The meaning or point of existence or life

Originally posted by interupt42
reply to post by edmc^2

 

Don't take this the wrong way nor am I knocking your beliefs, but Please reread my posts. I'm looking solely for scientific factual observations and not religious beliefs.

I'm starting from the bottom up and not from the top down. That way I can speculate with the facts in front of me and I can see where it leads to, versus assuming I know the answer and then plugging in data to fit my assumptions.

edit on 1-2-2012 by interupt42 because: (no reason given)

Unfortunately science although an amazing tool for analyzing things - has its limits.

Take for instance E=mc2 > it explains beautifully the relationship between Energy and Matter but it doesn't explain the reason for their existence.

We are made of the stuff present in the stars and the earth but it doesn't explain why life came to be.

So dig as you may, top-down/bottom-up - you will never find a satisfactory answer because it all lies on this simple criterion/premise - the origin of life.

Where did life came from? Once you know the true answer to this question then the answer to the question - what is the point of life becomes more apparent.

Thus the two questions are joined together - like peas in a pod - like the song "love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage - you can't have one without the other".


just my 2cents

reply to post by interupt42


You must understand this:
Acknowledging a creator does not require religion.
Purpose does require a creator.

You're welcome to create purpose for life but if you're seeking the purpose in which life was created, only its creator can answer that.

reply to post by JoshF


Definition for survive:
1. To remain alive or in existence.
www.thefreedictionary.com...

2. Definition for purpose:
The object toward which one strives or for which something exists; an aim or a goal
www.thefreedictionary.com...

3. Definition for suicide:
The act or an instance of intentionally killing oneself.
www.thefreedictionary.com...

When a life form commits suicide they intentionally kill themselves. Hence they chose to no longer remain alive or in existence which is choosing to not survive. Regardless, I'm not interested in what you know to be true (by your reply it looks like you know this for certain) I'm more interested on how you got to that conclusion.

"The fact that all life forms are trying to survive." . However, I will give you this , Biologically it does appear that our body is constantly trying to stay alive, even if we try to commit suicide at a molecular level. Therefore, I will add self preservation as one of the common denominator for all life forms to my list. Thanks for the contribution although I wish you had expended it bit more on the reason but none the less a Star for you.


BTW does any one know how can I edit my original post so I can append to the list to make it easier to follow?
Thanks

reply to post by edmc^2


I'm not trying to answer anything, but rather just see what the variables are and where they take me too. Einstein, didn't just come up with e=mc^2 , prior to that discovery he knew the common variables energy,mass, and speed of light. Then he was able to put together a formula together to explain his theory of how they are related.

Obviously, I'm no Einstein and I don't think this will lead to any formula about life or its purpose. However, that doesn't stop me from trying as fun thought process to see where it leads to.

So please refrain from changing this thread to anything other than:
1. Stating the common scientific facts,observation or common denominators among all life as I defined it.

Also refrain from using any philosophical or religious beliefs. I don't really care about the answer nor do I expect for you or I to really know it or figure it out in this thread.

reply to post by novastrike81


Actually, it could be a community consciousness as many people seem to believe in nowadays. The issue remains the same, it is a question of self awareness and where it comes from and why it is.

I can't figuire out how to edit the main post to modify the list so I will post so far what I got.

Things that all living entities (at minimun with a working brain) share :
1. Personal Experiences: One thing that you ,I, and animals have in common is our OWN personal experiences.
2. Self preservation (thanks JoshF). At the molecular level the body tries to keep itself alive.


Scientific facts that may be revelent to life:
1. ENERGY: Energy can't be destroyed nor created. All life forms are/or have a form of energy. We humans and animals burn calories while other living organisms such as plants consume energy as well but they don't have brains


Assumptions:
1. Lack of Knowledge of prior existence: By design I assume that we are not made aware of what our existence is before birth or after death .So there is got to be a reason for this? Please no reincarnation arguments since we can't prove that and that could be a whole different thread by itself.


On the fence:
1. Self-awareness (thanks AQuestion ). I'm not 100% sure that we have scientific facts or study that indicates that all life forms (humans and animals) have this?
Is there any case that self-awareness doesn't exist when an entity has a brain and is alive?

As Einstein would say, It's Relative.

From my cats POV, the meaning of life is to eat, sleep, meow, bother us to take him outside, and looking out the window probably hoping to see a female cat randomly plop by (yea, we need to get a second cat lol).

From the tree's POV, the meaning of life is to inhale CO2 and exhale Oxygen

From the table's point of view, the meaning of life is to stay there.

From the pens point of view, the meaning of life is to write things.


From the Moon's POV, the meaning of life is to rotate around the Earth

From the Earth's POV, the meaning of life is to rotate around the Sun (planet formed from millions - billions of years of countless "rocks" orbiting the newly formed Sun... The "rocks" condensed over time to form various big rocks (planet's) and other medium (moon's) and small (asteroids) rocks... They all rotate around the Sun and if / when that stops they will die...)

From the Sun's point of view, the meaning of life is to be shiny and bright (to burn) for billions of years

From the Solar system point of view, the meaning of life is the Sun not blowing up


From the Galaxies point of view, well, it gets complicated ....

