Does the possibility that life has no meaning, bother you?

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by wegs, Aug 13, 2019.

  1. just me Registered Senior Member

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    I don't believe in objective reality or purpose because:

    Experience is comprised entirely of perceived things,

    And so consequently an experience IS perceived things, because that is the only thing that an experience is comprised of.


    Because an experience IS perceived things, an experience is the way in which things exist however they’re perceived to.

    Therefore an experience is the way in which things exist.

    And therefore experience is existence.

    and so, if experience is existence, what one experiences is all that is real, to them, and so, it doesn't really matter what is written in the stars, what meaning is allocated to you by some external influence, the only purpose you have is the purpose you think you have because experience is existence, and so consequentially your experience is all that exists to you, nothing else.

    so, I suppose, if you want a purpose, something that matters, don't find it, make it up.

    personally, having a purpose isn't all that high on my priority list, but if it is high on yours, then give your own meaning to life, don't wait for one to be handed to you on a platter because it might not be.
     
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  3. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    OK, I can certainly agree there's no objective purpose, but no objective reality?

    I'd say reality traipses along quite happily independent of our subjectivity, and independently or our experiencing it.

    I mean, Krakatoa objectively blew up, whether or not anyone was around to experience it.

    Better yet, the Earth and Moon (and, regressing further, the Milky Way, etc.) objectively formed before there was any life around to experience it.
     
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  5. just me Registered Senior Member

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    I didn't say that HUMAN experience is all that exists, just experience, if no people were around to see that volcano blow up, then some other entity must ave been. same with all the other occurrences.
     
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  7. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    No entity was around to see the Earth, Moon or Milky Way galaxy form.
     
  8. wegs Matter and Pixie Dust Valued Senior Member

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    That moment when you realize that you’re the OP of a thread that you’d forgotten about.

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  9. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    I believe a solution can be found by casting your thoughts back about 1000 year or so and imagine you can ask a peasant in Europe, tilling the fields for his Lord.
    Life was extremely tough and considerably shorter than today. A huge number of women died while birthing. Infant mortality and infanticide was common. Wages meager, war endemic, no electricity no plumbing, no sewerage etc...seemingly no future, yet...
    How do you think they found purpose and meaning from such dire conditions and didn't just suicide to make it easier on themselves?
    What was their motivation to get up in the morning knowing that it may be their last?
    ( forget religion for the moment and focus on material and emotional needs)

    perhaps the purpose and meaning has naught to do with self, except in the context of those they loved...but more to do with legacy and the future for family and the community at large.

    "Service beyond self" can lead to purpose and meaning regardless of your own mortality for it is those loved ones that you leave behind that benefit or suffer your legacy.
    Collective evolution perhaps?

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    Ancient: Greece

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    Modern: New York
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2019
  10. just me Registered Senior Member

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    how do you know? it is likely that no animal was, but an entity doesn't have to be an animal, just a thing that exists and is aware.
    actually, in case you haven't noticed, I am an animist, so I think that everything is consciousness and consciousness is everything, and that the galaxies and things are actually comprised of their own consciousness.
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2019
  11. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    "Necromancy: in the eye of the beholder"

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  12. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    If you want to assert otherwise, that would be your case to make.

    You are welcome to believe what you want, but personal beliefs do not support an argument.
     
  13. just me Registered Senior Member

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    nope, but justification for them does, I didn't bother putting any here because I already gave some evidence for this claim up above.
    but here is some alternative evidence if you don't like the other stuff:

    the experience of experience= the existence of experience.
    (because the awareness of things is the way in which they exist in the manners that they are perceived to)

    so experience is a synonym for existence.

    also, can you tell me how to change my profile picture on this site?
     
  14. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    And it didn't hold water.

    These are simply unsupported personal assertions, and there's no logic for them.

    Stating them, no matter how many times, does not make them any more supported.

    "the experience of experience= the existence of experience."
    Why do you believe these are synonymous? What do these two terms mean to the discussion?


    "...because the awareness of things is the way in which they exist in the manners that they are perceived to..."
    Which does not address the matter of what existence they have when not perceived.

    None of this refutes the simple example that the Earth and Moon existed before anyone was around to perceive them or experience them.


    Yes. Go to your profile page and upload your own pic.
     
  15. just me Registered Senior Member

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    the experience of experience is the existence of experience because ,

    Experience is comprised entirely of perceived things,

    And so consequently an experience is perceived things, because that is the only thing that an experience is comprised of.

    Because an experience is perceived things, it is not different from the perceived things but it actually is the perceived things themselves, an experience is the existence of things in whichever manners they’re perceived to exist.

    and the perceived things are experiences, all of them, because an experience is comprised entirely of experiences.

    so, an experience is the existence of experiences, in whichever manners they exist.

    and an experience is the same as the experience of experience, because an experience is the way in which experiences exist, experiences exist as experiences so must be experienced in order to exist.

    an experience is the existence of experiences, and is also the experience of experiences.

    so, as a result, the experience of experiences=the existence of these experiences (in the eye of one who is aware of them.)

    and because the experience of experiences is the same as the existence of experiences existence is the same as experience.

    its difficult to explain, for me.
     
  16. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    "I experience so therefore I am" - je pense, donc je suis, Cogito ergo sum.
     
  17. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Granted - with the exception of imagination and processing (creating new thought*) - but granted for the sake of argument.

    *I have never perceived or experienced a glark, but I can imagine one.


    Again, granted, with the proviso above.

    OK, this is all saying pretty much the same thing.
    We are our experiences.

    However, it does not follow that our experience is all there is.
     
  18. geordief Valued Senior Member

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    The "meaning of life" could do with being defined (or at least given a workable definition).

    Why does it follow that one individual's experience of life applies to that of another or others?

    Can it be said that we create meaning at each stage of our life as we navigate it?

    And that this meaning only applies directly to that particular part of the journey (it may apply indirectly to subsequent episodes)

    As it is said that we make our own luck ,perhaps we make our own meaning as we go along.
     
  19. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I would say that's generally the consensus, certainly among non-theists. Theists may or may not hold the same view.
     
  20. RainbowSingularity Valued Senior Member

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    what is the human need for subjective absolutes of pre defined value to an intellectual paradigm ?

    perhaps an aspect of the god region of the brain that allows the adult to teach the child once the child gets older.

    that difference between humans and other animals that allows humans to form complex intellectual groups teaching and learning to create things greater than the individual.

    termites etc etc ... beavers etc etc... have physical construction, however that process of increasing the total sum value of ability
    cats teach their young to hunt
    chimps teach their young games and how to use tools etc...
    also social behaviours & hunting methods for different animals and different gathering methods for different foods.

    possibly some sea creatures teach different methods
    orca certainly do
    the wave making orca that co-ordinate to make precision waves to knock seals off floating ice so they can then wear them down and eventually drowned them without being bitten is fairly advanced.

    orca playing with a baby seal like a football...
    what is the meaning ?
    does it have meaning
    does it need to have a meaning that humans understand ?

    does the orca life have more meaning compared to the baby seal ?

    people seem to often try and sanitize the concept of a "meaning of life" to use as a social tool
     
  21. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    Let reduce that to "Explain the human need to find definitive answers where none exist".
     
  22. pluto2 Banned Valued Senior Member

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    Since God does not exist life really has no meaning other than what you make it to be.

    But if I had to guess the only meaning of life that I can see is to make money and become rich.

    Money is everything and I must admit that if I had 10,000,000 dollars right now in the bank, my life would definitely be much much better.
     
  23. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    No it wouldn't. You'd still be miserable.

    As you said, your life is what you make it to be. Who do you want to be?
     

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