What is our purpose here on earth?

[Nuda900]

If you're an atheist, then I don't see why/how you can say there is any purpose to our existence. If you personally want to live for something, then that's a purpose to you, but other than that, I don't see how you can think there is some sort of grand purpose for the existence of life.

Purpose is the reason to chose a path to get to an arbitrary end. Really simple actually. I don't understand as to why you would need some kind of "cosmic" purpose?! We have exactly the same purpose as you do, just without the: "repent in time as a cosmic fire insurance".

Isn't it true that you can be horrible your entire life and just repent in time and go to heaven anyway? I have never heard of a story of someone asking jesus for forgiveness where the actual answer was: no, I won't forgive. Regarding purpose: the christian is (as always) in exactly the same boot, the end game is just a tiny bit different.

[Excited Penguin]

Tell me some more about how our purpose here is to reproduce.

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[account_inactive]

To fuck and die. That's simply it, though some humans don't or can't reproduce - that really is our purpose here.

[robvalue]

I never will, so I guess I'm absolutely useless

That's our purpose from the point of view of the survival of the species, or our evolutionary makeup/biological drives; but from a neutral standpoint that is no purpose at all.

[The Grand Nudger]

I'm interested in discussing this with you all here...

When you boil it down, humans exist for one reason only: to make more humans, either directly or indirectly. When you consider other animals, they reproduce in order to continue the lineage, possibly eat other animals, and provide food for other animals. Even at the top of the food chain, a dead animal clearly provides food. So they are part of a chain of dependencies. Humans are really no different in this respect, although the way we do this has far different impacts (a separate discussion).

No different with respect to being an animal, part of the food chain, and built to multiply, no.

If you do not have children, you still play a role. Your existence usually requires good and services from others, so you are creating demand. Your job may also enable the continuation of our species, such as being a doctor or teacher. Even if you do not have a job, you consume goods and services from people who exist, in part, to serve society.

Seen any Magpie MD's......perhaps a Grouper schoolteacher?  You've just described some of the ways that we are different from all other animals.  

Being an relatively new atheist, I no longer believe that we exist to glorify or serve something. We exist to make more of us.

I'd love to explore this more. Any thoughts?

That we're not stuck with the "purpose" our biology might suggest, as so many other species are.  We can be more than breeders.  We can be doctors, schoolteachers, we can own a store that buys and distributes goods.  Our lives can be "about" these things, and much more.  We can live to serve each other, as many of us do at one point or another. These things, this purpose, those meanings to our lives, are all just as true and present -regardless- of whether or not there is a god.  If there isn't, or if you simply don't believe that there is, all of that remains untouched.  If there is no "divine meaning" or purpose to our lives...this does not mean that there is no meaning or purpose, or that the meaning and purpose can only be reproduction.

Do you exist just to make more of you, or is there...as I suspect, more to you than that...regardless of whether or not fairies are really real?

[bennyboy]

-bump-

[Whateverist]

I'm perfectly fine with there not being a general purpose for us. I think it's great that I wasn't created for something and now I must comply. I'm glad there is no plan from above, no greater destiny, no pre-destination, no calling. It's fucken freedom, baby! What do I want to do with my itty bitty time alive? I get to choose. It feels like I'm flying. Fuck callings and "meant to be" bullshit. I'm good with: they had sex, I made it to birth, I'm here, let's do this! Life is absolutely awesome!

Yeah I think the OP really needs to embrace the open-ended potential for play and dance if they are to thoroughly enjoy their retirement.  (I speak from experience.)

[Excited Penguin]

I never will, so I guess I'm absolutely useless

That's our purpose from the point of view of the survival of the species, or our evolutionary makeup/biological drives; but from a neutral standpoint that is no purpose at all.

I don't believe that's our purpose from a biological point of view. I think the purpose of reproduction itself, rather, is the survival of the species. And if we find ways to prolong our species besides reproduction - i.e. life extension - than I would imagine that would be better than, to quote an above poster, simply live to fuck and die. We're going to die anyway(eventuall) even if we focus on making our lives significantly longer -and better at the same time- but at least we'll get more of a chance to get to know what life is about than we do right now.

[bennyboy]

I don't believe that's our purpose from a biological point of view. I think the purpose of reproduction itself, rather, is the survival of the species.

Saying the purpose of reproduction is survival of the species is a little like saying the purpose of gravity is to make stuff fall down. That's not quite right-- gravity makes stuff fall, and genetic predisposition makes us reproduce. It just is what those things do.

[The Grand Nudger]

Our sex organs have a purpose, reproduction does not, it's just what life does.  We can -invest- it with purpose (which we obviously have, many times, and many different purposes), but that's as far as it goes.  Notice how this is different than the issue of sex organs.  A dick is a dick, no matter.