And of course, the meaning of life for humans AS A WHOLE is to

1- Reproduce for offpsring

2- Reproduce for fun, using our hamstring

3- Reproduce to relax

4- And, reproduce some more, after paying a tax

5- To eat

6- To piss

7- To sleep

8- and Fornicate in Bliss

9- Fornicate Some More

10 - Only sometimes, with a Whore

reply to post by Confusion42


LOL, BTW love the thread that you started about Satan creating the Universe.

But back on topic since we are not discussing religion.
I was just about to add MRS GREN (seven characteristics of life)? Star for you.

Movement; On the fence on this one what about someone fully paralysed?
Respiration; I'll add it , impossible to live without respiration.
Sensitivity; On the fence on this one, I think there are some disorders that effect this.
Growth; I'll add it . it happens even at the molecular level.
Reproduction; Not all can reproduce,
Excretion; On the fence on this one, I think there are some disorders that prevent some for being able to excrete.
Nutrition; I'll add it.


Looks like someone else had somewhat the same interest. Many here to go through.
answers.yahoo.com...

Re-thinking this list thing, The list could get rather large especially if we get into at the quantum level

Many more commonalities among all living things then I have ever thought about.

My scientific factual observation would be that the purpose of life is the procreate.

I think the meaning of life is to experience and to observe.

In order to know something, it must be experienced. In order for infinity to exist, every iota of existence must be an expression of infinity.

Originally posted by hudsonhawk69
My scientific factual observation would be that the purpose of life is the procreate.

Procreate, to make life

Have sex, with the wife

Reproducing, yes, it's the meaning of life.


But, details, we need

No, not about how to do the deed

Fast, than slow, than fast; It's all about the speed


Why do we exist?

Well, it all starts with a kiss.

Sometime's, it's a hit, other's, a miss


The goal, to have a kid

Thank God, for THE hole

The act, no one should forbid!

Originally posted by Sahabi
I think the meaning of life is to experience and to observe.

That was my initial observation that got me to start this thread.
1. One thing that you ,I, and animals have in common is our OWN personal experiences. Might be a reason for that?

Originally posted by Sahabi
In order to know something, it must be experienced. In order for infinity to exist, every iota of existence must be an expression of infinity.

I can dig it
Star for you.

Originally posted by hudsonhawk69
My scientific factual observation would be that the purpose of life is the procreate.

Although I would personally agree with you that is my purpose, it looks like we have Asexuals now.

Asexuality as a Human Sexual Orientation
serendip.brynmawr.edu...

"asexual" referred to the reproduction of simplistic organisms (amoebas, primitive worms, fungi, etc.) or in humans to a lack of sexual organs or an inability to feel/act sexually due to disability or other condition.

Star for you non the less for how you presented your fact.

Meaning of life ? Hmm there is no meaning to life beyond that which you the self aware individual decide to assign to it.

The point of existing is to procreate.

Funnily enough my "meaning of life" coincided with my "point of existing" for a significant portion of my life until now.

Now it is to spend however long I have enjoying the downhill roll towards oblivion.

I guess I would have to say that the reason that we exist is because we were created but I suspect that isn't the respone your looking for. Why were we created? I don't think your really asking that either? I believe that some things in this life are simply unquantifiable... Personally I believe that life is an overratted waste of time that should be cancelled due to lack of interest.

What answer could you possibly hope to find to the question that you are posing?

Originally posted by hudsonhawk69
I guess I would have to say that the reason that we exist is because we were created but I suspect that isn't the respone your looking for. Why were we created? I don't think your really asking that either? I believe that some things in this life are simply unquantifiable... Personally I believe that life is an overratted waste of time that should be cancelled due to lack of interest.

What answer could you possibly hope to find to the question that you are posing?

I don't think or expect that I will get an answer (the right one anyways). Just curious to find commonality among living things with a brain and then go from there and see where it takes me.

reply to post by interupt42


I guess that the most useful thing that I could say is that I believe that we are higher functioning sentient beings than the animals and that perhaps that the best we can hope for is to understand that life is simply exists so we can experience it.

because of life we can experience the things that we are and the things that we are not.

Both go hand in hand.

We live and learn.

So according to you guys the conscious lives on as energy and is not destroyed. If ones conscious was so durable then why is alzheimer's and lobotomies so effective. Shouldn't the mighty conscious be indestructible. Seems to me that we are just thinking meat that wants very badly to be much more than what it is.

Well if life had no meaning, we wouldn't be concerned. So that's ruled out.

We just happen to be in the perfect spot in the universe for scientific discovery. The universe seems to be finely tuned for life.

Conclude what you want, but I would say the bible might have more answers than ATS.

Originally posted by addygrace
Well if life had no meaning, we wouldn't be concerned. So that's ruled out.

That's not necessarily true. Our intelligence has nothing to do with the actual meaning of life, if any. Humans are smart creatures and are able to ask such things as a result. It doesn't mean there's automatically some grand purpose to life.

Meaning is in the eye of the describer and it is up to you to discover. It is relative to each intelligent individual. Discover this for yourself instead of surrendering your mind to a pipe dream, simply because someone told you it's right. I understand asking the questions, but I don't understand why so many people need a grand purpose of life in order to be happy. There very well could be no purpose at all and it wouldn't change a thing.