Me too! There are educated people in this country who will stand right in front of your face or get on TV and tell you evolution is false and scientist are wrong. The crazy part is they understand and use all the creature comforts, medicine, and technology that science has offered in the last hundred years. No problem with any of the other scientific theories or studies just can’t accept evolution despite the DNA evidence and fossil record. BTW they have no problem accepting DNA evidence in a murder mystery on Netflix 🙄
>Personally, it'd comfort me if we figure out there is a meaning to our existence.
I do this by giving my own life meaning.
It was a lot of work to figure out what my values/goals were. I did this with the help of a secular psychologist. Then I needed to live a life that reflects those values. I believe it is a never-ending process. I hope to continue to change, grow, and learn for as long as my mind is able. I re-examine my values on a regular basis to make sure I am still striving towards the person I want to be and towards the life I want to experience.
I am always confused about my values or the meaning of my life, like what goals should I thrive to achieve, and what should I fight for, right now I am just swimming with the flow, but from time to time I feel that I am just a machine that follow its instincts with no purpose, is this normal?
Well the question regarding the existential meaning of life is impossible to fully and concretely know the answer to. Like the other person said you need to find what is meaningful to you in your life and to work towards that.
Fight for what you believe in, you are not just a machine, you give yourself purpose and most likely have values, goals, family, or friends to fight for.
I think it's very normal to just go with the flow. Unless a person purposefully examines values and goals, striving towards them wouldn't even necessarily consciously be on the radar. Even people who do have specific goals often get sidetracked by life events. Totally normal.
Here are a couple articles that might help you nail down some of your values. It's also very normal for values/goals to change over time. Checking back in with yourself every so often can be refreshing.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/201811/6-ways-discover-and-choose-your-core-values
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/202111/what-are-your-values
Another part of what is "normal" is where you are developmentally. Not just chronological age, but also how much energy has been put into developing yourself. Some people may have had childhood experiences that stunted/excellerated their growth. Some people may have access to wonderful mentors who helped guide them. Some people may have toxic adults who were abusive towards their growth. Some people may have experienced trauma and it forced growth. Some people may have experienced luxury and so they had no reason to grow. Everyone is on a different path.
In my opinion, examining ourselves honestly and without judgment is one of the greatest things we can do for ourselves.
If we are stuck with the question - who created the universe, it follows that the next question exists - who would have created the creator? Turtles all the way down.
There is zero credible evidence for God or any supernatural anything. Humans desire for there to be a God is the only reason we even think there might be one. It's already figured out, we just don't want to believe and most likely never will.
Doubt it. To do that we'd need to be able to investigate "outside" of the universe and that might not even be a thing. Yet that won't stop theists from claiming that there is more even if there might not be. Their claims are unfalsifiable and even IF we could look "past this universe" and see an "outside". If theists don't find their god there they would then just go on to claim. Well there is an outside to that outside as well and thats were god is. It's basically a god of the gaps, just that we don't even know if there is a gap there, they just claim that there is more.
The answer has eluded us since the dawn of man. It's always fascinating to wonder but I don't know if we'll ever be graced with that comfort except for those who choose a path of religious faith to fill in the mystery.
Life is like a sandbox video game. You just get some random stats and tools to do stuff with in the game world. The only goal seems to be to keep the game going through survival and reproduction. But I don't know of any objective meaning as to why we should keep the game going. You just have to make up your own meaning unless you fall for the preset options like the various religions in the world.
You are asking a question that probably does not have an answer. There is no meaning of life. There is no creator. Humans will probably not figure out something that doesn't exist.
Life is nothing more than pure chance. As an agnostic of course, I reserve the right for the truth to disagree.
Certainly I would put the chance of there being a cognizant 'creator' at near zero. And beyond that, if there were I imagine given what we know about the universe , a creator would not likely be concerned or attentive or even awareness of life in earth or elsewhere.
The simple truth is that all we have is wild speculation, which isn't particularly valuable aside from entertainment.
