Meaning of Life: Devil's Advocate - General

tomorrow. the sun will rise, then set, then the tide will rise then fall.

[QUOTE=ZeroMinus;28927714]tomorrow. the sun will rise, then set, then the tide will rise then fall.[/QUOTE] Oh really? And here I thought the sun was just going to stay down this time.

there's no fucking point to anything besides maybe dont give a fuck and do what makes you and others happy.

[QUOTE=neap tide;28922599]what did you just say[/QUOTE] i thought it was quite obvious.. question was the "goal" of life

[QUOTE=Silly Sil;28926987]I don't think there is an objective purpose or meaning in our existence. That doesn't mean I live my life as if I had no meaning or no purpose because my brain is constantly fabricating subjective purposes and meanings that feel real enough to motivate me and justify my actions.[/QUOTE] Don't you find that kind of useless if we just constantly move along?

[QUOTE=Pepin;28926150]Because you are asking a question about a property that an object does not have. You think that this means that it means the answer should be "this object has no meaning", but in actuality the request doesn't make sense. Maybe a programming/class analogy would help. Consider the object below and lets pretend like these are all the properties an iPod Nano would have. [code]Product Name = iPod Nano Memory = 16 gigs Color = Blue Generation = 6[/code] We can request the color and it would return "Blue". But if we request a property that is not defined such as battery life, we would get a complain because the request is bad. The return would not be that there is no battery life, and the complain would not be that there is no information about what the battery life is, it would be that you tried to obtain data about a property that simply does not exist within this object's class. You'd get the same response asking it any other question about a property that does not exist. Please note the the use of the word object at this point can be exchanged for a noun. To go on with this analogy, meaning/purpose/significance is not a property that objects do not have. This is not to say that we don't make up properties for many objects, because that is actually very common. A father may cherish his '"best dad ever" coffee mug, but the value he places to it is entirely independent from the cup and has no effect on the cup. The cup may have great meaning and significance to him, but it in no way adds or changes the properties of that cup. So lets say that we ask the father what the meaning the cup have. The father would likely have an explanation. Now lets say we ask some random person what meaning that same cup has to them. Their answer may be "it has no meaning", but a more logical response would be that the question does make any sense because it assumes that meaning is a property that the cup has. The person could assume that the cup could mean something to whoever owns it especially because it says "best dad ever", but they know that even though the cup may have a meaning to someone, it doesn't affect that fact that it is just a cup. So why can't you say "it has no meaning" or "the iPod has no battery life"? It is because you can't quantify what does not exist. It implies that the property exists and that it is 0. If we have a list of data points of a ball's position along the two different spacial dimensions, we can't ask any question about the third spacial dimension because it does not exist in the data. We can't even assume it exists, therefore we can't say "there is no movement in the third dimension" or "we have no data about what happened to the ball in the third dimension". The answer must be that we are asking for information about a property that does not exist. In the claim I am making, I am arguing that asking "what is the meaning of life" makes no sense because you are asking about information about a property that does not exist. To say "there is no meaning" implies that it is a valid question and also that meaning is an inherited property. I hope I am explaining this well. It's 3:30AM so I guessing I didn't do the greatest job, but I tried to get across my point with a lot of repetition in case one example didn't seem to make much sense. I'll have to read through this post tomorrow and see how I did.[/QUOTE] Except when you ask what the meaning of life is, you're not asking for quantification, you're asking for qualification, which can be answered by saying that it doesn't have that quality. When you say, "Life has no meaning," you are saying, "The quality of meaning does not exist for life." Simple as that. Also, this is the most pointless argument ever.

the meaning of life is to leave this world better then when you entered it.

[QUOTE=Mingebox;28928242]Oh really? And here I thought the sun was just going to stay down this time.[/QUOTE] Sun ain't moving yo. Earth be turning. Also, 42.

[QUOTE=neap tide;28929899]Don't you find that kind of useless if we just constantly move along?[/QUOTE] "You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all part of the same compost pile." Which would be Earth's biosphere. Our existence is a just millisecond of universe's life. And we're all part of it. The same matter which you're build of, was, and will be part of stars, planets, plants, animals or other people. I find it quite amazing. Thinking that you were created with a purpose is very narcissistic. We're all just grains of sand on dunes of the universe.

[QUOTE=neap tide;28922473] My main argument is: Everything we do goes into a casket when we die.[/QUOTE] but I'll be cremated

the meaning of life is to serve god

[QUOTE=JohnnyMo1;28929919]Except when you ask what the meaning of life is, you're not asking for quantification, you're asking for qualification, which can be answered by saying that it doesn't have that quality. When you say, "Life has no meaning," you are saying, "The quality of meaning does not exist for life." Simple as that. Also, this is the most pointless argument ever.[/QUOTE] I'll take your point on the qualification. I will also disagree with the next statement. When you say "life has no meaning" it is usually intended to make the point that: life is pointless; people place their own meanings to life; there is no predefined meaning/purpose. Answering it in such a way implies that life has a potential for meaning, that it could be a property to describe life. I think I would be more satisfied with the rephrasing you provided, but I don't think that statement can be derived from the original. I can see how what I am saying might seem pointless, but I don't think it is. My point is to reject the question if it doesn't make sense. I am willing to admit that I haven't thought this entirely out and have potential to be wrong, which is why I am arguing it. It is the best way to see how solid an idea is. I'm likely to do a lot of thinking about it and find a better way to explain my claim. I do not see a reason to continue this discussion at this moment.

