• Philosophical Debate Thread - What is the meaning of everything?
    205 replies, posted
Is this a question?
[QUOTE=MachiniOs;27097854]”The life which is unexamined is not worth living.” - Plato[/QUOTE] But don't obsess over it, is how I see it. There isn't much point to living if all you do is contemplate your purpose. How I see it is one's purpose is to pursue whatever passions they may have, and be overall satisfied with life. Sounds base, but it's all a matter of opinion.
[QUOTE=Theater;27097343]I have recently become slightly religious after practicing meditation and reading some old buddhist texts. I'm not religious in the sense that i subject myself to a diety or "pray" to recieve stuff from a mysterious man in the sky, i'm more about trying to be a nice person and spread happiness to whoever i come across. It's not like i feel like i can say for sure what happens after i'm dead, i'm just confident that something good is coming. The meaning of life for me is compassion, knowledge and peace.[/QUOTE] I would consider myself the same way or similar, I find some of the concepts of Buddhism, Taoism, and Hare Krishna really fascinating but I'm against the idea of worshiping a diety. I kind of see it like reading a book. You can read a book and change your life to match that of what's in the book, or you can read it, learn from it, and discover things for yourself. [editline]31st December 2010[/editline] [QUOTE=Archy;27095893]happiness is a chemical reaction set off by certain environmental triggers [editline]31st December 2010[/editline] the purpose of life is to find what life is, once you've done it there's no point to it any more[/QUOTE] While I don't disagree with you, the way you're thinking about these things makes humans sound like robots, but while happiness is indeed a chemical reaction, you can feel it, and it does feel amazing. It must mean something, don't you think? Think outside the box, the box being evolutionary logic.
There is no meaning to life. Life just happened, you either make the best of it or you spend your life scratching your ass and asking a meaningless question. Also, emotions developed for evolution and reproduction. Each one has its own function. Think about it.
[QUOTE=Rubs10;27103205]There is no meaning to life. Life just happened, you either make the best of it or you spend your life scratching your ass and asking a meaningless question.[/QUOTE] Again, it's only meaningless if you're stuck thinking inside the box. Meaning and meaningless are 2 sides of the same coin the way I see it. The same way space can be seen as infinite or non-existent. And besides if you're only going to come into the thread to share you're close minded opinions that several other people have already stated, then why bother coming in at all?
[QUOTE=Asphyxia;27103314]Again, it's only meaningless if you're stuck thinking inside the box. Meaning and meaningless are 2 sides of the same coin the way I see it. The same way space can be seen as infinite or non-existent. And besides if you're only going to come into the thread to share you're close minded opinions that several other people have already stated, then why bother coming in at all?[/QUOTE] Because you obviously don't get the fact that there is no meaning to life. There was no reason as to why we exist. There's no reason to our creation. Of course, that is only if you don't think that aliens created us as some sort of giant experiment or something like that.
[QUOTE=Rubs10;27103421]Because you obviously don't get the fact that there is no meaning to life. There was no reason as to why we exist. There's no reason to our creation. Of course, that is only if you don't think that aliens created us as some sort of giant experiment or something like that.[/QUOTE] If there's no meaning to anything then why do you bother posting in this thread? Telling me there's no reason we exist is just close-minded. We obviously exist for a reason or you wouldn't be here telling me there is no reason. Look around you, you're in a world full of color, sound, nature and space. And as a race we're trying to understand and learn about these things. Open up your mind or continue to be stubborn, it really doesn't affect me in any way. [editline]31st December 2010[/editline] Also it would be helpful for those of you rating dumb to share you own opinion rather than taking someone elses.
If there is a meaning, I'm going to guess that it's either beyond our mortal comprehension, or so basic many would disagree. So, either the purpose of existence is kept secret by a higher power, or it is whatever purpose the individual sets out for oneself. That's a fancy way of saying: Dunno, lol. We're all running in circles anyhow.
[QUOTE=Asphyxia;27103692]If there's no meaning to anything then why do you bother posting in this thread?[/QUOTE] [img]http://www.devicemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Marvin-the-Paranoid-Android.jpg[/img] Your absolutely right. There's no point for anything. Why even bother with anything. Cosmically, there's no reason for our existence. Our existence wouldn't make a difference, the existence of the universe wouldn't make a difference either. Personally, I exist for self fulfillment and that I'm going to make the "best" of my life. The definition of "best", is up to me to dictate for myself. I like to tell myself that by 42, Adams meant that the answer to everything was non-existent, but of course that would just be me seeing what I want to see.
