What is the meaning of human life?

When you see this image, what does it provoke in you concerning mental thought?

Who is right? Evolutionary biologists or philosophers?

Is there a right or wrong answer here?

:clown_face:

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Yes, there is…

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What is the meaning of life? and, What is the meaning of human life? are obviously two very different questions, with two very different answers. Just in case anyone was interested.

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I say, why not have both? :flexed_biceps:

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@Rocken44

Well, they do say moderation and balance is best in life.

:clown_face:

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It’s a false dichotomy that misrepresents philosophy, and the other one isn’t “meaning”… just… passing pleasure. Otherwise we’d be satisfied by it, rather than… all this philosophy.

Grandma has left the chat.

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@Ichthus77

But without human sexual reproduction human beings would cease to exist where it does seem to be the main primary drive of survival. Without it there would be no philosophy or meaning at all.

:clown_face:

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The meaning of life is that it is the source of meaning.

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You could say the same thing about everything we require for survival.

Meaning behind/after survival is what the question is about … so survival is not the answer.

Another way to put the question is “Why is mere survival not enough?”

I think a clue to the answer includes the fact that sexual reproduction is not a merely mechanistic activity.

I say *clue” because…

Grandma is in the group chat in spirit

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Survival can’t be the purpose, because it misses the question “what is it that survives.”

It can’t be survival that survives. That is nonsensical.

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@Ichthus77

Instinctual activity concerning the necessary drive and preservation of life.

Classic chicken and egg argument, although this one is pretty basic.

:clown_face:

Of course there is. Both are part of life, so both are aspects of life.
But your question is slanted.
What is the meaning of human life?
Why human?
Is human life somehow exceptional? Why so? How so? Are we not part of the same life? Are we not life like any other?

If yes: Then please elaborate, because i dont see how that would be the case.
If no: Then just remove “human” from the question altogether and the picture becomes much clearer → What is the meaning of life?

And the answer to that is what life is and stands for.
What is life?
Life is the most desperate manifestation of clinging to existence.
Life has only one meaning and purpose, and that is to find the form that allows it to most efficiently and securely keep on existing.

It eats itself, it tortures itself, it competes with itself, in complete disregard to loss of life and suffering. It sets up a grand game of natural selection where only the strongest may survive.
A literal hell that ensures that whatever survives CAN survive and go on being.

That.
Is your basis.
That is the purpose of the vessel you inherit and inhabit.
Every cell inside your body exists for this purpose.

Now.
With that being said.
You are also simultaneously a glitch in the system.
An abstract thinker. One that fortunately or unfortunately, but developed a rather inefficient self-awareness.

While all life on planet earth has no concept or need to be self-aware because their internal language and information processing handles the “self” as a self-evident fact, i.e.: When its hungry it knows that it is hungry instead of adding an extra step of “i am” to the process, since pretty self–evidently there is nobody else to be hungry except for them…

Humanity was “blessed” with the extra retardation of separating everything into separate categories from function to purpose to self to reasoning.
While this tears us out of the unaware bliss of… to put it simply “being one with nature”… it has of course it’s game breaking benefits.
It gave humanity the ability to analyze and understand the way everything works around it, and with its unparalleled tool usage skill, it essentially broke free of the game of life, separating itself from the grand play of natural selection.

And there in lies your answer as well.
What is the meaning of human life?
Well.
Your brain unfortunately separated your self from the internal language and instinct of your vessel so… You have free will to a certain extent. And that is your answer.
The meaning of your life is anything you choose it to be.
It can be anything at all that holds enough importance to you.
For some its a bond, for some its a craft, for some its an act, for some its philosophy, for others upholding a value… anything. That is why both sides of your picture are a correct answer. You can look at it any way you please, they describe the same thing and aspects of the same thing: Life.

The question “what is the meaning of life” is not a question. Its a statement.
It states “I have nothing in my life that would be important enough to me to consider it the reason of my existence”.
If so. You should try to find it.

Oh and i guess as per the picture, i guess i fall into the philosopher category with my wall of text.
But if you want a simple one sentence answer to your question then its simply: life
Life is the meaning of life, for there is nothing else here. Just us and our fellow kin of living beings.

@Nausamedu

I think it is a balance between both philosophy and biology. But yes, as you so eloquently put it, the meaning of life is simply just life. Of course natural biology does proceed before philosophy.

A nihilist might say only the biology matters in the reproduction or procreation of furthering your own genetic line in a typical Social Darwinian zero sum manner stating the existential will to power and dominance over female sexuality is the only things that matter where philosophy at best is a useless entertaining distraction in between. Of course even in that existential nihilism they would be entirely wrong.

:clown_face:

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Indeed. All that life produces is by definition part of life. No exception.
Whether its the biology, the philosophy, the nihilist, the social darwinist, the good, the bad and also the ugly… all are aspects of life and as such: (even if partial and half truths) answers to the question itself.

Of course this is a logical fallacy because its circular reasoning.
Life being the meaning of life… is not really a logical answer.
Yet this is what we are stuck with. There is no other realistic answer unless we escape into fantasy, to the lands of gods and supernatural beings.

In a purely materialistic and realistic sense, as we are right here and now, the meaning of life is simply life itself. For there is nothing else that we know of as a purpose or function. Its what gave us birth and existence. It is why we are here and why we keep on being instead of not being.

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Honestly though, what a great picture.

The pearl necklace ties it all together.

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