# Meaning of life? A.K.A. Does god exist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 7, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101 "2003-01-07T04:32:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/1 "2003-01-07T04:32:06Z")
Why are we here? What purpose do we serve? We are born toothless, bald and dribbling, then 85 years later we end up dying pretty much the same way. At the end of it all, what have we accomplished? OK, there are certain things that I believe each of us strives to achieve: - A significant other person to love and live with - Offsrping to carry on the genes - Wealth - Social acceptance If there is a God, and he implanted these desires in us when he created man, then surely there is a higher purpose to our existence - what that is I don’t know. If there isn’t a God, then what have we actually achieved by living, apart from maintaining the status quo for the generations of babies born after we’ve gone? Maybe the entire concept of God is a fallacy; I sometimes wonder if any of what I perceive around me is real, or if I’m the only thing that exists everything in life is just an illusion. Is there a way to disprove this theory? These throughts have been rattlling around in my head today for some reason, and I wanted to attempt to put them down and test the water. I know my questions are a little fragmented but I’m fishing for opinions and am interested in what thoughts you folks may have. ---
**Author:** ![Ramanujan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/51bf81/32.png) [@Ramanujan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramanujan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/2 "2003-01-07T04:40:18Z")
one thing to get over is that “there must be a god, otherwise our existence is meaningless.” think about it though…at some point, it’s all meaningless. suppose god created us, and we have meaning. then what gives god meaning? did something create him? why god? you can go back asking these same questions about creator’s creators forever, but at some point, it is meaningless. if there is no such point (i.e. the chain is infinite), then that itself adds to the meaninglessness. personally, i find enough meaning in my own life to keep me occupied. > [@](#): > > Is there a way to disprove this theory? no. it disproves all theories that might disprove it, if you accept it as an assumption. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/3 "2003-01-07T04:49:35Z")
—If there is a God, and he implanted these desires in us when he created man, then surely there is a higher purpose to our existence - what that is I don’t know.— I find that “higher purpose” is one of those words that’s given to equivocation almost no matter how honestly you try to use it. The main problem is that I don’t think it’s a complete thought unless you specify WHOSE purpose you are talking about… which deflates the whole conundrum. If there is a God, and it has a purpose for us, that’s IT’S purpose for us, not necessarily what is purposeful to any given person. For life to be meaningful to you, YOU are the one that has to FIND it meaningful for some reason (whether that be in serving God’s purpose, or just collecting stamps). ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/4 "2003-01-07T05:29:20Z")
My thoughts are fairly abstract, so getting them written down succinctly can be tricky (especially as I’m not a seasoned debater). Please bear with me… **Ramanujan** : Perhaps God is the only permanent entity that exists, transcending conecpts of time and space, meaning that God never had a creator. Planet Earth could be a little experiment he’s toying with called “life”. **Apos** : If God has a higher purpose then we as mortals will never be able to understand what that purpose is. I can see how that could be the case. My other point was that if God does not exist, then we ultimately achieve very little in the short time we are here. ---
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/5 "2003-01-07T05:33:50Z")
there is no spoon. ---
**Author:** ![Ramanujan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/51bf81/32.png) [@Ramanujan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramanujan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/6 "2003-01-07T05:34:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samarm \* > **Ramanujan** : Perhaps God is the only permanent entity that exists, transcending conecpts of time and space, meaning that God never had a creator. Planet Earth could be a little experiment he’s toying with called “life”. so, beyond him, it’s all meaningless. he has no higher purpose. so in a sense, it’s all meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![loinburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/db5fbb/32.png) [@loinburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loinburger)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/7 "2003-01-07T05:38:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Why are we here? What purpose do we serve? What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don’t know and I don’t care. 😛 Seriously, though, if some Being has a Cosmic Purpose in mind for me, then more power to It. I don’t concern myself too much with Forces Beyond Human Understanding, though, since I’m probably never going to come any closer to understanding them. > [@](#): > > At the end of it all, what have we accomplished? If you can look back at your entire life from your death bed, and say to yourself, “I had a good life, and I have no regrets,” then you’ve accomplished all that you really needed to accomplish with your life. Going to heaven (or not, whatever) is just icing on the cake. ---
**Author:** ![Iamthat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Iamthat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iamthat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/8 "2003-01-07T05:59:34Z")
Posted by \*\* samarm\*\* > [@](#): > > Maybe the entire concept of God is a fallacy; I sometimes wonder if any of what I perceive around me is real, or if I’m the only thing that exists everything in life is just an illusion. Is there a way to disprove this theory? The eastern sage Ramana said, “Your god is as real as you are.” Your god can only ever be as real as you are. {That is, whatever god you believe or claim to know to exist.} Of course his position like most if not all sages is that this manifested observable universe is an illusion. If everything in life is an illusion as you speculate so is your body and/or what you take yourself to be. But an illusion cannot stand on its own; it’s an illusion in relation to something real, it’s **someone’s** illusion. If it is an illusion the only real aspect of it is the awareness of it, or consciousness. > [@](#): > > Is there a way to disprove this theory? As **Ramanujan** said, no. However some say there is a way to **prove** it, through meditation. But it can only be a proof to one’s self, as I don’t think such a proof is sharable. ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/9 "2003-01-07T06:36:36Z")
