The Meaning Of Life An philosophy discussion

[hast-webben 0]

I don't think that new tech coming out has much to do with a search for the meaning of life, frankly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi,

 

I don't agree with that, as all science has their roots in searching for the meaning of life and death. For me it's all about fighting the pain and suffering, as we as humanbeeing never had accept that the life has to be just pain and suffering. I'm not accepting it too, even that the most of my life has been one big fight, and therefor also this discussion about meaning of life, as I belive that some meaning has there to be, but where??? :-)

 

Cheers

Jens

[heshu 0]

Meaning of life?Why do we always have to put a meaning to life? Unless this meaning makes our lives more fulfilled and better after we've "answered" it, then I don't see too much significance in going out of your way to search for it. Well, as said before, perception will determine what is our own meaning of life. So this is my opinion. We are born into this world not because we choose to. Since we've come thus far into life why not just put more of our energy into making it better and brighter and same for those around us

[kraizii88z 0]

Why think about it? What's the point? Does it affect me, no. Why waist time thinking about stuff that dosen't matter.

[tattoopunk 0]

Because, wonder and a search for meaning is part of many peoples lives, and thus is part of their own meaning of life.

[Qop 0]

Opposites might well be man's great illusion, if you come to think of it. Seeing all these examples being cracked by one another, I racked my mind for something completely opposite. But it's not do-able.

 

For example, I say that Death is the opposite of life. Someone could then say: 'Attach strings to the hands and legs of someone who just died, like a puppet. Then start walking him and some passers-by, though they might find him walking strange, would see him as alive.'

 

This shows the majour problem about definitions: they are easy to use in all-day languages, 'cause we need to communicate. But if we start to have philosofical discussions such like this one, our languages are just too 'shallow', meaning that the definitions are based on perception.

 

We define things as we see them. Take the example: people see a dead body walking around (the strings are invisible, did I mention that ) and they classify him as 'alive'. After all, dead people don't get up and around much, do they now?

 

But there is a problem with perception: it isn't 100% reliable. Ghosts, for example. Imagine yourself in a deep, dark dungeon. Gusts of wind, darkness, dripping water, strange noises; to the human mind this is a paradise of imagination. Some people claim to have seen ghosts, and although the experience might have seem very real, it's highly unlikely it was a real ghost.

 

Back to opposites. As you see opposites are highly undefinable because of a huge area of darkness between one and the other. That's why it's such a good topic of discussion

[avalon1405241471 0]

The Meaning of Life has vast and infinity depth.My life start on the day I started to grow in my mother's womb.Till today, life is still a great mystery to me.

[dissipate 0]

i think searching for a meaning to life is very common among people as they want to know if there is a purpose for life, a purpose for their lives. why was i born? what happened before i was born? am i supposed to do anything while i'm alive? what is the purpose of my life? why do i have to die? what happens after i die?for me it'd be terrible and depressing if life was just part of nature - you get born, you grow, you reproduce, you die. animals accept that.. or rather they probably lack the intellectual capacity to question it.has anyone read rick warren's "purpose driven life"?

[tattoopunk 0]

I don't believe that animals lack the intellect to grasp the concept. If you notice you rairly stumble across an animal that died a natural death. The understand that they are dying and seek a secluded safe place to spend there last few weeks befor dying. Because of this simple fact, I think that animals are more intelligent than humans when it comes to understanding life and death.

[avalon1405241471 0]

I can't sure who or what is more intelligent.I only know that there is always somebody or thing will be better than me no matter what I do to make myself to be better.It is an everlasting pursuit, the moment you stop, you will just be as good as not being alive.I choose to stay alive.

[hashbang 0]

I don't believe that animals lack the intellect to grasp the concept.  If you notice you rairly stumble across an animal that died a natural death.  The understand that they are dying and seek a secluded safe place to spend there last few weeks befor dying.  Because of this simple fact, I think that animals are more intelligent than humans when it comes to understanding life and death.

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tattoopunk,

I can't say I agree with you. I think you are anthromorphising. Perhaps you just don't see the hundreds of dead animals in parks. Each day when I walk the dog I see at least one dead bird. Some may have died at the paws of a feline, but many I suspect have died from disease and old age.

