Purpose of Life

Perhaps just think of purpose in a simple and personal application context.
As in my purpose is to be kind and peaceful or my purpose is to be a great singer...treat the word as a stand in for "goal" or even "plan for my life".
At a scientific level there is no purpose because there is no paper or model to make a comment...all we can ask is does science hint at a purpose and well if it did or did not would be addressed in a hypothisis then a model built observations trials predictions and tested etc.
Alex
 
sideshowbob said:
That doesn't seem to be what the OP intended.
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No, because the OP apparently wishes to assign intelligent and motivated intention to the phenomenon of Life and living systems, ignoring the possibility of a pseudo-intelligent mathematical condition which operates on the principle of probability.

Do watch this excellent presentation; Chance, Necessity, and the Origins of Life,...Robert Hazen, ...Carnegie Institute for Science.
Start the clip @ 25:15 (to avoid a lengthy introduction)
 
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The purpose of life is for each person to experience period(s) of material life and non-living , community , individuality , thought , understanding and growth , communication , enjoyment , horror , fear , to inform the soul .
 
river said:
The purpose of life is for each person to experience period(s) of material life and non-living, community, individuality, thought, understanding and growth, communication, enjoyment, horror, fear, to inform the soul .
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To say that part of the purpose of life is to experience non-life (death) seems a stretch to me.
IMO, the purpose of life is avoid death (not living) by all possible means. It is fundamental to the evolutionary and natural selection processes.

Moreover, you seem to completely overlook all other life (both simple and complex) except human life. Do simpler forms of life possess a soul? How about more complex forms other than humans?
 
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sideshowbob said:
That doesn't seem to be what the OP intended.
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Granted, I was simply poking a hole in the suggestion that purpose is involved with consciousness of the life in-question.

In context of the OP's contributions, I would say that the type of purpose that comes from an individual's consciousness is also not what he intended.
 
Write4U said:
To say that part of the purpose of life is to experience non-life (death) seems a stretch to me.
IMO, the purpose of life is avoid death (not living) by all possible means. It is fundamental to the evolutionary and natural selection processes.

Moreover, you seem to completely overlook all other life (both simple and complex) except human life. Do simpler forms of life possess a soul? How about more complex forms other than humans?
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To experience non-life ? Eh...where did I say this ?

All life has any energy and all life mutates to live , do they have a soul maybe .

Do you remember or do recall the movie about two male Lions . That hunted Humans while a railroad was being built , in Africa that had Michael Douglas in it as one of the hunters of these two Lions . True story . Ghost and the Darkness

Never forgot this movie . For me evidence of animal intelligence , evolved and soul .
 
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river said:
To experience non-life ? Eh...where did I say this ?
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Here.
river said:
The purpose of life is for each person to experience period(s) of material life and non-living
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All life has any energy and all life mutates to live , do they have a soul maybe .

Do you remember or do recall the movie about two male Lions . That hunted Humans while a railroad was being built , in Africa that had Michael Douglas in it as one of the hunters of these two Lions . True story . Ghost and the Darkness

Never forgot this movie . For me evidence of animal intelligence , evolved and soul .
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I have seen the movie several times, but other than superb hunting skills I saw no exraordinary abstract thinking abilities.

You want to see a truly intelligent animal, check out the octopus. It does not need an opposing thumb, it has 8 tentacles each separately controlled by an autonomous brain and capable of extremely fine motor control, in addition to a central brain. It is the closest thing to an intelligent alien other world creature on earth.
and
 
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naturallygorg said:
The purpose of life is simply to live and set goals by working hard in achieving them.
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There is no abstract purpose to life ie from virus upwards to us "life" does not hvha purpose

If you wish to set goals etc to give your slice of life meaning and purpose OK

:)
 
spidergoat said:
Nope, life has no purpose. Everyone misunderstands the question, apparently.
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I agree there is no purpose of life anymore than there is a purpose for minerals. People seem to be answering the question, "what is the meaning of life". The meaning of life is whatever you personally assign to it.
 
Chemical reactions finding their states of equilibrium. A by-product of which is something we call life? So, if that makes sense, just chill, there's no purpose (I think).
 
sweetpea said:
Chemical reactions finding their states of equilibrium. A by-product of which is something we call life? So, if that makes sense, just chill, there's no purpose (I think).
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Perhaps not, but then what is the philosophical universal imperative of "movement in the direction of greatest satisfaction" all about? There is your tendency to find a pattern of "equilibrium".

This does not require sentience, yet seems to be a inherent need of all things.
OTOH, in humans it is the foundation for "greed" or disturbing equilibrium
 
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Life in the Universe exists . Not as concept .

But as a real living breathing being .

Non-living in and of it self does not evolve into more than what it will ever be , a thing .

Which never is aware , thinks , has a brain , body , nervous system , etc .
 
river said:
Life in the Universe exists . Not as concept .

But as a real living breathing being .

Non-living in and of it self does not evolve into more than what it will ever be , a thing .

Which never is aware , thinks , has a brain , body , nervous system , etc .
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Yes, non-living things can and do form living things. Robert Hazen explains how and why in this lecture at Carnegie Institute for Science. Start this excellent presentation @ 25:10
 
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