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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 1:06 pm
(This post was last modified: February 29, 2016 at 1:06 pm by ApeNotKillApe.)
(February 29, 2016 at 12:58 pm)bennyboy Wrote: (February 29, 2016 at 12:38 pm)Excited Penguin Wrote: 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.
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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 1:44 pm
(This post was last modified: February 29, 2016 at 1:48 pm by Excited Penguin.)
Sure it is. That's why species continue to exist. Because of reproduction. There's absolutely nothing wrong with my statement and the science of it has nothing to do with it. I'm not talking technically here, keep in mind, I'm talking consequentially. We exist because of our ancestors' ability to reproduce. It's as simple as that. Now if we can figure out a better way to survive than to simply pass on genes, give birth to and bring up individuals who will die in turn, that would be great.
I think you understand me wrongly when I talk of a purpose here.
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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 3:49 pm
I just don't think the word "purpose" is used correctly when we speak of reproduction as atheists. Who's purpose? We have no "purpose" other than the one we choose. Saying that our purpose is to reproduce can be interpreted as: we were put here for something. We survive, because we reproduce. This happens naturally. No purpose. I hope that I'm explaining myself well.
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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 3:52 pm
(This post was last modified: February 29, 2016 at 3:56 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Dipshits will interpret things in the manner that's most convenient to them regardless of how carefully you word them. They will interpret your comment above, for example...as a statement that life has no purpose, or value, or meaning....that you're a stalinist, a solipsist, a damned soul, hitlers cousin, and you fuck dogs.....as examples.
If you spent any time worrying about those dipshits and how they interpret things you'd end up at least half as confused as they are on account of it.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 3:52 pm
Reproduction is a function of life, not the purpose. Purpose implies intent.
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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 3:57 pm
(This post was last modified: February 29, 2016 at 4:01 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Except when it doesn't. I, for one, am more than happy to offer those inclined the opportunity to turn their oh-so-serious positions into word games. Hell, it's pretty much all I do here.......well, that and the rep whoring......
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 4:01 pm
Lol! I think it's awesome that nobody made me with a purpose! But I get what you're saying. 
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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 4:09 pm
(This post was last modified: February 29, 2016 at 4:10 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Self determination is something I value greatly as well. Honestly, it wouldn't matter to me if we -were- made with a purpose. The maker will have to learn to live with disappointment. Whatever I may have been made for is irrelevant, to me. I'm here now, the wishes of that entity are moot.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 8:26 pm
I'm not talking about an external purpose. I am talking about the kind of purpose we can make for ourselves. As it is, we're not just mindless experiments of nature anymore, we've developed certain abilities that allow us to plan and change our species' future ourselves-- to a certain extent, that is. Now then, keeping this in mind, and the fact that we're very likely to continue to make progress on that front, we can either be content with the way nature works in our case or we can intentionally change that for our own best interest as a species. I believe repudiating the dogmatic thinking that revolves around certain topics, such as death itself, is one step in the right direction. And the concept of reproduction is tightly connected with that. I'm not saying humans should stop reproducing any time soon, but to refuse to even talk of a scenario where we could afford to do so and still preserve our species as a whole is close minded to say the least.
Nor do I think it is laudable that some of you seem to border on straw manning me as if I were some sort of religious nut job expounding on his unintelligible pseudo-scientific gibberish at will. I am nothing of the sort, nor do I claim expert knowledge on evolutionary biology or bioethics for that matter. Not that I believe my own thoughts on the topic warrant credentials of that sort - they obviously don't.
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RE: What is our purpose here on earth?
February 29, 2016 at 8:29 pm
We do have a short term purpose while our species exists, and that is to find ways to extend our finite ride. But in terms of 14 billion years, or 5 billion years from now, no, humans are a tiny and temporary blip in the grand scope. We don't matter to the universe, we only matter to ourselves while we are alive.
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