[QUOTE=-Ben_Wolfe-;27103811]If there is a meaning, I'm going to guess that it's either beyond our mortal comprehension, or so basic many would disagree. So, either the purpose of existence is kept secret by a higher power, or it is whatever purpose the individual sets out for oneself. That's a fancy way of saying: Dunno, lol. We're all running in circles anyhow.[/QUOTE] Maybe we are running in circles, but you can never be too sure. I'm just hoping at some point in our future we will develop the technology to answer these questions and discover something new.
[QUOTE=BassB;27094821]but what is the question? should have read the book eh?[/QUOTE] Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything
[QUOTE=Rubs10;27103421]Because you obviously don't get the fact that there is no meaning to life. There was no reason as to why we exist. There's no reason to our creation. Of course, that is only if you don't think that aliens created us as some sort of giant experiment or something like that.[/QUOTE] If your life doesn't have a meaning then it's your problem, I know my life has a meaning because I am here, I think, I feel and I am happy. If you think you are meaningless you can just stop wasting my air on this planet and fill your cranium with lead
Also, 42 had something to do with John Cleese, I can't remember why.
When you get two things close enough together they actually become one, and if you seperate them they will act accordingly to eachother. As if they were still one. Now this is all well and good but how does it apply to us? Well before the big bang... everything was touching. So in theory everything is still connected. Thereby the only purpose of life, seeing as the only concrete thing we can agree exists is the number one, is to live life for the sake of life.
[QUOTE=Rubs10;27103936][img_thumb]http://www.devicemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Marvin-the-Paranoid-Android.jpg[/img_thumb] Your absolutely right. There's no point for anything. Why even bother with anything. Cosmically, there's no reason for our existence. Our existence wouldn't make a difference, the existence of the universe wouldn't make a difference either. Personally, I exist for self fulfillment and that I'm going to make the "best" of my life. The definition of "best", is up to me to dictate for myself.[/QUOTE] Each to his own I guess, maybe it's safer to not think about these things, because I've already had trouble with some of these thoughts. But personally I want to continue on even if it means insanity, because I want to figure this stuff out, though it may be futile, I don't know. And in your personal life, don't you think has some meaning? If you want to make the best of your life, then you must have a reason to exist.
i love the question about music. It's really strange how the human race was able to figure that shit out. I don't know who here has taken a music theory class but it's humbling. [editline]31st December 2010[/editline] it's a hard concept to grasp that enough people stuck with making a bunch of noise until they found stuff that sounded well together and figured out all these complex patterns
[QUOTE=Asphyxia;27104068]Each to his own I guess, maybe it's safer to not think about these things, because I've already had trouble with some of these thoughts. But personally I want to continue on even if it means insanity, because I want to figure this stuff out, though it may be futile, I don't know.[/QUOTE] I also like to think that Adams wrote what he did, to get people to stop on their wild goosechase for "the answer". But again, that's probably just me seeing what I want to see. [QUOTE=Asphyxia;27104068]And in your personal life, don't you think has some meaning? If you want to make the best of your life, then you must at have found some meaning.[/QUOTE] Well, then you would be thinking on an individual level. My life has meaning, which is self pleasure and self fulfillment, as defined by me. But individual meanings can be vast and radically different. There is no, one, general meaning to everything.
[QUOTE=Warriorx4;27094364]Importance? We're one planet in a universe of over 300 sextillion stars. We are COMPLETELY insignificant.[/QUOTE] Gotta disagree there. You are you, you're all you'll ever be. Because of that, you are the most important thing to ever happen to yourself. Will you become a black hole that destroys galaxies and has a tangible effect on the universe? Probably not. But in terms of your existence (which I think are the most important terms) you're extremely significant.
[QUOTE=Asphyxia;27103692]If there's no meaning to anything then why do you bother posting in this thread? Telling me there's no reason we exist is just close-minded. We obviously exist for a reason or you wouldn't be here telling me there is no reason. Look around you, you're in a world full of color, sound, nature and space. And as a race we're trying to understand and learn about these things. Open up your mind or continue to be stubborn, it really doesn't affect me in any way. [editline]31st December 2010[/editline] Also it would be helpful for those of you rating dumb to share you own opinion rather than taking someone elses.[/QUOTE] Telling us that we exist for a reason is implying that we were created for one. Learning is just one of the things we humans are adept at doing, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that we're trying to understand things such as nature and space.
