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Re: Life, the Universe and Everything (addition)
Posted By: Stephen, on host 68.7.169.109
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2003, at 20:46:50
In Reply To: Re: Life, the Universe and Everything (addition) posted by Melanie on Tuesday, April 15, 2003, at 20:30:43:

> Why do you need God to give your life a purpose? Why can't it be valuable because it is valuable to you? Or to the universe? Or to chaos. Or, I don't know, atoms? Why can't the meaning of life be based on its creation by the big bang? Why is God so different from these things?

You are shifting between the word "purpose" and the word "valuable" as if they were the same, but you are using them differently. You clarify below:

> I don't understand why you think the only way to have a purpose in life is if someone says, "This is your purpose. I decided. You figure out what I decided for you.". Perhaps my definition of purpose is different. You say that only a supreme being could give the universe a meaning, and make it work. But you also say life is random. So why can't the purpose of life be random? Or randomness? Or maybe to ultimately not exist. I don't know. I want to find out.

What do you mean by "purpose" then? You seem to be both asking for an objective "meaning of life" kind of thing while at the same time saying that subjective definitions are okay.

The problem, as Brunnen-G has pointed out, is that offering an objective purpose of life is not possible without presupposing that the universe itself was created for some purpose. Those of us who believe the universe exists simply because it does (and by extension humans), do not believe there is *any* purpose. To me, the only way the life could have a purpose is if *anything* had a purpose, and that assumes that it was *made for a purpose*.

Let me use an analogy. If I am an Olympic swimmer my purpose in the race is to win. It is my purpose in this race because it is the nature of that system (the race) that its contestants' purposes are to try and win. The thing is, this race is not a naturally ocurring phenomenon; it was created specifically by conscious people who are capable of giving it meaning.

Now, if I happen a lake I can swim if I want, but my swimming can not be said to have any objective purpose. I may choose to swim and thus my purpose is to bring me pleasure. The lake simply is; any purpose I have in it is subjective, relative solely to myself.

Is this clear? I fear it is not. But the point is, if you want life to have some objective purpose, then the universe must have a purpose which implies it was created by some conscious being. Presupposing the existence of a Creator (be it a god or a spiritual force or whatever) is religion.

Now, this does not mean that we cannot choose for our own lives to have meaning relative to us. If I decide my purpose in life is to eat a cupcake in every country of the world, then it is as valid as the person who believes his purpose is to help others. You seem to be asking for an objective purpose that applies to everyone, though. I do not believe such a thing exists, nor could it conceivably exist without a creator of some sort.

Perhaps what you should ask is this: "What sorts of things should we do so that we are happiest? How can we maximize our own personal satisfaction and fulfilment?" This is the question tackled by so much philosophy (how to lead the "good life" was a popular subject among the Greeks).

Stephen

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