cheetah

I couldn't agree more. I just get frustrated when fundies try to insinuate my life isn't as valuable or "deep" because we don't feel we have some cosmic connection to all other life forms and a creator. I just feel like people who are looking for an external purpose in life are weak because they should take the bulls by the horns and decide that for themselves!

Somewhat related, is when fundies talk about how things may SEEM like just coincidences, but they are all part of a "grand scheme" that we just can't see. I hate having my intelligence insulted, especially when people are just telling me that it's not something I have the capacity to understand.

Majestyk

Actually it's kinda arrogant to think that we have the capacity to understand everything. There may very well be a meaning to life that we cannot understand, relate, or communicate. That doesn't necessarily validate any particular fantasy that we have created to explain the things in life which we don't yet understand.

Life is its own meaning. Procreation its own end. But thats just my own personal fantasy.

cheetah

Yeah, to clarify, it is more frustrating to me when people use "not having the capacity to understand" as an excuse not to bother trying or as some kind of reaffirmation that their particular god-fantasy is true. It's just laziness, to me.

markstake

I would agree that it's possible someone/something else has a meaning for our lives that we can't understand, relate, or communicate. But it would be hard for me to care. In fact, if I thought I were being used in such a way, I may do my best to thwart their mission. Why? Because it's more fun.

Answerer

Yeah, I know you are an atheist. Anyway, are you sure that you are not afraid of a Mad God(if he existed) who might throw you or anyone else into hell whatever He like it?

sourdough

in one word
living!

Jamie_L

If a God such as this exists, we are all screwed, regardless of what we do, so there's no point in worrying about it. It's like this, see:

1. If God exists and is benevolent, you've got nothing to worry about.
2. If God exists and doesn't care, you've got nothing to worry about.
3. If God exists and he's malevolent, there's nothing you can do about it. Worrying is pointless.
4. If God doesn't exist, there's nothing to worry about.

So, don't worry. Be happy.

Jamie

AdamWho

Life doesn't have the property of meaning. Life does have the properties of existance or non-existance.

By stating a meaning life all you are doing is giving a subjective statement of what you value and hanging it on the word life.

Primal

Well that's why I said people and not atheists. Likewise I do not think you can speak for most atheists on this matter.


Well I'd say that was very questionable. I mean scientific research suggests that our personalities are determined by genes and enviroment, not by random decisions.

the_cave

I'm not sure what you mean by "largely randomistic reality". Reality is clearly governed by laws, though it does also appear to allow for some chance. But I can't judge whether you're correct about atheist fears of an orderly universe.

I will say, though, that I think Primal is right about most people--maybe atheists are different, I dunno (in my experience, they're not)--they dislike arbitrary decisions. They like being treated as though they mattered. Leaving "meaning" up to the ideosyncratic choice of an individual seems to suggest to some that they don't really matter somehow, perhaps. I think that may answer the original question of "why do people dislike existential theories of meaning?"

If a meaning is entirely up to the decision of an individual, then it dies with them. People want to feel that even though they might die, something else will continue. This is a perfectly natural feeling, imo. If you want to know my opinion about what the meanings of our lives could be, feel free to ask me--but since that wasn't the question, I'll refrain from doing so for now.