Without God life has no purpose

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2Dbunk
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Without God life has no purpose

Post #1

Post by 2Dbunk »

Menotu wrote:

[Replying to post 1 by man, in 'Right or Wrong' forum]

Without God Life Has No Purpose

That's a horrible way of thinking to me. Why do we need to rely on something else to have purpose? Sounds like if you think this you're setting yourself up for failure. Unless you believe in this concept. Even still, I think deep down, you still are setting yourself up for failure as you can't compare to perfection, even when you can't provide what perfection is.

First (pardon me if it has been mentioned before), but doesn't this belong under 'Philosophy?'

So I answer this premise philosophically, and in a new thread under 'Philosophy,' if I may be permitted. Thjs is man's premise and he deserves credit for the original post).

WE LIVE -- that is an awesome plus, to say the least. It's the best show between Mercury and Pluto, par none -- AND BEYOND to as far as we can reconnoiter, and we can reconnoiter pretty far.

Let's see: we haven't found any angels sitting on clouds when we got that high with aeronautics; we went to the Moon but did not find heaven, but instead a crater pocked desert; need I go on? Maybe that hole ("no purpose") is really curiosity -- we can't seem to quench that desire to know! If there is a hole in non-theist's makeup, it has been put there by this mysterious 'God,' the Master of the Gaps.

So far, I've spoken for life's plethora of partying, and don't say that it isn't a party but some melancholy trek from cradle to grave, always worshipping that entity who died on the cross for us so that whoever believes of 'Him' will live in eternal melancholy. BUT THERE'S MORE (and theists talk of 'no purpose' other than living for "God!"):

EXISTENCE ITSELF -- The Cosmos exist, like no pot-pourri that has ever existed -- NAY, think of an infinite kaleidoscope accompanied by the grandest orchestra one can imagine, and that might get you one-tenth of what I'm trying to describe (keep in mind that one-tenth of infinity is equal to infinity). Now, an individual's 'hole' that you talk of on this scale is infinitesimal -- compare that to the meaning of the Cosmos and what do you have?

I'm all ears.

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Re: Without God life has no purpose

Post #2

Post by Diagoras »

[Replying to post 1 by 2Dbunk]
Why do we need to rely on something else to have purpose?
One can decide one’s own purpose without needing to chase ‘perfection’.

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Life has no purpose?

Post #3

Post by elphidium55 »

I suggest the assertion that "Without God life has no purpose" is easily adjudicated. Simply poll atheists as to what they believe the purpose of life is. I say poll, because there is no single, obligatory atheist stance regarding this point. Some atheists are, in fact, nihilists. But I would wager good money that most atheists believe life has purpose.

For myself, I think Aristotle's answer is about right. The purpose of life is human flourishing achieved through reason and the acquisition of virtue.

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Re: Life has no purpose?

Post #4

Post by Aetixintro »

[Replying to post 3 by elphidium55]

Again, doesn't that make you an Atheistic Humanist and not an "Atheist"?

2nd, really? Does that stance grant you the strength to carry you through the entire life?

3rd, no hidden assumptions here, no? If I showed up with all 5 lie detector methods and quantum tested (OR gate testing) your person for it, you would still be the Humanist? :D

Alright, alright, I take your word for it. :study: :D 8-)
I'm cool! :) - Stronger Religion every day! Also by "mathematical Religion", the eternal forms, God closing the door on corrupt humanity, possibly!

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category error

Post #5

Post by elphidium55 »

... doesn't that make you an Atheistic Humanist and not an "Atheist"?
This is a straightforward category error. It's like asking "doesn't this make you a left-handed stamp collector and not a left-hander". Just as there is no necessary connection between being left-handed and being a stamp collector, there is no necessary connection between being an atheist and being a humanist. Humanism, strictly speaking, entails atheism but atheism does not entail humanism. There are atheists who are nihilists, for example.

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Re: Life has no purpose?

Post #6

Post by Miles »

[Replying to post 3 by elphidium55]

I'm a hard determinist atheist, and of course see no need of a god for purpose or anything else.

