# Question on the meaning of Life **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 21, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933 "2010-04-21T23:37:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/41 "2010-04-22T02:24:21Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > The meaning of life, your life, will come to you in the last moment of life, as your breath, soul, spirit, lifeforce, consciousness, last firing synapse, whatever you wish to call it, expires or transmigrates. So the meaning of life is “Ouch, that hurts!” ? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/42 "2010-04-22T02:34:19Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Left to die ‘naturally’, clarity will come, the meaning of your life will reconcile in those last moments. Persons who linger, near death, are working shit out and should never be rushed. Your greatest moment of clarity is your last. That’s what I believe. That’s a bummer. _At last, I understand. Fuck! I’m dead._ ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/43 "2010-04-22T02:49:01Z")
This is going to sound like stoner philosophy, but bear with me: The meaning of life is that it has no meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/44 "2010-04-22T03:18:39Z")
There is no “Meaning Of Life”. You determine what you mean your life to be from day to day, and at the end of it you can decide if you managed to do what you set out to do. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/45 "2010-04-22T03:42:08Z")
> [@Oni no Maggie](#): > > _blink_ > > Who said life had to have a meaning? What she said. You’re born, you live, you die. In between, you may as well enjoy yourself and be nice to other people. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/46 "2010-04-22T03:43:03Z")
> [@Hold\_Fast](#): > > First of, I’ll start by getting it out in the open that I’m a Christian, and so therefore it should go without saying what I believe to be the meaning of life. It does? Hasn’t your faith historically suffered schisms and internecine wars and such? Heck, you don’t even have a consensus _now_. > [@](#): > > Yet, I’m interested in hearing some other explanations for the meaning of life. > > Now I have talked to some athiests I know personally, and the general consensus there seems to be, “for the memories.” I have never heard this or anything like this Bob Hope version of existence. My personal version, on the rare occasions I muse on it, is that we’re part of an evolutionary chain of struggle and development that’ll eventually lead to some kind of singularity of reason. I put this evolutionary struggle as far more noble and significant than any creator-god myth, which casts us as a mere hobby project of some capricious child-entity. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/47 "2010-04-22T04:12:40Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > The meaning of life cannot be accessed or understood by mere mortals, even Christians. It is pure hubris to believe that Christians have an inside line on it. > > The meaning of life, your life, will come to you in the last moment of life, as your breath, soul, spirit, lifeforce, consciousness, last firing synapse, whatever you wish to call it, expires or transmigrates. For this reason, I feel, it is wrong to hurry or assist in any speeding of the death of another. I agree with not prolonging life unnecessarily, if so requested, but nothing more. > > Left to die ‘naturally’, clarity will come, the meaning of your life will reconcile in those last moments. Persons who linger, near death, are working shit out and should never be rushed. Your greatest moment of clarity is your last. That’s what I believe. So you’re saying that when we die, on our deathbed, we’ll receive total consciousness? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/48 "2010-04-22T04:54:19Z")
> [@Hold\_Fast](#): > > Alright, so basically lets pretend for a moment, that I have some magical power, and posses the uncanny ability to do anything I want. Now, I tell you that you need to go take some time, and come up with, either on paper or just in your head, the greatest world or existence you can think off, and I’ll send you there for a month, or a year even. It can be anything, you have all the sex or drugs you want, you can be invincible, or perhaps even ask to be granted pleasures you could never have imagined in your human form; anything you want. Create your ‘heaven’. Now, as mentioned, I’m gonna send you there, but only on the condition that after this time period is over, you will be forced to return back your life here, with no memory of what has happened. Now, would you accept my offer? I’m sure most of you would. I’m sure I would. Actually, you **have.** Three times so far. Some people are never satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/49 "2010-04-22T05:16:01Z")
> [@Hold\_Fast](#): > > A meaning of life however, is self explanatory. Your really thinking about it too hard, but I’ll try to help you out. Meaning, or purpose= the reason for which something exists or for which it has been done or made. Ok, so essentially “meaning = meaning”. Thanks, that cleared things up a lot. > [@Hold\_Fast](#): > > Being ‘nice’, is not pleasurable. So your contradicting yourselves Rubbish. The acquisition of happiness is not a zero-sum game; if I become more happy, it’s not because someone else is less happy. If anything my happiness increases by being surrounded by happy people being nice to each another, so of course I want to contribute towards a world in which strangers are kind to one another; it’s the sort of world I would have the most pleasure living in. > [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > This is going to sound like stoner philosophy, but bear with me: > > The meaning of life is that it has no meaning. Dude…whoa… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/50 "2010-04-22T06:00:26Z")
> [@Hold\_Fast](#): > > . . . Create your ‘heaven’. Now, as mentioned, I’m gonna send you there, but only on the condition that after this time period is over, you will be forced to return back your life here, with no memory of what has happened. Now, would you accept my offer? I’m sure most of you would. I’m sure I would. > . . . If we’re taking a poll, I’ve got another vote for no. That would be completely creepy and pointless. OK, now I want everyone to pile on and agree with Rand Rover. He can take it. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/51 "2010-04-22T06:05:08Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > This is going to sound like stoner philosophy, but bear with me: > > The meaning of life is that it has no meaning. \*Don’t hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky It slips away, all your money won’t another minute buy Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind \*– **Kansas** ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/52 "2010-04-22T06:22:03Z")