[QUOTE=SteelReal;28922438]There is no meaning of life. There is no predefined goal for us as a species, we just keep chugging along and eventually we will all die out.[/QUOTE] This used to be my outlook on life. But then I matured and realised that even if that is the case, I might aswell make my time on this planet worthwile. I might aswell be happy, make others happy and leave some kind of impression on a world that, despite being rife with injustice and ferverent inequity, is our only planet. Our only world and our only experience of a universe that is vast beyond contemplation. There are certain eastern sects and religions which define life as a path to transcendancy through spiritual purity, in essence somehow reaching another state of matter. I believe that this is not a goal for the ordinary man, but should be left to evolution. What is important is the here and now. The life you live, is your only life. Even if you don't believe in a higher plane of existence, or a concept as prosaic as heaven and hell it's better to enjoy life and be remembered for your good deeds rather than be remembered as a negative, cynical and nihilistic introvert. I can tell you from experience that your world view directly influences other's opinions toward you as a person. A more altruistic approach leads to happiness and contention, whereas a negative attitude spirals into a perpetual cycle of woe. This is just my two cents. I respect the opinions of others as I hope people would respect mine. I'd like to also say that I am thoroughly enjoying reading this thread. It's great to see how varied people's views are. While some favour some sort of legacy, other's gravitate towards a more philanthropic approach. It's interesting to note how most opinions seem to center around leaving some sort of impact on the world. I believe this, in itself is the very meaning for which we search. Our world is based on the legacies of others, so it is fitting that we seek to create the same impression for future generations. Whether on a religious/spiritual level, philanthropic, artistic or economic; as humans it is fundamental to our nature to keep sowing the seeds of humanity. This, in itself, brings meaning to an existence otherwise devoid of explanation.

You can't do things when you're dead, therefor you should fill your time by doing things until you can't.

42

[QUOTE=Uberlad;28933393]This used to be my outlook on life. But then I matured and realised that even if that is the case, I might aswell make my time on this planet worthwile. I might aswell be happy, make others happy and leave some kind of impression on a world that, despite being rife with injustice and ferverent inequity, is our only planet. Our only world and our only experience of a universe that is vast beyond contemplation. There are certain eastern sects and religions which define life as a path to transcendancy through spiritual purity, in essence somehow reaching another state of matter. I believe that this is not a goal for the ordinary man, but should be left to evolution. What is important is the here and now. The life you live, is your only life. Even if you don't believe in a higher plane of existence, or a concept as prosaic as heaven and hell it's better to enjoy life and be remembered for your good deeds rather than be remembered as a negative, cynical and nihilistic introvert. I can tell you from experience that your world view directly influences other's opinions toward you as a person. A more altruistic approach leads to happiness and contention, whereas a negative attitude spirals into a perpetual cycle of woe. This is just my two cents. I respect the opinions of others as I hope people would respect mine. I'd like to also say that I am thoroughly enjoying reading this thread. It's great to see how varied people's views are. While some favour some sort of legacy, other's gravitate towards a more philanthropic approach. It's interesting to note how most opinions seem to center around leaving some sort of impact on the world. I believe this, in itself is the very meaning for which we search. Our world is based on the legacies of others, so it is fitting that we seek to create the same impression for future generations. Whether on a religious/spiritual level, philanthropic, artistic or economic; as humans it is fundamental to our nature to keep sowing the seeds of humanity. This, in itself, brings meaning to an existence otherwise devoid of explanation.[/QUOTE] Being realistic and asserting that life has no purpose does not mean he just lies around all day contemplating how worthless everything is

To see what else the world can fuck up is enough reason to live. George Carlin loved to do that.

To do stuff. Like post the definition of the word "Life" 1. The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death. 2. A board game.

But were not animals - we are capable of both great and terrible things.

[QUOTE=ZeroMinus;28937796]But were not animals - we are capable of both great and terrible things.[/QUOTE] We are animals.

[QUOTE=ZeroMinus;28937796]We are not animals.[/QUOTE] What. Also, obligatory 'Forty-two'.

When I start to think about how insignificant and small we are compared to everything around us, the meaning of life, space, why we're here, etc I tell myself to shut the fuck up and roll with it.

[QUOTE=Kontradaz;28939193]We are animals.[/QUOTE] Were not animals, were humans. When's the last time you seen a gay animal or a homophobic animal. But as a zoological classification, yes humans are animals. Science does not state that humans evolved from monkeys or apes but that humans, monkeys and apes evolved from the same ancestor.

[QUOTE=ZeroMinus;28945829]Were not animals, were humans. When's the last time you seen a gay animal or a homophobic animal. But as a zoological classification, yes humans are animals. Science does not state that humans evolved from monkeys or apes but that humans, monkeys and apes evolved from the same ancestor.[/QUOTE] No, we are definitely animals.

[QUOTE=Pythagoras;28924433]Because though the individual may wither and die, the species will endure. The entire human race is essentially a single being itself, and moving it forward is what's important. At least that's how I see it.[/QUOTE] I dislike this kind of thinking, it seems to tempt the idea of the whole "The body does not live for the individual organ" ideology

[QUOTE=ZeroMinus;28945829]When's the last time you seen a gay animal[/QUOTE] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animals[/url]

Behold, the answer to the OP's question: [img]http://www.camargo.eti.br/42.png[/img]

I don't really think of this very often, there doesn't have to be a specific meaning with life. I'll go on and do what I feel is important to do.

Life: the ultimate sandbox game

[QUOTE=Contag;28946520]Life: the ultimate sandbox game[/QUOTE] When you can afford it.