Our Purpose In Life

[Diamond-Deist]

I think from a religious view our purpose or the purpose of life itself is to experience the physical world, survive also, it's pretty much the fabric of life and drives everything from procreation to all the little dramas life contains.


Other than that?

[IATIA]

There is no purpose to life. It is what it is, no more, no less. A 'lucky' accident?

Why would there be any purpose? Would not that suggest then that life was created with a plan?

You do not need to subscribe to a God's plan. If God had a plan he would not give it to the Christians with their Sodom a Gomorrah record.

By a strong work ethic, you increase your luck to enable yourself to create a purpose in life.

That appears to be a qualification of a purpose for one's own life. I was posting on the assumption of life in general, whether a one celled organism or a complex thinking being.

In that case, we can create our own purpose which should be to enjoy this life as much as possible and take as many as we can along for the ride. This is it. 10,000 years from now, we will be in oblivion and no one will know we were ever here. Enjoy.

[Justtristo]

Our only 'objective' purpose in life is to ensure the passing on of our own and/or relatives DNA onto the next generation. Everything other purpose to our lives is 'subjective'.

[Sam]

Our only 'objective' purpose in life is to ensure the passing on of our own and/or relatives DNA onto the next generation. Everything other purpose to our lives is 'subjective'.

Hi Justtristo,

I'm curious how you categorise reproduction as an objective purpose given that an objective purpose would have to be one which is seen as inherrently correct without the requirement for judegement by a concious entity?

My argument would be that it does, of course require a judegement on the part of the individual to factor as a goal of that individuals existence and is therefore just as subjective as any other purpose.

Sam

[The Grand Nudger]

That our bodies are mechanisms built to sustain and perpetuate life is an objective observation of the functions of the human machine. Whether or not one chooses to go along with this biological imperative is a subjective decision. Obviously one is free to choose whatever purpose suits them, one of the benefits of having such a highly developed brain (nonetheless the machinery will still operate, eggs will form, sperm will be manufactured). Amoebas have no such choice. The point of mentioning such a thing in a thread like this is only to show that there is only a very basic type of "purpose" that is inherrant in us and this "purpose" gives all life common ground, all else is personal choice (and indeed one can take a stand against this itself). I think that's wonderful.

[Sam]

That our bodies are mechanisms built to sustain and perpetuate life is an objective observation of the functions of the human machine. Whether or not one chooses to go along with this biological imperative is a subjective decision. Obviously one is free to choose whatever purpose suits them, one of the benefits of having such a highly developed brain (nonetheless the machinery will still operate, eggs will form, sperm will be manufactured). Amoebas have no such choice. The point of mentioning such a thing in a thread like this is only to show that there is only a very basic type of "purpose" that is inherrant in us and this "purpose" gives all life common ground, all else is personal choice (and indeed one can take a stand against this itself). I think that's wonderful.

Hey Rythm,

I take your point, in fact I took it before you mentioned it. That our bodies have certain objective functions is clear. I would argue that reproduction, being an act between two individuals is not solely a function of our bodies as it involves a conscious decision.

That being said I believe a more sound point would be that the very basic 'inherent' purpose in our bodies are those which sustain our own existence. I admit that the point is somewhat trifling when written but I just thought I codify my thoughts on it.

I also share your admiration at the personal liberty we are afforded in our lives.

Sam

[Justtristo]

That our bodies are mechanisms built to sustain and perpetuate life is an objective observation of the functions of the human machine. Whether or not one chooses to go along with this biological imperative is a subjective decision. Obviously one is free to choose whatever purpose suits them, one of the benefits of having such a highly developed brain (nonetheless the machinery will still operate, eggs will form, sperm will be manufactured). Amoebas have no such choice. The point of mentioning such a thing in a thread like this is only to show that there is only a very basic type of "purpose" that is inherrant in us and this "purpose" gives all life common ground, all else is personal choice (and indeed one can take a stand against this itself). I think that's wonderful.

Sam, my answer is "what rhythm said".

[Castle]

There is no purpose to life. It is what it is, no more, no less. A 'lucky' accident?

Why would there be any purpose? Would not that suggest then that life was created with a plan?

You do not need to subscribe to a God's plan. If God had a plan he would not give it to the Christians with their Sodom a Gomorrah record.

By a strong work ethic, you increase your luck to enable yourself to create a purpose in life.

That appears to be a qualification of a purpose for one's own life. I was posting on the assumption of life in general, whether a one celled organism or a complex thinking being.

In that case, we can create our own purpose which should be to enjoy this life as much as possible and take as many as we can along for the ride. This is it. 10,000 years from now, we will be in oblivion and no one will know we were ever here. Enjoy.

You got her

[IATIA]

It would seem that most, not all, posters are still assuming some type of "purpose" to life. A 'purpose' requires intent and 'intent' requires an 'intender'. We can create a purpose for 'our life' or we can allow others to do so, but life, in and of itself, has no purpose.

Let us start with the very first lifeform. Somewhere in our universe a lightning bolt hits some gooey pond of protein and voila, the first lifeform begins. Unless there is purpose at this point, how can there be purpose now? We are just an evolution of the first life without purpose at all.

If we are to assume a purpose then we must ask what the intent was and what the intender was. It was not a god, so was it the lightning bolt? We can create our own 'purpose', which is purely subjective, but we cannot have an 'objective' purpose without a reason or intent.

[bozo]

It would seem that most, not all, posters are still assuming some type of "purpose" to life. A 'purpose' requires intent and 'intent' requires an 'intender'. We can create a purpose for 'our life' or we can allow others to do so, but life, in and of itself, has no purpose.

Let us start with the very first lifeform. Somewhere in our universe a lightning bolt hits some gooey pond of protein and voila, the first lifeform begins. Unless there is purpose at this point, how can there be purpose now? We are just an evolution of the first life without purpose at all.

If we are to assume a purpose then we must ask what the intent was and what the intender was. It was not a god, so was it the lightning bolt? We can create our own 'purpose', which is purely subjective, but we cannot have an 'objective' purpose without a reason or intent.

Well put. I agree.