 

I would hypothesize thaht only a very few animals actually seek solitude during death. Perhaps instead of lying dead on the ground in plain sight, they are consummed by an opportunisitic predator/scavanger quickly.

 

cheers

hashbang

[agentmax 0]

I could take it scientifically. There's order and entropy. Entropy is the force which balances everything out. Life is the force which creates order. A great example: putting ice-cubes into a beverage on a warm, humid day. Then the purpose of life is to fight entropy (everything is meaningless, just don't commit suicide.) But to maintain relevance to previous posters...I've had 2 cats, and before each of thier deaths for a week or so they would hide in a closet with their head in a shoe. Both cute and depressing. I believe they do it because when they are born, they cannot see. They are wrapped in their mother's warmth, and recive food. So before they leave this world they do what was their happiest memory. Being in a dark place, shrouded in warmth (a shoe would be further insulative and darker) leaving this exstance to a soft purr, as entered.We debate a purpose now, so that when our time comes we to may leave doing what was belived to be the most fulfilling thing possible in life. However, there was never written such a thing. For everyone searching for your greatest fulfilment, you can only ask yourself. For me? It's laying in bed in a dark room, computer playing soft music and visualizations, listening to my lover breathe. Or jumping off a 2 mile-high plane, screaming all the down. Existance is beautiful in so many ways, the purpose is purly for our own entertainment. I am trying to go beyond words here. I know the meaning of life. It's the feeling when you drop off the world's highest coaster, out of a plane, or ecountering something totally ironic. When you feel it, you will scream it out, because you want it and more, and for it to last forever. Expiriencing this feeling is the meaning [edit: I've put to my] life.

[MajesticTreeFrog 0]

tattoopunk,

I can't say I agree with you. I think you are anthromorphising. Perhaps you just don't see the hundreds of dead animals in parks. Each day when I walk the dog I see at least one dead bird. Some may have died at the paws of a feline, but many I suspect have died from disease and old age.

 

I would hypothesize thaht only a very few animals actually seek solitude during death. Perhaps instead of lying dead on the ground in plain sight, they are consummed by an opportunisitic predator/scavanger quickly.

 

cheers

hashbang

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Or it could be a defense mechanism: When hurt, seek shelter so that you aren't easy prey for predators. An animal may be sick and think its dying, but may not be(there are plenty of non-fatal temporary diseases out there). It only makes sense as a universal reaction to being wounded/sick etc. to minimize the chance of death or further injury.

[agentmax 0]

I agree, it is a possibility that I've read to much into their behavior and that its actually just instinctive for animals. What other case, then, can we compare to our own search, if not animals?

[MajesticTreeFrog 0]

It's the feeling when you drop off the world's highest coaster, out of a plane, or ecountering something totally ironic. When you feel it, you will scream it out, because you want it and more, and for it to last forever. Expiriencing this feeling is the meaning of life.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That, my friend, is actually adrenaline. Easy mistake to make, so its cool. Happens all the time.

 

 

What other case, then, can we compare to our own search, if not animals?

Well, other people. Nothing says the 'meaning of life' for a cat has anything to do with the 'meaning of life' for a human. Heck, nothing says that the meaning of life for one person has to be the same for another. However, humans are rather similar to one another, so they seem a much better point of comparison than some random animal species. Maybe monkeys?

 

On the other hand, it sounds like what people are looking for is some transcendant meaning, some secret thing behind everything else, just waiting hoping needing to be found in order to put all things into some cosmically perfect and clear order.

 

Sadly, such things are not to be found by looking for them, but by seeing them without needing to look. These are the things people normally term religious experiences (when they don't confuse that with adrenaline as well. Damn adrenaline, pesky little bugger). A mistake people often make with religious experiences is that they try to force them into their preexisting view of the world. Christians meet god, Muslims Allah, Zorostrians meet Zoroaster, etc etc. Feeling that this experience vindicates how they have believed all these years, and therefore throwing away all the benefits of this experience other than thier certainty (which is therefore immediately misplaced).

[firedoor 0]

what happens if the human race really was just a huge mistake, well not mistake but an accident and therefore we have no meaning and guidance. Kinda d epressing thought, but i thoguht i'd just add it anyway.