telemachus

I live in Swindon, Wiltshire. I should be in Dartmouth from September, though.

Bluenose

Telemachus: This is the BEAUTIFUL REALIZATION post which is shortly followed by the reference (after thinker replies) to some particular books.

Bluenose

Sorry, yall... this post should have started with quotation marks or TELEMACHUS said (supra)....." Do you see that once we understand that there is an implicit order underlying all possible configurations of our universe it is utterly absurd to consider our lives to be without purpose? There is no need to posit a God or the nonsensical speculations about chance that accompany QM to make sense of this; it is fundamental.

I am so convinced that this understanding is as vital as it is bewildering that it has been overlooked, that i am prepared to be shot down in flames at this forum trying to get others to appreciate it. I'm willing to send you both the books i have dealing with it, if you're prepared to give them your consideration.

If it's all wrong then i want to know why, because i sure as hell can't see it.[/QB][/QUOTE] .................."
Bluenose:
THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE I SHOULD HAVE REPLIED WITH A QUESTION TO Telemachus to pls tell us the books mentioned above......
..............THANKS Telemachus for the insights and the following post.

[ August 18, 2001: Message edited by: Bluenose ]

telemachus

Bluenose:

I'm glad to see you're here now. Welcome.

The books i refered to are both by A. Arnold: "Winners", (London: Paladin, 1989) and "The Corrupted Sciences" (London: Paladin, 1992). I still can't find an error in the classification of combinatorial sums, but i'm not so sure of it (or anything) now; partly due to RAW and my other studies (see the Taoism/Buddhism thread), but also because of a barrage of synchronicities ("real" or imagined) having hit me recently.

I hope you'll stick around. I'm not as dumb as i make out.

Viewpoints

Bluenose perhaps cites Bohm's implicate order notion, but I fail to understand how the question of purpose is answered within the boundaries of all possible and permissible universe configurations? It'll help if he elaborates. About the need to posit a God, there are two positions among the world's major religions. A creator is posited, who exists apart from his creation or creation is assumed to exist as a manifestation of individual consciousness which itself is contained within a universal super consciousness. I personally, go with the latter. The appeal lies in the idea that so long as ignorance of a non-existent distinction remains, dualities and multi-polarities result, leading to cause and effect. Who are we, what are we doing and why are we here become quests that are pursued within relativities. On the other hand, the notion that with the elimination of ignorance, comes real knowledge obviates the questions since distinctions diffuse away. I am bringing this up as a thought construct, but it is also easy to find examples of individuals who have experience the underlying unity and have commented on it.

sailor74

I believe the pupose of life is simply being, in other words expressing, and being creative and to learn. See a blade of grass and it is expressing its truth to be.

to exist is to experience the physical life, maybe god or whatever wanted to experience the physical life so he created humans and put part of himself in each one of us, and it is experiencing life through all of us, including the animals. just a thought.


danny

Gravity

Nothing has meaning or purpose, only the observer can assign such qualities.

Fairfield Porter

I would likely answer that question along the lines of the Westminster Catechism: Man’s chief end is the glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Amos

Man as man has no purpose and if this was not true heaven would be redundant and therefore non existant. Heaven, I should add, is a state of mind which is other than what is known to us while in pursuit of happiness or destiny.

Man as human does have a purpose and this is to become fully man and thus without the prefix -hu added to his name. I should add that -hu is from -humi and means earthly which now means that man without the -hu added to his name is other-than-earthly and perhaps heavenly if you allow me to posite heaven opposite to earth.

The earthliness of man points to his fallen nature -- which must be his second nature if the -hu is added -- which now means that the redemption of man to his prior state of mind is the removal of his earthliness.

The earthliness of man is needed to inform his heavenly state of mind, which is incarnate and therefore eternal, about the changes in the surrounding environment for the purpose of adaptation in effort to compete and survive in a changing biological environment (natural selection is absurd speach because nature does not have a mind to select).

Since nature does not chose our destiny it is not randomness but intelligent design that is responsible for our destiny and therefore not order but chaos that leads to order in the end . . . "wherefore our hearts are restless until they rest in thee" (Augustine).

This makes man an eternal being and our humanity just a condition of being needed to make the necessary changes for the longevity of man who can therefore give an account of himself for up to 1000 years.

Amos

Eudaimonist

As a eudaimonist, it is my view that if there is some natural general meaning to life (a meaning that seems appropriate to human life; that "fits"), it is eudaimonia -- which includes such goods as personal happiness, health, prosperity, and fulfillment. There is truth to the idea that these goals must be chosen to have meaning. Let me put it this way -- we have a human need to find and select a meaning and purpose in life.

However, as individuals, we need to ask ourselves the question, "What will be the meaning of MY life?" We need to discover our personal destiny.

By personal destiny, I don't mean some pre-determined fate we can't avoid. I mean that we need to select our specific overall purpose in life, and act to achieve it. We need to make the best use of our lives -- some goal and activities that we find motivating, inspiring, and fulfilling.

There is no God or afterlife. Life is short; don't waste it.