant, fairly petty lives.

For most, this is down to love - we find something or someone we love, and cling on to it for dear life, for as long as ambition and hope can outlast the sobering, bitter realism and logic that tells us that our dreams are unlikely, our aspirations will probably end in dissapointment, and our grand meaning is just a delusion to keep us alive.

We either keep ourselves happy but unchallenged by setting ourselves easily achievable, boring goals, or live miserable, challenging but ultimately worthwhile lives by forever striving for that seemingly impossible aim of finding and clinging on to whatever our love may be.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

George Bernard Shaw

I want to be a writer. It ain't fucking likely, but logic alone isn't going to stop me chasing that dream.