As Carl Sagan once said, "We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself." Our purpose is to exist, explore and gain knowledge as a species, in my opinion.

(March 26, 2012 at 8:41 pm)Mosrhun Wrote: As Carl Sagan once said, "We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself." Our purpose is to exist, explore and gain knowledge as a species, in my opinion.

I like carl sagan, too. This train of thought echo's earkhart tolle. I think it's kind of a strange concept. Tolle thinks the universe is playing games with form to get to know itself better. It kind of makes sense since evolution makes such small subtle changes that it would give one a chance to know the very subtleties of oneself.

But it's weird to think that the Cosmos want to get to know itself- a little anthropomorphic?

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(March 26, 2012 at 5:58 pm)R-e-n-n-a-t Wrote: If you want to get really precise, sadness and happiness shunt you down certain paths because of the biological need to pass on your genetics. In the modern age, we know that people can live their entire lives without multiplying, and that's great. However, the cause of emotion is the drive to spread genes and to survive and fit in long enough to do so, since without that, your genes would be removed from the world and thus demonstrate natural selection.

So let's say that the drive of emotions is the need to pass on one's genetic info. Why is there that need? To me that need would suggest there is a point to reproducing, which suggests that there is meaning to life.

Joseph Campbell said something like "Life has no inherent meaning, we create meaning. The 'purpose' of life is creativity in all it's forms, whether it is creating a work of art or creating life." I would also refer to Zen as the radical, constant acceptance of only the here and now being real and the small time and space in which to be creatively alive. But this is a timeless question which really has no answer or explanation in mere words. Purpose comes from deep within, not without.

Personally I don't see a point to this existence. But since I'm here I'm gonna try to make the most of it. The way I figure it if at the end of the day you had more positive experiences than negative experiences than it was worth it

The point of my existence is to not be you.

Probably not, but here I am, so I'm trying to make the best of it.

I believe that the whole point of our existence is to enjoy the universe (and everything in it) that God created for us. Don't you agree that the universe would have been void of meaning if humans were not created?

(March 27, 2012 at 3:59 am)Christian Wrote: Don't you agree that the universe would have been void of meaning if humans were not created?

No.

(March 27, 2012 at 4:29 am)houseofcantor Wrote:

(March 27, 2012 at 3:59 am)Christian Wrote: Don't you agree that the universe would have been void of meaning if humans were not created?

No.

But I say yes. We are the only creatures in the universe with the God given gift to reason - and reason is meaning of life.

Christian Wrote:Don't you agree that the universe would have been void of meaning if humans were not created?

Whatever meaning in the universe that does or does not exist is completely independent of the existence of humans. To think otherwise is more of that wishful thinking that plagues the human race that makes a large portion of us believe we are something special.

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Christian Wrote:We are the only creatures in the universe with the God given gift to reason...

This is impossible for you to determine.