[QUOTE=Rubs10] Well, then you would be thinking on an individual level. My life has meaning, which is self pleasure and self fulfillment, as defined by me. But individual meanings can be vast and radically different. There is no, one, general meaning to everything.[/QUOTE] Agreed, so much.
[QUOTE=Rubs10;27104169]I also like to think that Adams wrote what he did, to get people to stop on their wild goosechase for "the answer". But again, that's probably just me seeing what I want to see.[/QUOTE] Maybe it's healthy or unhealthy to think of such things, or maybe it depends on the individual thinking about it. Unfortunately there's no way to come to a conclusion because of our human mind barriers, at least at our point of evolution. [QUOTE=Rubs10;27104169] Well, then you would be thinking on an individual level. My life has meaning, which is self pleasure and self fulfillment, as defined by me. But individual meanings can be vast and radically different. There is no, one, general meaning to everything.[/QUOTE] Since I find that meaning is all relative, individual meanings are no higher or lower than "cosmic meanings". It's all how you perceive it I guess.
Believing life has some objective purpose we should all conform to is irrational. However having said that, there's a lot of really bad arguments for life having no meaning. "We're so small compared to the size of the universe." Size is irrelevant; if we took up half the universe there'd be no more meaning. If we were [i]the whole universe[/i] there would be no meaning. "In 1000 years none of this will matter because we will be dead." Similarly if our lifespans were infinite it doesn't necessarily give our lives meaning. Just because we can't make any massive cosmological footprints it doesn't mean life is meaningless, or if we [i]could[/i] make any massive cosmological footprints it [i]would[/i] have meaning. However, I can't possibly imagine what sort of proof we could have for the meaning of life, because I can always doubt them all; god's will, human progress, happiness, etc. In our current state of consciousness, it won't ever be possible for us to understand an objective, ultimate purpose behind our existence. So we'll have to just settle for having our own subjective aspirations and fulfilling those. The universe doesn't give a shit whether I devote my life to helping people, making people suffer, or counting blades of grass.
very well said.
What question I love is "should kids be communally raised?". That's a question posed by Socrates in The Republic.
[QUOTE=Rubs10;27103421]Because you obviously don't get the fact that there is no meaning to life. There was no reason as to why we exist. There's no reason to our creation. Of course, that is only if you don't think that aliens created us as some sort of giant experiment or something like that.[/QUOTE] Meaning of creation /=/ Meaning of Life
42
[QUOTE=Pepin;27105945]What question I love is "should kids be communally raised?". That's a question posed by Socrates in The Republic.[/QUOTE] i actually read that in my philosophy class last semester. It's a very interesting concept but now that communities are a lot denser i think it would be an impossibility
Absurdism is the philosophy that resonates with my personal feelings and ideologies the most: "According to absurdism, humans historically attempt to find meaning in their lives. Traditionally, this search follows one of two paths: either concluding that life is meaningless, and that what we have is the here-and-now, or by filling the void with a purpose set forth by a higher power - often a belief in God, or adherence to some religion or abstract, irrational concept."-Wikipedia "For Camus, the beauty which people encounter in life makes it worth living. People may create meaning in their own lives, which may not be the objective meaning of life (if there is one), but can still provide something for which to strive. However, he insisted that one must always maintain an ironic distance between this invented meaning and the knowledge of the absurd, lest the fictitious meaning take the place of the absurd."-Wikipedia Either way, Sisyphus is the shit: "So what do we do? What's the point? Should we just end it if nothing matters? No, says Camus, thats the pussy way out. Instead, we should embrace the fact that nothing makes sense. Don Juan, the fuckaholic that started it all, he embraced the absurd. Life has no meaning, so he. fucked. everything. He didn't try to impose meaning or find meaning or make his own meaning - that shit is useless, and Camus says there's no hope for that, so cut it the fuck out."-PhilosophyBro
Philisophical Debate Thread or How I learned to stop worrying and love insignificance.
[QUOTE=Asphyxia;27094087]We see color in our lives every day, we know that some colors look good together and some don't, but is there a reason it's like this? Would it be easier if there was no color in the universe? And what is color exactly? Think to a atomic level, where is the color contained? What is the essence of color?[/QUOTE] The hell? We all know colour is due to visible light having a range of frequencies with different energies (E = hf)... The sensation of colour is something our brain creates. Many animals don't perceive colour at all.
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