After telling this to a friend she asked me "Then why bother to go on living?" I replied, "I'm in it for the ride." Its many delightful experiences and the adventure of the unknown future, plus my ability to shape it a bit as I go along. So I guess this would be my personal purpose in life, to enjoy the ride as long as I can.

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Re: Without God life has no purpose

Post #7

Post by elphidium55 »

I'm an atheist who is not a hard determinist; yet I also see no need of a god for purpose or anything else.

Theists will tell you the ultimate reason they "go on living" is God. That's fair enough. But theists that tell you that God is the only reason they "go on living" are lying. Theists are motivated to go on the living by many of the same things that motivate non-theists: friends, family, work, nature, a sense of vocation, curiosity, duty and much more. No one group has a monopoly on the "love of life."

l'chayim

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Re: Without God life has no purpose

Post #8

Post by Miles »

.

I am an atheist and a hard determinist, yet I also see no need of a god for purpose or anything else.

If theists believe life has purpose because it's somehow intertwined with the god they believe in, fine. In fact, they can cook up whatever connection to their god they want. I simply don't see any more validity to it than I do the existence of their god. IMO both are products of a psychological need, which doesn't necessarily make them wrong, just untrue. At least an unsubstantiated "true".

So, in as much as the OP implies a purpose to life is of paramount concern, I have to wonder why this concern even arises. Just what is it about a purpose in life that's sooo important that it's brought into question?

Personally, I fail to see any purpose to life at all, yet live a very content life filled with a bushels of smiles. Of course, I haven't developed any need for a god figure either. Particularly one who is said to love me while casting me into the fires of an eternal Hell. I know. I know. Just call me one of the fortunate few. ;)
.

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Re: Without God life has no purpose

Post #9

Post by elijahpne »

Finding the true meaning to one's existence - it's purpose - is essential to negotiate our way successfully through the everyday perils of life. Albert Einstein once said: “The man who regards his life ... as meaningless is not merely unfortunate but almost disqualified for life.”

Confucian scholar Tu Wei-Ming said: “The ultimate meaning of life is found in our ordinary, human existence.” According to this view, humans would continue to be born, struggle for existence, and die. In line with this, some people are preoccupied with caring for their family, earning a living, traveling, or other personal interests because they know of no other meaning to life. Others seek to put meaning in their lives through more noble endeavours such as pursuing various fields of humanities, scientific research, or humanistic efforts, e.g., curbing human suffering.

But do these endeavours really answer the questions man has asked through all centuries of human life? Those questions will be familiar to all of us. Many thinking people ask them. After noting man’s scientific and technical advances, an editor of The Wall Street Journal Vermont Royster wrote: “In the contemplation of man himself, of his dilemmas, of his place in this universe, we are little further along than when time began. We are still left with questions of who we are and why we are and where we are going.”

A respected publication then notes:
"Some people shy away from those questions, thinking that the answers are beyond us. Others say that such questions are pointless because life is a product of mindless evolution. “There are no gods, no purposes,” claimed professor of history and biology William Provine. He added [in true nihilistic fashion]: “There is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning in life.”

Some people, however, consider that fatalistic outlook unacceptable. They see a universe that is governed by precise, elegant, mathematical laws. They marvel at the impressive designs in nature, some of which humans try to mimic in man-made products. And everyday experience tells them that complex, highly functional designs point to intelligence, not undirected forces." - https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102 ... &p=par#h=4
Anyone can give his/her life a purpose - whatever that is. But if there is a God - and I believe there is - He would have given mankind an overriding purpose in life. This overriding purpose basically answers those three great questions noted above.

The man who seeks and finds the answers to those questions have found life's true purpose and is truly happy. "Seek and you shall find."- Matthew 7:7 KJV

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Re: Without God life has no purpose

Post #10

Post by Tcg »

[Replying to elijahpne in post #9]

Belief in god/gods may indeed provide purpose for some. The function this belief provides is not reliant on the actual existence of god/gods. It is the belief itself that provides this function for some.


Tcg
To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

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