purpose is a word humans made up…it seems to apply to human behavior
i dont think we know enough to say anything about the universe or life…how can we possibly rationally determine purpose of the universe…i think humans determine purpose all on their own without any help from a higher power…
turtle-----good points. What about a dog’s purpose? And if a dog, then a cat? And if a cat, then a fish? And if a fish, then an aomeba? …I’m not sure if I spelled that right. By aomeba, I mean a really small cellular organism…Do they have purposes?..Because, you know, they are always doing their own things and going about their business… just a thought…
If determinism is the case, wouldn’t ‘purpose’ be a kind of quale? (I am not saying that determinism means that only outside forces determine what we do, merely that everything is simply unfolding forward in time)
we may be on the same page…i will be direct…i dont think there is any purpose to the universe or life…we may make up purpose but it is a human construct…
It is easy to confuse purpose (teleology) with cause and effect. If I have a purpose here it is to continue living as long as I can because I’m not that fond of the alternative.
That’s kind of depressing. I guess that’s why people talk about a “higher” purpose.
anon why is that depressing to you…
Because if the main purpose in life is to continue living, then we’ll stop at nothing to attain that goal.
anon—interesting take on that…what do you believe
I believe it’s good to have a higher purpose than that.
anon—what is your higher purpose…
I don’t think it follows that a purpose of living as long as one can becomes any way one can. Of course there are higher purposes for living; but survival is the bottom line.
To delight in living.
That seems contradictory to me. There are many situations in which a person ought to choose death rather than life. I’m not usually interested in weird moral dilemmas, but what if you were being forced to murder your family, and the only way to save them was to kill yourself? I don’t think survival should be the bottom line, and I don’t think it is, for many people.
There are always exceptions to rules. If one does not survive, one cannot delight.
If one doesn’t exist, one doesn’t question one’s purpose. While living, one’s purpose is not best limited to oneself. If my main purpose in life is to prolong the existence of my self, there is very little chance for delight.
Where did I say survival is a main purpose for living? Its simple a sine qua non.
I thought “If I have a purpose here it is to continue living as long as I can because I’m not that fond of the alternative” seemed pretty clear. That living is a prerequisite to doing the kinds of things that living beings can do is a truism, not a purpose.
is there any purpose that is not a human construct…
I was told long ago , if you don’t learn something new everyday, you are not living.