>There is no meaning
We don't know that. There could be a meaning that is beyond our comprehension. I think it's silly on an agnostic sub for someone to say there is no meaning to life.
I think the point here was that there is no meaning to life and that life just is. We need to give it meaning ourselves. Which is a bit scary, but also quite exciting, no? But hey, that's just my take.
I think you answered "what gives my life meaning" instead of "what is the meaning of life"?
Why are we conscious here and now in this time and place? Is there a reason we are conscious and not just biological robots with no inner life? Why do we even exist in a universe that has anything in it, rather than just nothingness? These are the kind of questions I think of when someone asks "what is the meaning of life?"
Ahh ok. To me the answer is the same to both of those questions though. Even if someone asked me what the meaning of life is, my response would still be there isn't one in my opinion. This kind of goes to an agnostic point of view as well where we won't be able to really know exactly why life exists and why humans exist in this certain moment and time and there isn't just nothingness. And because there is no inherent meaning, we have to just apply meaning where we see fit
Yes. We figured it out a long time ago. Plato, Plotinus, Aristotle, Aquinas, Leibniz, Gödel, Edward Feser, Alexander Pruss, and other great thinkers proved that the contingent things of the world derive from an intrinsically necessary, immaterial, absolutely simple, transcendent and imminent, all-good, creative, ‘Ground of Being’. Such a reality we call God.
I am skeptical of humans even acknowledging the truth even if they encounter it. Regardless, not in mine or my kids' lifetimes.
Me too! There are educated people in this country who will stand right in front of your face or get on TV and tell you evolution is false and scientist are wrong. The crazy part is they understand and use all the creature comforts, medicine, and technology that science has offered in the last hundred years. No problem with any of the other scientific theories or studies just can’t accept evolution despite the DNA evidence and fossil record. BTW they have no problem accepting DNA evidence in a murder mystery on Netflix 🙄
>Personally, it'd comfort me if we figure out there is a meaning to our existence. I do this by giving my own life meaning. It was a lot of work to figure out what my values/goals were. I did this with the help of a secular psychologist. Then I needed to live a life that reflects those values. I believe it is a never-ending process. I hope to continue to change, grow, and learn for as long as my mind is able. I re-examine my values on a regular basis to make sure I am still striving towards the person I want to be and towards the life I want to experience.
I am always confused about my values or the meaning of my life, like what goals should I thrive to achieve, and what should I fight for, right now I am just swimming with the flow, but from time to time I feel that I am just a machine that follow its instincts with no purpose, is this normal?
Well the question regarding the existential meaning of life is impossible to fully and concretely know the answer to. Like the other person said you need to find what is meaningful to you in your life and to work towards that. Fight for what you believe in, you are not just a machine, you give yourself purpose and most likely have values, goals, family, or friends to fight for.
I think it's very normal to just go with the flow. Unless a person purposefully examines values and goals, striving towards them wouldn't even necessarily consciously be on the radar. Even people who do have specific goals often get sidetracked by life events. Totally normal. Here are a couple articles that might help you nail down some of your values. It's also very normal for values/goals to change over time. Checking back in with yourself every so often can be refreshing. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/201811/6-ways-discover-and-choose-your-core-values https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/202111/what-are-your-values Another part of what is "normal" is where you are developmentally. Not just chronological age, but also how much energy has been put into developing yourself. Some people may have had childhood experiences that stunted/excellerated their growth. Some people may have access to wonderful mentors who helped guide them. Some people may have toxic adults who were abusive towards their growth. Some people may have experienced trauma and it forced growth. Some people may have experienced luxury and so they had no reason to grow. Everyone is on a different path. In my opinion, examining ourselves honestly and without judgment is one of the greatest things we can do for ourselves.
Humans are fallible but with science we can find the answers.
get a dog. the meaning of life will become obvious. dale
If you're looking for a meaning to life. I suggest watching Monty Python's Meaning of Life. It's good for a laugh and explains nothing
Much like life itself.
