Meaning of life = ?

[JoshB]

We live for a purpose. Whether the universe is created by God or scientific phenomenon, whether Jesus is real or not, whether evolution is fact or not, we live for a purpose.

Think about this idea. There is nothing that we do by our own conscious that has no purpose. There is nothing that happens to us that has no purpose. No intent. No meaning.

The only way to stop purpose is to quit, and to cease all participation in life and existence, in the ultimate sense, quit. So what are we when we "quit"? We are non-existent.

From that we arrive at this statement: If we had no purpose, we would not exist.

Therefore, if we have purpose (a reason to exist), we exist. Think about it. Its true.

So heres my philosophy on the meaning of life: We cannot live without a purpose. Thus, the meaning of life has to be to have purpose. Something to continue existing for.

Now, I can see what points will bring arguments. But I want you lions to tear my philosophy to pieces until we come to an answer.

[Goat]

Even simple cells process or get some kind of information they need to respond about their environment.
Consciousness is a complex information processing system about complex environments.

Yes, there is a difference between reacting to the environment, and making a decision.

[Cathar1950]

Even simple cells process or get some kind of information they need to respond about their environment.
Consciousness is a complex information processing system about complex environments.

Yes, there is a difference between reacting to the environment, and making a decision.

Even reacting to the environment takes some kind of response and a decision is a response too.

It seems meaning is an abstract purpose when it comes to living things.

[Goat]

Even simple cells process or get some kind of information they need to respond about their environment.
Consciousness is a complex information processing system about complex environments.

Yes, there is a difference between reacting to the environment, and making a decision.

Even reacting to the environment takes some kind of response and a decision is a response too.

It seems meaning is an abstract purpose when it comes to living things.

No, it doesn't..

If you put your hand on a hot range, you respond without a conscious choice.

When a flower bends to the sun, it has nothing to do with concious choice, but rather responding to light.

[Cathar1950]

Even simple cells process or get some kind of information they need to respond about their environment.
Consciousness is a complex information processing system about complex environments.

Yes, there is a difference between reacting to the environment, and making a decision.

Even reacting to the environment takes some kind of response and a decision is a response too.

It seems meaning is an abstract purpose when it comes to living things.

No, it doesn't..

If you put your hand on a hot range, you respond without a conscious choice.

When a flower bends to the sun, it has nothing to do with concious choice, but rather responding to light.

I said a decision was a response, not that all responses were decisions.

[JoshB]

You could argue that natural reaction is some form of sub-conscious decision.....and I have this strange feeling we will enter semantics at one point...

Unless of course one of you geniuses enlighten me with fact and logic

[JoshB]

Ok. Update.

Purpose is a by-product of consciousness (as in something with a conscious creates a purpose for itself). Thus only things with a consciousness can have a purpose. There has been no opposition to this so far.

The opposition is stating that not all biological things have purpose. That is what we are arguing.

[tar2]

I'd have thought that consciousness and life we two pretty separate things.

AkiThePirate,

Seem to be the same thing to me, where do you find them different?

Regards, TAR

[tar2]

Purpose is a by-product of consciousness (as in something with a conscious creates a purpose for itself). Thus only things with a consciousness can have a purpose. There has been no opposition to this so far.

JoshB,

If our purpose is "to be", then other things that are, are also fulfilling the same purpose. That we do it consciously, in part, only differentiates us from a virus, in that regard. That a virus is able to reproduce its pattern, differentiates it from a pile of sugar, in that regard. And a sugar crystal's ability to establish and maintain its pattern, differentiates it from sugar in solution, in that regard.


When a tree flowers in the spring, it does it purposefully, although it does not think about it.

When we metabolize sugar, we do it purposefully, but do not think about it.

Regards, TAR

[LiamOS]

Seem to be the same thing to me, where do you find them different?

Good question.
I can't find a line between them, but I'm pretty sure that life doesn't necessitate consciousness.
Things like the Jellyfish couldn't be said to be conscious; it's basically a big cell.

[JoshB]

But the jellyfish only moves or eats or acts because the organism recognizes the need to. That awareness, however simple, is the thing that I say creates purpose to all of our actions.