Purpose and Meaning

Originally posted by whodey
Other than EV I don't think anyone here thinks their purpose is only to reproduce. Of course, I could be wrong.

The purpose is to leave a positive impact on the world.

And reproduce.

According to a A TV evangelist whom I sometimes watch for the comedy of his illogic, our purpose here and hereafter is to serve others and to serve god. Duh, what exactly will people in heaven need to service? With my glorified body, I wouldn't need your food or shelter. There's no sorrow in heaven, so I don't need your comfort. Maybe I'll be forced to clean up somebody's heavenly, cluttered mansion or dwelling. If there's deep meaning in that, I don't see it.
And as for God, what does he need, exactly? Praise 24/7 ?

Originally posted by scherzo
The purpose is to leave a positive impact on the world.

And reproduce.

What would you consider a positive impact verses a negative one? Also, have you fulfilled your evolutionary duty by reproducing yet?

Originally posted by whodey
What would you consider a positive impact verses a negative one? Also, have you fulfilled your evolutionary duty by reproducing yet?

One at a time.

1. I believe I have made a positive impact on the world. We all do. Whether one really has or not is for history to decide. I would consider a positive impact to be educating people on the truth or helping people who are repressed. A negative impact ... well, look at DSR if you want to see a negative impact.

2. No, I have not.

Originally posted by scherzo
[b]One at a time.

1. I believe I have made a positive impact on the world. We all do. Whether one really has or not is for history to decide. I would consider a positive impact to be educating people on the truth or helping people who are repressed. A negative impact ... well, look at DSR if you want to see a negative impact.

So are you saying that DSR has made a positive impact despite making a negative impact? I am a little confused about what you mean here. Also, don't we all make a negative impact in the world at one time or another just as DSR has? How does one then weigh the positive and negative and decide if our lives side heavier with a positive impact rather than the negative?

Originally posted by whodey
So are you saying that DSR has made a positive impact despite making a negative impact? I am a little confused about what you mean here. Also, don't we all make a negative impact in the world at one time or another just as DSR has? How does one then weigh the positive and negative and decide if our lives side heavier with a positive impact rather than the negative?

We all try to make a positive impact, but only a few succeed. DSR is one of the crash-and-burn failures.

Originally posted by scherzo
We all try to make a positive impact, but only a few succeed. DSR is one of the crash-and-burn failures.

Well, I guess you don't have to answer the question if you don't want to.

Originally posted by whodey
Well, I guess you don't have to answer the question if you don't want to.

Didn't I already?

Oh, no, I have not yet reproduced.

Originally posted by EcstremeVenom
we DO have an ultimate purpose, we are living organisms and just like all other living organisms, our purpose is to reproduce. any other purpose we "assign" ourselves is more of a secondary purpose; i know some people dont want kids but that was the intended purpose.

I admit this is rather subjective but, at least to me, I think you are stretching the meaning of the word “purpose” here a bit. Mindless evolution gave us a predisposition to reproduce. But, at least for me, for any “purpose” to be what I call a “meaningful purpose”, some sort of mind or intelligence would have to have DELIBRIATELY made it so with that purpose in mind -any other sort of “purpose” is, to me at least, “meaningless” and not really a “real“ purpose. Evolution obviously didn’t give use the predisposition to reproduce because it had “that purpose in mind” because evolution has no “mind”. So I think the only “meaningful purpose” we humans can have in our lives is some purpose we choose to have -such as me choosing to use my skills to help the less fortunate etc.

P.S. I don’t think there is any meaningful “ultimate purpose“ to human lives if “ultimate purpose“ is defined as any meaningful purpose other than whatever we ourselves consciously choose to have.

Originally posted by Nemesio
In a recent thread, I found this:

Originally posted by whodey
[b]Well that is the difference between believing there is a God and not believing there is a God. It is the difference between believing your life has purpose or believing that you are a result of random chance without purpose.

There are two parts of this statement that I think ent
on this?

2) Why is it important to people to have an 'ultimate purpose?'

Nemesio[/b]

How can there be an ultimate purpose if all purpose is up to the
each person to figure out what they want and it is only as good as long
as they want it? An ultimate purpose would require something beyond
the desires of the temporal, or all you have is the desires of the
moment nothing more ultimately.
Kelly

Originally posted by KellyJay
How can there be an ultimate purpose if all purpose is up to the
each person to figure out what they want and it is only as good as long
as they want it? An ultimate purpose would require something beyond
the desires of the temporal, or all you have is the desires of the
moment nothing more ultimately.
Kelly

I am actually in total agreement with you here (and that is not sarcasm) 🙂

Originally posted by Regicidal
...our purpose here and hereafter is...to serve god. Duh, what exactly will people in heaven need to service? With my glorified body...

😕

Originally posted by Andrew Hamilton
I admit this is rather subjective but, at least to me, I think you are stretching the meaning of the word “purpose” here a bit. Mindless evolution gave us a predisposition to reproduce. But, at least for me, for any “purpose” to be what I call a “meaningful purpose”, some sort of mind or intelligence would have to have DELIBRIATELY made it so with th ...[text shortened]... s defined as any meaningful purpose other than whatever we ourselves consciously choose to have.

actually, evolution does have a "mind" in a sense; that is the whole point of evolution. we evolve and change in order to survive long enough to reproduce.

Originally posted by whodey
Other than EV I don't think anyone here thinks their purpose is only to reproduce. Of course, I could be wrong.

it's really annoying to me how theists are so arrogant as to think they are any different or more special than anyone else. we are all animals, whether we are intelligent or not, just because we are smarter than other animals doesn't mean we have a special purpose or meaning. another arrogant thing i have noticed of theists is that each single one thinks their view on religion is absolutely the only right way, for example: "i don't go to church, i believe god knows i am doing right and thats all that matters, that is the way." or "you must go to church every sunday and serve god." etc. all theists seem to have a disposition from everybody else that they believe puts them above all the rest when in fact they are not special at all. here is another classic example of arrogance by theists: "oh the world is so evil right now, the end is coming soon." why is it that in EVERY generation, every theist seems to think their time is so special that the end is coming? i remember this in psychology but i can't remember the correct term, can somebody help me out? it is the phenomenon that occurs when a person looks at other people as "they" or "them", dispositioning themselves to make themselves feel righteous. it seems to occur so much among theists.

Originally posted by EcstremeVenom
it's really annoying to me how theists are so arrogant as to think they are any different or more special than anyone else. we are all animals, whether we are intelligent or not, just because we are smarter than other animals doesn't mean we have a special purpose or meaning. another arrogant thing i have noticed of theists is that each single one thin selves to make themselves feel righteous. it seems to occur so much among theists.

There is also a Biblical reference to this phenomenon. I recall a scripture that says that every man does as he pleases and does what is right in their own eyes. I don't think it is mutually exclusive to the theists, although it is nice to pin it on them. Come to think of it, are you not doing the same thing here?

As far as man's "superiority" over animals, can I ask you one thing? Do you eat other animals? Do you not think there is an element of truth to this ascertion? Also, if you had to decide to save a human being or an animal, would you not choose the human being?