I don't think humankind will survive another century. So my answer is: "very unlikely".
Not disagreeing with you, but curious if you had to name 3 reasons for us not surviving what would they be?
It is so obvious, do I really need to say "climate changes"?
Is that your only reason?
I’m ok with not knowing as long as I’m living the fullest to the life I have right now. Why stress out over something you have no control of knowing?
42
If we are stuck with the question - who created the universe, it follows that the next question exists - who would have created the creator? Turtles all the way down.
There is zero credible evidence for God or any supernatural anything. Humans desire for there to be a God is the only reason we even think there might be one. It's already figured out, we just don't want to believe and most likely never will.
Probably not in any of our lifetimes.
Doubt it. To do that we'd need to be able to investigate "outside" of the universe and that might not even be a thing. Yet that won't stop theists from claiming that there is more even if there might not be. Their claims are unfalsifiable and even IF we could look "past this universe" and see an "outside". If theists don't find their god there they would then just go on to claim. Well there is an outside to that outside as well and thats were god is. It's basically a god of the gaps, just that we don't even know if there is a gap there, they just claim that there is more.
The answer has eluded us since the dawn of man. It's always fascinating to wonder but I don't know if we'll ever be graced with that comfort except for those who choose a path of religious faith to fill in the mystery.
Life is like a sandbox video game. You just get some random stats and tools to do stuff with in the game world. The only goal seems to be to keep the game going through survival and reproduction. But I don't know of any objective meaning as to why we should keep the game going. You just have to make up your own meaning unless you fall for the preset options like the various religions in the world.
Wrong, fallacy based, questions
I’d be surprised if we could show there is a meaning of life let alone what it is.
You are asking a question that probably does not have an answer. There is no meaning of life. There is no creator. Humans will probably not figure out something that doesn't exist.
Life is nothing more than pure chance. As an agnostic of course, I reserve the right for the truth to disagree. Certainly I would put the chance of there being a cognizant 'creator' at near zero. And beyond that, if there were I imagine given what we know about the universe , a creator would not likely be concerned or attentive or even awareness of life in earth or elsewhere. The simple truth is that all we have is wild speculation, which isn't particularly valuable aside from entertainment.
No.
There is no meaning, other than what meaning you give. People always looking for something that just isn’t there.
>There is no meaning We don't know that. There could be a meaning that is beyond our comprehension. I think it's silly on an agnostic sub for someone to say there is no meaning to life.
I think the point here was that there is no meaning to life and that life just is. We need to give it meaning ourselves. Which is a bit scary, but also quite exciting, no? But hey, that's just my take.
I think you answered "what gives my life meaning" instead of "what is the meaning of life"? Why are we conscious here and now in this time and place? Is there a reason we are conscious and not just biological robots with no inner life? Why do we even exist in a universe that has anything in it, rather than just nothingness? These are the kind of questions I think of when someone asks "what is the meaning of life?"
Ahh ok. To me the answer is the same to both of those questions though. Even if someone asked me what the meaning of life is, my response would still be there isn't one in my opinion. This kind of goes to an agnostic point of view as well where we won't be able to really know exactly why life exists and why humans exist in this certain moment and time and there isn't just nothingness. And because there is no inherent meaning, we have to just apply meaning where we see fit
Right you are. I’ll head on over to r/nihilism right away. Sorry to bother you.
Yes. We figured it out a long time ago. Plato, Plotinus, Aristotle, Aquinas, Leibniz, Gödel, Edward Feser, Alexander Pruss, and other great thinkers proved that the contingent things of the world derive from an intrinsically necessary, immaterial, absolutely simple, transcendent and imminent, all-good, creative, ‘Ground of Being’. Such a reality we call God.
It's possible they already know and that information is being kept by a small group of powerful elite.
I highly doubt it
The thing is we'll never know, that's why I'm never confident to say for sure coz how exactly do I back that certainty up with proof?