(February 5, 2018 at 10:20 pm)psalm531 Wrote: Wow. Thanks for the replies.
The reason I didn't initially open it up to a group discussion is that the assignment is to interview one person. But I'd certainly like to get other thoughts if you'd like to share. If so, below are the starting questions I was going to ask - on 4 general topics. If not, just ignore them...
Origin
How do you think we got here - how did humans originate?
Where did the universe/world come from? Big Bang, God, other?
Meaning
What do you think the purpose of life is?
Does human life have meaning? If so, what gives that meaning?
Are humans more significant than other creatures? Are we special? Why?
Morality
Why do we have moral ethics? Why do some things ‘seem’ bad (like murder)
Do good and bad exist? How do you determine what is good or bad?
Are good and evil subjective or universal/absolute?
If you don't believe in sin, do you ever feel guilty?
Destiny
What happens to us after death?
Is there a heaven / hell?
If so, how do you get there? Is there anything specific you have to do?
Well, the evidence shows that humans evolved biologically from other apes. Notice that I said *other* apes. Humans are a type of ape biologically.
I'm not completely sure it is even meaningful to ask where the universe comes from. An answer would presume causality and causality is a part of the universe.
That said, it is clear that the universe went through a period where it was hot and dense enough that nuclear reactions happened everywhere and has expanded and cooled since then (the Big Bang theory in a nutshell). What happened before that expansion started, or even whether there *was* a 'before' that expansion is not currently known. We need more progress on quantum gravity to answer this.
I don't think there *is* a purpose to life. Life exists. *We* have to decide what we want to do with our lives. Purpose isn't determined externally, it is determined internally.
Do humans have meaning? yes, of course, to other humans. And that is the whole point. We are the ones that determine meaning for us. Same with 'significance'.
In the cosmic scheme of things, humans are a flash in the pan. We have been around 1-200,000 years in a total of 13.7 billion years. If we are lucky, we may last another 10,000. And, if we manage to destroy ourselves, the universe (and even the Earth) will go on quite the same without us.
We have morals and ethics because we are a social species of intelligent primates. So we form rules of behavior. The goal is to have a reasonably stable society where as many people as possible are enriched and fulfilled. Murder, for example, is quite contrary to that goal.
How do we determine what is good and bad? By whether it promotes human well-being or not.
I don't consider morality to be universal. A species of intelligent spiders from a planet around a different star would likely have a *very* different morality based on their biology (so, eating males after mating might well be 'moral' for them).
Guilt is a feeling I have when I have hurt another. It is a common emotion among social species. The best way to deal with guilt is to make amends to the person you've hurt.
SIN is a nonsense word for me.
What happens after death? We rot. Or mummify. Our consciousness dissipates. The analogy I like to use is of the flame of a candle. When the candle is blown out, the flame is gone. But that doesn't mean it didn't give heat and light while it was shining.
I don't believe in a supernatural: no heaven, no hell, no God, no Devil, no angles, no spirits, no demons, etc. Those are all fiction.
