The purpose of life

[Wilson]

Evolution made us long for a purpose, so that there would be innovation and striving for excellence and significance.  Good for the species.  So it's a little disheartening to some of us when we figure out that there's ultimately no purpose, really.  Others, like me, come to terms with the disappointment and move past it and just try to enjoy life.

[LegendarySandwich]

Evolution made us long for a purpose, so that there would be innovation and striving for excellence and significance.  Good for the species.  So it's a little disheartening to some of us when we figure out that there's ultimately no purpose, really.  Others, like me, come to terms with the disappointment and move past it and just try to enjoy life.

I don't think it's a bad thing that there's no ultimate purpose. It means you don't have to be disappointed with what you do in life, and it means whatever you want to do can be your purpose.

[elliebean]

I know it sounds bleak and pessimistic to state, "my life has no meaning or purpose", but the acknowledgement and realization of that fact has been one of the most enriching and liberating developments in my life. I can and do make commitments and have a sense of devotion to things and persons outside of myself, but my mind and my will are not enslaved to any ideal, any concept, any person, or any institution not of my choosing.

Edit: or what the Sandwich said.  

[KDbeads]

There's a purpose to life?  Really?  Well I'll be a monkey's uncle........

[gsaint]

Evolution made us long for a purpose, so that there would be innovation and striving for excellence and significance. Good for the species.

How do you know what is good for the species?

How do you find fulfillment in your life? When you die do you think it will be a shame if no one remembers you?

Some have expressed a moment of remorse when they realized there their was no meaning. Why the remorse?

If their is not meaning to life then why do we seek to find meaning and put meaning on other things?

[LegendarySandwich]

Evolution made us long for a purpose, so that there would be innovation and striving for excellence and significance. Good for the species.

How do you know what is good for the species?

Uh...it's pretty obvious in most cases.

How do you find fulfillment in your life?

I find fulfillment by being a good person and doing things I like.

When you die do you think it will be a shame if no one remembers you?

I don't, personally. Some do, obviously.

Some have expressed a moment of remorse when they realized there their was no meaning. Why the remorse?

I can't speak for them.

If their is not meaning to life then why do we seek to find meaning and put meaning on other things?

...What.

[elliebean]

How do you know what is good for the species?

I think he means it has helped the species to survive and propagate, at least at one time.

How do you find fulfillment in your life?

By living it the best I can.

When you die do you think it will be a shame if no one remembers you?

Certainly it would be a shame for them to miss out on such a great memory, but I won't care.  

[Wilson]

Thanks, Bean and Sandwich.  My answers are much like yours.  gsaint, try to actually think about these concepts instead of just striking out at anything that doesn't fit your belief system.

How do you know what is good for the species?

It's good for the species for its members to work hard, to innovate, to come up with new ways to accomplish things, including more food and better shelter and more safety for one's fellow community or tribe members.  Agreed?  If you were God, and didn't want to micromanage, how would you do that?  You'd probably do it by giving people the motivation of striving for significance, of being somebody important, of wanting the respect and applause of your fellow humans - as well as the unselfish motivation of wanting to help those in your tribe or community.  And you'd want them to believe that there was a purpose to life, so that they didn't just satisfy their wants and needs and nothing more.  Well, that's what evolution did - not, of course, by intelligent design, but by natural selection.  Those individuals who strove to improve things for themselves and others had a better chance at survival, and gradually the gene pool shifted so that most people had that drive to succeed, to be important, and to innovate.

How do you find fulfillment in your life? When you die do you think it will be a shame if no one remembers you?

Probably the same way that you do - accomplishing stuff, having a good meal, reading a good book, watching a great movie, being with people we love.  The difference is that we atheists don't have a relationship with God, which most of us don't miss, anyway.  As for someone remembering me, I assume that some people will remember me, hopefully fondly.  Probably the same with you.  Personally I don't think about that a lot, certainly don't worry about it, but if I did, it would be because evolution gave me those emotional tendencies.

Some have expressed a moment of remorse when they realized there their was no meaning. Why the remorse?

As I said, it's because we are progammed by evolution to feel that there's a purpose to what we do.  Just because some of us have figured out that there is almost certainly no God, and that there is no ultimate meaning to life, it doesn't mean that our wishes and desires and emotions suddenly change.  It's like saying that we shouldn't be afraid of flying, it's very safe; some of us know that and still get terrified.  Let me ask you: Why do people who are certain of heaven get so frightened of dying?  Answer: Because evolution programmed them to fear death.

If their is not meaning to life then why do we seek to find meaning and put meaning on other things?

I don't quite understand your question.  I'd just say that it seems to me emotionally that there is meaning to life, because it's innate in my DNA and in my brain, even though I'm convinced logically that there is none, ultimately.  I'll just try to live a good and happy life until I die.

[dloubet]

I can't understand the desire to have a purpose that's not your own.

Why would one let their purpose be dictated by anyone else, let alone a god?

Don't subsist on divine table-scraps, grab your own purpose.

[elliebean]

Why would one let their purpose be dictated by anyone else, let alone a god?

There are lots of reasons for someone to choose that; having children, joining the military, BDSM, working for minimum wage (though, I guess that's not so much a choice, either, when you consider the alternatives available to those most likely to do that)... the thing is, if one believes in a god, other than a deistic one, one believes their purpose is predetermined by their god, thus leaving them with no choice in the matter. Many never even get to ponder whether one could choose to determine their own purpose (hence their assumptions about atheists being morally inferior, etc.), though they still do so in practice, in spite of their belief. The difference is merely a lack of acknowledgement of who's reponsible for that determination. Theists attribute to gods what they really, ultimately, have decided for themselves.

[hackenslash]

Purpose? I doubt there is any such thing in any real sense. What most have described here is function, which is not the same thing. I certainly don't think I have any purpose, so I behave in the way I choose to behave, and in a way that makes me feel good, and not in a way that makes me feel bad. Simple really. I suspect that the same is true of everyonr, regardless of what they do or do not believe.

[pilchardo]

The purpose of life is to grow and learn and experience and evolve. That's my paradigm.

[iSok]

The purpose of life is to grow and learn and experience and evolve. That's my paradigm.

Agreed.

[pilchardo]

The purpose of life is to grow and learn and experience and evolve. That's my paradigm.

Agreed.

You mean I used the word "paradigm" in the correct context? I must admit, I wasn't sure. I just like that word. See what I mean? You live and learn.

[iSok]

The purpose of life is to grow and learn and experience and evolve. That's my paradigm.

Agreed.

You mean I used the word "paradigm" in the correct context? I must admit, I wasn't sure. I just like that word. See what I mean? You live and learn.

I meant that I agree with your point of view.

We are here, brought in this world to grow in morals, to understand, to investigate, to experience the good and bad sides of life and to see what it does
with us and how we deal with it and how it shapes us.