Topic: The Purpose of Life - page 2. (Read 3744 times)

I think its slightly more complicated. The purpose is to facilitate copying more genes similar to your own relative to genes that are more dissimilar. This explains phenomenon like altruism, possibly the existence of homosexuality, care for animals, etc. The caring for animals (like pets) is kind of a hijack, since people can't know exactly how many genes they share with other animals, they use human-like behaviors as a heuristic.

If for all you know it was only you and your ant farm left alive on the earth though, you'd care the shit out of those ants.

I'd guess most people don't, but can you REALLY say you've lived if you've never seen the Two-Girls-One-Cup???

Hey also, the Joint -- have you ever watched that "China, IL" show on Adult Swim?  It so fucking reminds me of my days at the local university... (SIUE).  Man, I wish I had written that show back then rather than doing all those drugs.

The purpose of life is knowledge (or more specifically, the encoding of data into information by use of symbols):  The One Thing had to (quite schizophrenically) divide Itself because It had already observed All Else (forward through time, culminating in the Ultimate One which is by definition outside all space and time)... The Self was the final thing to observe (and thus create), but there is no reference point for observation when there is only one thing -- so It underwent the Pain of Division and became Many, backwards through time, so that the Joy of Dissolution could be experienced by All (which are really just parts of It), and create It again...

... Lather, rinse, repeat.

Recommended reading:  The Physics of Immortality, and (to a lesser extent) The Physics of Christianity, both by Frank J Tipler (professor of physics and mathematics at Tulane University).

The former title is some of the most WTF, yet believable sci-fi cosmology speculation I have ever read.  The latter title is even more WTF, but slightly less believable, but still extremely interesting.

The books mentioned are actually written in the language of math and physics, not the hokey new-agish crap I spewed at you in the opening paragraph.

I also want to give a "SHOUT OUTZ" to mah homey the Joint for starting this jagged thread... Represent the MidWaste, killah.  Smoke ta dat!  HELLANOIS WUT.  ok i should sleep.

The purpose of Life (in so far as an anthropomorphic personification of an abstract idea can be said to have a purpose) is simply to make more copies of itself. I didn't think there could be any disagreement on such a basic tenet of biological science.

You just eat at McD for the toy?

That's already #4 on the list

I like pleasure and hate pain as much as the next person. I just don't think pleasure is the purpose of life, I think it is something programmed into some lifeforms to encourage survival and reproduction. A means to an end.

We are probably answering different questions. For me, the real answer needs to also apply to trees, bacteria, etc. I think this kind of answer will also indicate what behavior will lead to the most pleasure and happiness.

They are some of them, if you think the purpose of life is to enjoy yourself. You saying you don't like  a good shit?

Eating and shitting aren't the purpose. That is like saying the purpose of driving is to burn gas and pump water vapor and carcinogens into the air.

I don't like the EAT-SHIT thing, honestly.

Eat shit. Sleep-mate. Playfight. Troll die (pretend you died to troll).

Fixed fixed!

Eat. Shit. Sleep. Mate. Fight. Play. Troll. Die.

Fixed!

Sure you can.

Eat. Shit. Sleep. Mate. Fight. Play. Die.

To serve God and Jesus in all his gory! 

Cool, but i think the purpose of life just can't be defined by few words.

Years ago I had a habit of asking people what they thought was the purpose of life.  I heard many different ideas over several years.  Most just so-so but some very interesting ones.  My favorite was, "life is an exercise in self-discipline".  I think that saying has a lot to be said for it.  If one has never had to be disciplined to achieve something than the achievements do not really matter so much.  The harder we work for something the more we feel rewarded when we accomplish what we set out to do.  The more I though about it the more I liked that response.  All in all, I think that is the best definition of life I have heard.

I just do what the super-conscious little voices in my head tell me to do..... 

Hmm, I've never read that. It mostly developed from my reading of "The Selfish Gene".

That is my interpretation of "will to power". A noteworthy aspect of this is, that it is not a prescription; whatever you do, you are doing this. I don't like the word "meme" though, it has a very weak definition hiding behind a bold analogy.