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The purpose of life is....

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Properly used, 'purpose' implies agency, i.e., intentionality, and any honest discussion of 'purpose' should make clear the implicit claim concerning its source.

Agree. This is the key concept - purpose implies agency.

Does life have a purpose? If we mean the phenomenon of life on earth from an extraterrestrial perspective, then the answer must be no unless we were created by a conscious agent.

If we mean do we experience purpose in our lives, a different meaning of life, then the answer is yes.

People say all manner of things and 'purpose' is one of those slippery words that facilitate sloppy communication.

Yes. There are other words that also carry the baggage of agency. Creation implies a conscious creator even though the word can be used without agency as with "the landslide created an impasse on the road." Calling the universe the creation suggests a creator, whereas the word universe does not.

Design is another one. Compare it to pattern. Designs suggest a designer, but patterns don't suggest a patterner.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
I would add to the "how well is it working" observation that learning is hard. It's like complaining that someone is not an opera singer after their first voice lesson.

People individually and in groups fail and fail and fail and fail. Typically slowly they start succeeding while still failing.

And gradually as individuals start succeeding more and more people start waking up to the possibilities and start searching for the "light".
 

LukeS

Active Member
The meaning of life (and the search for such meaning) is a sophisticated form of cultural / rule bound and bio-psychological glue which imperfectly keeps us bonded to the environment.

e.g.

73335124_dd2cb49c2f_z.jpg


(image source life is fragile, love is the glue )
 
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Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
Does humanity have a collective purpose?
Do we each have an individual purpose?
We each have numerous purposes, as decided by each of us individually and day to day. Why does humankind need a collective purpose (other than such as is needed for governing, etc?)
 

LukeS

Active Member
We each have numerous purposes, as decided by each of us individually and day to day. Why does humankind need a collective purpose (other than such as is needed for governing, etc?)

"We each invent or own unique purpose", in one sense its true, in another it is so common a view its probably existentialism and person centred psychology turned into herd behaviour.

Next on the list is 42. The humerous cop out.

There is no specific purpose collectively, like we must all do the same thing over and over. Wash the car wash the car. Even as individuals that's nonsense. Agreed.

But I think there is a general form to having a purpose driven life involving health, choice, rationality and survival. Like there are many paintings, but still a philosophy of beauty in the general sense is possible. Given that we operate within bodies, and they have limits, and certan constraints are imposed on us by natural psychological laws, and so on, then there is a 'facticity' to making good decisions. Including the types of thing which we are destined to find preferable and advantageous - and therefore ought to pursue.

So the meaning of life is basically the general telos of ethics... well being, flourishing etc.
 
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