There is no point, no purpose, self replicating cells appeared and evolution led to where we are now.
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This is a fun question to ponder, and you'll get a thousand different answers from a thousand different people.
I think the more important question (and much harder to find an answer for) is What's the meaning of the universe? Why does the universe exist? How was it created? Why was it created? What was before the universe was created? What comes after the universe?
And you can join those two questions together. Are the two related? Is the universe's purpose to create life? Is life's purpose to experience the universe? Would the universe exist if there was not life to experience it?
Things exist outside of our observation, but they aren't interpreted until we see them.
To laugh at the absurdity of it all.
And if you ask Vonnegut; to fart around.
First of all.
Life has no inherent meaning; there is no grand plan or objective purpose to your life or any other persons.
Thus; what you choose has meaning is objectively meaningful (to you).
On a grander scale. As far as we know currently, we are the only example of advanced intelligence in the universe. We are almost certainly not; but we have no evidence at this stage. This is objectively meaningful; for humanity as a whole, if you choose to participate in ensuring the continuation of the only example of intelligence is totally up to you. As long as some people choose to continue the species intelligence continues in the universe.
Good, different perspective. I like it
you are the worst splinter cell agent i have ever seen OP
Life is what you make of it. Which is why we are leftists, we'd like more people to be able to have lives that are actually fulfilling to them.
I think I have found meaning in kindness and beauty. Anything I do to make life more worth living for other beings makes my life more meaningful. Finding beauty, wherever it may be and whatever form it may take, gives my life meaning.
I often say that the meaning of life is the smile in a dog's eyes when you pet it, and I think that serves nicely.
To explore this existence.
The point is to have a bigger car than your neighbour!
It's what you make of it. Some people don't make anything with theirs.
Personally, for me it's to form community and to leave a positive lasting influence on others. Except fascists, they can rot in hell. For others, it might be to learn as much as they can or to impart their wisdom onto their children.
Everything, and at the same time nothing.
I'm not spiritual, but I believe the universe as we know it was created by higher beings on a dimensional plane we can't comprehend. They created us as a resource. Perhaps for simulations, or science, or entertainment. I believe we are the worker ants for these beings and our collective meaning is to produce intelligence. Maybe we are an AI hive mind? Or fuck it maybe were just here to watch ufc and drink beer.
None
Negative utilitarianism posits that reducing suffering is the ultimate moral imperative.
Life has no meaning, no purpose. Luckily enough we are social animals, which creates a (genetic) framework in which we feel good. Enjoy yourself, when itβs over itβs over ππ½π I also believe humanity will go through a population collapse in the next 50-200 yearsβ¦ we may actually go extinct. But this beautiful planet with all kinds of beautiful creatures will survive ππ
βAmbition is overrated. Whether a janitor or surgeon, being virtuous is what matters [1]. Avoid contempt and envy because we each have our part to play [2], powerless to choose our upbringing. Often there's more than meets the eye so hold off on passing judgement. Everything is borrowed [3], so avoid craving credit too. The meaning of life is sharing (and) laughter [4], helping each other through peaks and throughs. Bref, GLHF.
- Dr. Michael Sugrue: Marcus Aurelius' Meditations: The Stoic Ideal.
- Nicky Case: Fireflies.
- The Streets: Everything Is Borrowed.
- YouTube: The Meaning of Life.β
[Quoting my own website arscyni.cc because POSSE: "Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere."]
I work to make things less shitty for the people I care about and keep myself alive and comfortable. That's about it. I'm not interested in having children because I have no confidence that the world will improve for the next generations.
My view is that there is no point, so you make your own point or purpose. I don't believe there's an inherent purpose. I think we're all just here, and that's it.
Purpose? Point? You make it sound like it's something inherently positive. Can you give me an example where it could be inherently positive? Because the purposes I can think of are all negative to me since I have goals of my own and any purpose in life would stand in the way of that. I don't want to be like a spoon (so humans can eat more easily) or a cat (To be human pets), so I'm really glad to have no point or purpose in life, as that means I am the master of my own destiny.
I have goals in life I want to achieve. That's why I want to live longer. And if people can help me achieve my goals, that's all the better.
If you want to find purpose in life, then I'm sure you can find another person in life that can give you one.
You wont last forever but your actions will
You are the best suited vessel for transferring your DNA to the next generation. That is the meaning of life in the most specific sense. More generally, humans have evolved to help others achieve this goal, in the form of generosity and autism. At the purest biological level, the meaning of life is to have children and to help others of your species survive to have children.
This does not prohibit you from finding your own personal meaning of course, and I wish you the best of luck in doing so.
I don't believe life has a meaning. I don't believe that anybody has a reason to be here, in any kind of grand scheme of things.
However, if somebody finds something that they enjoy, they might find they want more of that feeling, and choose to stick around to get it.
Most living things want to continue living. Whether that's because death is scary and potentially unpleasant in a few different ways, or because they've become attached to something in the world.
That's why I think some people fight diseases to live a few more years. They might not be planning on anything specific, other than just not dying.
Edit: the idea of this came to me because I was pondering why people fight so hard to beat diseases and live a few more years. What are they planning to do? Why exert effort just to be here longer when you don't have a reason?
Sometimes one just wanna go out on their own terms, and finish all their goals, and disease is just something that's in the way.
A few more years is precious to those, I suppose.
There is no objective meaning to life. Any meaning imposed by yourself or others is arbitrary and completely subjective.
As a human you are trapped on earth and nothing you do will affect the Universe in any way. Nothing the entire human race has done or will do will affect the Universe in any way. .... Ever
live a few more years
And see more of your children, maybe even your grand-children. Sounds like a fair deal to me.
To me, the point of life is to give and receive love. There are many types of love and many ways to show it, and through working towards/with that, it gives my life meaning.
I think the meaning of life is experience. I have a personal belief that is hard to explain because it's obviously going to sound a little wacko but I think since all matter is energy and it seems like there's really only energy I'm convinced everything and everyone is the same thing and I think that thing, lets call it the universe, is just also trying to understand what's going on just like us. So everything from the sun to butterflies to black holes are either some kind of organ or vessel or after effect of the universe trying to understand itself/what is going on but not in a conscious way exactly.
I think we share a universal consciousness and being alive is just peering through a very limited perspective.
But also we're chemically designed to try and not die. Rage against the dying of the light and all.
Open individualism is extremely similar to what you've described. I have a hunch that something like this is the case, though I'd stop short of calling it a belief.
There's some good discussion on /r/OpenIndividualism.