Life is its own meaning. Meaning is not imposed from without, it is not dictated from above, it is not evaluated from a distance. Meaning grows from within. Or it doesn’t. If your life lacks meaning, I cannot give it to you. If my life has meaning, you cannot take it from me… ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/10 "2003-01-07T06:46:00Z")
XLII – at the end of the unique manuscript of \* Vale Gratiaque Totiibus Pescibus\* ---
**Author:** ![Iamthat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Iamthat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iamthat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/11 "2003-01-07T08:11:53Z")
Posted by \*\* Spiritus Mundi\*\* > [@](#): > > Life is its own meaning. That’s circular. Isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/12 "2003-01-07T15:54:37Z")
Tautological, in fact. It’s a definition. ---
**Author:** ![Iamthat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Iamthat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iamthat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/13 "2003-01-07T19:30:24Z")
Yes, And why does the definition exist? What does its existence mean? > [@](#): > > Meaning is not imposed from without, it is not dictated from above, it is not evaluated from a distance. Meaning grows from within. Or it doesn’t. Why does meaning exist? ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/14 "2003-01-07T19:39:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bob55 \* > \*\*there is no spoon. \*\* _keanu reeves voice_ Whoa… ---
**Author:** ![Iamthat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Iamthat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iamthat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/15 "2003-01-07T19:41:27Z")
What’s the point? What’s the meaning of meaning? ---
**Author:** ![JustPlainBryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JustPlainBryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustPlainBryan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/16 "2003-01-07T19:57:36Z")
I can tell you what the meaning of life is for me, and also whether God exists, but you must understand that my definition will be completely different from yours. There is no universal answer to these questions. Deity is metaphor for the self. As such, deity does exist. The meaning of life then is to experience life as much as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Emile\_Whites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e56c9b/32.png) [@Emile\_Whites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emile_Whites)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/17 "2003-01-07T21:11:31Z")
I believe that the purpose of life is to reach godhood, and that this is the meaning of any sentient being’s life. We do this, in my opinion, by living our lives to the best of our abilities, evolving by experiencing and learning until we die. I believe that memory is eternal - not the purely personal memory, but the more instinctive racial memory that is stored in our DNA which makes us adapt to our situation. I agree with JustPlainBryan when he states that: > [@](#): > > Deity is metaphor for the self. As such, deity does exist. The meaning of life then is to experience life as much as possible. To experience as much as possible so that we may evolve towards our final omega point and the transcendence to something more than just sentience, perhaps omniscience? Thus, it is my opinion, and nothing but, that one should life life to the optimal and experience and learn to the best of one’s ability. Only in such a manner can man complete the riddle that is Life. This is what I think and what I live by. ---
**Author:** ![Emile\_Whites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e56c9b/32.png) [@Emile\_Whites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emile_Whites)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/18 "2003-01-07T21:14:27Z")
I believe that the purpose of life is to reach godhood, and that this is the meaning of any sentient being’s life. We do this, in my opinion, by living our lives to the best of our abilities, evolving by experiencing and learning until we die. I believe that memory is eternal - not the purely personal memory, but the more instinctive racial memory that is stored in our DNA which makes us adapt to our situation. I agree with JustPlainBryan when he states that: > [@](#): > > Deity is metaphor for the self. As such, deity does exist. The meaning of life then is to experience life as much as possible. To experience as much as possible so that we may evolve towards our final omega point and the transcendence to something more than just sentience, perhaps omniscience? Thus, it is my opinion, and nothing but, that one should life life to the optimal and experience and learn to the best of one’s ability. Only in such a manner can man complete the riddle that is Life. I can think of one sentence that displays this quite nicely: _I know, there I am_ ---
**Author:** ![Emile\_Whites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e56c9b/32.png) [@Emile\_Whites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emile_Whites)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/19 "2003-01-07T21:15:46Z")
It won’t let me edit for some reason, so I’ll just have to post this as well. I can think of one sentence that displays this quite nicely: _I know, there I am_ ---
**Author:** ![Emile\_Whites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e56c9b/32.png) [@Emile\_Whites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emile_Whites)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101/20 "2003-01-07T21:18:37Z")
Argh! How is that possible, this slow web server is horrible! I’m really, really sorry for that double post. And that’s I know, thereFORE I am. Sorry 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-life-a-k-a-does-god-exist/147101.md?page=2)