Jamie_L

As best as I can tell, there is no "meaning of life". Not from a "big picture" type perspective.

However, that's never gotten in my way.

Jamie

Optimistic

I suppose a placebo belief is really open-minded in a parallel universe.

Jamie_L

Depressing? Perhaps. But being depressing doesn't make it false.

As I've said, for me, not having a reason doesn't impact my day-to-day life at all. I still have fun with my friends. I still enjoy life with my family. I still have to trudge to work to pay my bills. The good and the bad is all there regardless.

Jamie

Kent Stevens

With a standard physical system there are no purposes as such, there are only tendencies. We might have a tendency towards being an artist or a clerk. We might have a tendency towards replication or not. You need to look exactly at the individual concerned to see what their tendencies are.

However, we do have conscious goals and we need to look at them as well as our own personal tendencies in deciding what we are doing.

If we believe that we have a fixed purpose defined by external forces we are not completely free. We become like an artifact such as a car which can only be used for transportation. To have a fixed purpose such as to transport objects, would be very restricting. People are freer than this and can do a variety of different things.

Keith Russell

Greetings:

So we aren't each handed a card on our tenth birthday which read: "The meaning of your life shall be 'x'".

No reason to be depressed.

You're alive.

Now, go find and/or create your meaning.

Keith.

AtlanticCitySlave

Since I lean towards existentialism, particularly existential forms of psychotherapy, let me be serious for a second and attempt very briefly why cosmic meaning (as our good friend Yalom would say), or no overall meaning in life, is not a bad thing.
To have no meaning in life overall is actually the root of meaning, since in the meaninglessness we can find meaning. Meaning (pardon the pun), if we were programmed to do certain things, live a certain life, etc., many of us, if not all of us, may find this meaningful, but certainly not a life worth living. However, unlike the cow out in the field or the squirrel hunting for nutties (and getting in the way of my car so i almost kill the deer getting in the way of my car), we can sort of glance around, think "what the fuck is all of this?", maybe throw up in a Sartre way, see the tree, then not see the tree, then see the tree again (but not in the same way), and finally come to the realization, with most of the existentialists, it's all meaningless, absurd, etc. (of course, if you're a philosopher you can see problems with this, as Martin discusses in the Introduction to Atheism: A Philosophical Justifcation).
After realizing it's meaningless, it is only then you can create your own meaning and find meaning in the meaningless. Ironically, and perhaps paradoxically, the meaninglessness is what creates meaning for us.
Of course, maybe you're worried about dying and all of that, kissing someone you love and realizing someday it won't matter because we'll all be dead and eaten by worms, but, for something like that, I would just have to say to stop being a pussy (no offense to the ladies). While it's a bitch we have to die and all of that, you shouldn't, in my opinion, let death and the meaninglessness of life bully you around in life. Sure, you're going to have your existential moments of looking out the window, wondering if it all means anything, and all of that. But, let's face it, we're probably not going to figure it out (assuming there is anything to figure out), so it's best to realize the meaninglessness is there, let it rest in the back of your mind, and live your life.
I think you'll find no meaning in life can actually be beneficial. For example, a lot of people are afaid to do certain acts, like ask a woman out of just go up to a bunch of them. I think you'll realize that if you accept that life is ultimately meaningless, these things won't be hard to do anymore, because over time it will hit you harder and harder that this is it, this is life, and it's better not to wait to do the things you want until you can't do them.
That's my useless, non-coherent response.
(If it makes you feel any better, you're not alone. A lot of people in the world are depressed,often for many many years based on there being no ultimate meaning in life. You may not want to waste those years though.)

sweep

atlantic

nice post- I'll add that meaning is what you want most and what you want least- that is what pushes me around, and also what creates another level of meaning. That is to stop 'wanting' what | want the most and to stop 'not wanting' what I want the least

e.g.1 this computer means I can sit here and do this, which at the moment is what makes life worthy of living.

e.g.2 I am moving very fast, and the fact that I am not currently applying the brakes, means that I will hit that wall and die. this means that I will apply my brakes to stop what I want the least.

[ September 16, 2002: Message edited by: sweep ]</p>

Radorth

True, unless yo DO know, and you have personally experienced what Jesus is talking about. This is a rare ocurrence since few people are open enough to recieve it. When you have, you can come back and say "Been there, done that." Thus only the Christian who has experienced the power and gifts of the Spirit and them moved onto something higher,(if that were possible) can say Jesus did not know what he was talking about. It's either true or it isn't, and your not fully testing it means you are not really open minded. But I will grant you it is better to say "I don't know" than just be a fundy atheist.

Radorth

[ September 16, 2002: Message edited by: Radorth ]</p>

tdweomer

I love that movie. Here's some more that I think really drives home what makes Conan Conan, maybe its not even off-topic :

Crom! I've never prayed to you before, I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you will remember if we were good men or bad, why we fought, or why we died. No. What's important, is that two stood against many. That's what is important! Battle pleases you lord Crom, so I ask you to grant me one request, grant me REVENGE! And if you do not listen, then the hell with you!

Copernic

The meaning of life (he says authoritatively) is biological success.

I am successful if my children are successful, they are successful if their children are successful...and so on.

This presumes that children are in the equation, thus defining success.

A natural extension of this argument merely applies extended kin selection, that is, my child's success is equivalent to 4 of my nephews/nieces, 16 of my cousins' kids, etc.

This view, I imagine, is what theists lick their chops to take apart, pointing out the emptiness of an atheists worldview.

Regards,
J