> [@Hold\_Fast](#): > > . . . I’m a Christian, and so therefore it should go without saying what I believe to be the meaning of life. No, it does not go without saying . . . not that it really changes anything. The only rational answer is: The purpose of your life is whatever you decide it to be. This is true for Christians, Hindus, atheists, and even people who decide that there’s no purpose. Nobody is born with an innate “meaning of life,” but at some point you (and everyone else) decide what it is . . . or isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![sl.124](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@sl.124](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sl.124)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/53 "2010-04-22T06:46:36Z")
I’ve always thought this question was really rather simple 'lest you take the theistic perspective in which case it becomes a whole lot more complicated (In the case of Christianity: God has a mysterious purpose for you. What is it? Well he works in mysterious ways so… but I digress…). There’s no reason to believe that there is any inherent purpose to life on the universal/supernatural level. That is to say there is no reason to believe that the universe was created for any reason, nor the earth, or the rocks, animals, and by the same reasoning, humans. At the biological level? I suppose one could make an argument that the “purpose” of life is to reproduce in the sense that it’s what we were made to do. (Made in the evolutionary sense. We were optimized by natural forces to reproduce). On the human level, these do not concern us. We do not consciously try to maximize our genetic material in future generations. We may want children, but not because we want to pass on our genes (or at least most of us I think). We want children because it brings a deep satisfaction. Happiness if you will. Thus, as others have said, I think a very strong case can be made that the purpose of life, on the human level is the pursuit of happiness, whatever that happiness may be. This I think deserves some elaboration, for our ideas of happiness are very much influenced by our biology and our evolutionary history. Having to pee or being hungry is what I would call a state of unhappiness, that makes sense. Being hungry long enough kills you. How about being nice? Personally, I find being nice pleasurable. There’s a good reason to believe that most people do too. This also makes sense, in recent years we have found some evidence that being nice has neurobiological origins (empathy and altruism for a start). Again, from an evolutionary point of view, this makes sense (too lazy to elaborate, look it up). So simply, the purpose of life, _as it is most relevant to us_ is the pursuit of happiness or whatever we find most pleasurable. You can say this more abstractly as “reproducing” or a little more concretely as “whatever you say it is” but at the end of the day, it’s the same thing. I suppose, theoretically “reproduction” may be part of some greater abstraction (i.e. theism). Or maybe we’re just plain wrong. However, as of today there’s no evidence, and thus no reason to believe that we are. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/54 "2010-04-22T10:25:47Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > What she said. You’re born, you live, you die. In between, you may as well enjoy yourself and be nice to other people. If your two stated goals were in conflict, which would take precedence? (serious question) ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/55 "2010-04-22T12:46:24Z")
> [@Hold\_Fast](#): > > I fidn it amusing you’re answering something you ingnored..however that works. Most posters agreed that being nice to people was a path to happiness. I can agree with that. But making up a purpose or meaning in life just doesn’t work in the long run. As a child going to school I wondered why I had to learn so much stuff that didn’t interest me at all. There was a reason, a good reason, but I missed it at that age. Life is like that, I believe there is a reason and meaning in everything that we do and everything that happens to us. No accidents for me. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/56 "2010-04-22T13:01:11Z")
That’s a very interesting question, however as an atheist, I think it’s based on a flawed assumption. I don’t think there is a meaning of life. Any meaning I would give life would be very subjective - and I do admit that doing so can be beneficial. I suppose that, for me, the meaning of life is to just live it. Conversely, I don’t see god’s existence with providing any better meaning of life (just on the face of ‘god exists’). As to your question, I’m not sure that I would go through with it. I can’t see the point - but this isn’t a result of my stance on the meaning of (at least, I don’t think so). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/57 "2010-04-22T13:35:43Z")
If the only thing restraining a person from doing exactly what he/she wants, to the harm or detriment of her/his fellow humans beings, is because God had to instruct him/her not to, that person is better described as ‘Psychopath’ than ‘Christian’. If you can’t see the intrinsic ‘good value’ in being ‘good’, then how do you know God is telling the truth when he says that helping old ladies across the street is a ‘good’ thing? And if you follow it without seeing (for and by yourself) that it’s good, then it isn’t the meaning of life at all - it’s meaningLESS. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/58 "2010-04-22T13:38:08Z")
> [@grimpixie](#): > > If your two stated goals were in conflict, which would take precedence? (serious question) That would be a decision for the individual; in my case, it would depend on the specific situation. For example, I might forgo a white chocolate mocha tomorrow and give the money to a homeless person. On the other hand, I might go play paintball and shoot somebody in the butt from close range. I wouldn’t call them stated goals, anyway. It’s more a case of “this is what I have chosen to do with my life”. I wouldn’t say my particular view of things is inherently superior to any other. [QUOTE=lekatt] Most posters agreed that being nice to people was a path to happiness. I can agree with that. But making up a purpose or meaning in life just doesn’t work in the long run. As a child going to school I wondered why I had to learn so much stuff that didn’t interest me at all. There was a reason, a good reason, but I missed it at that age. Life is like that, I believe there is a reason and meaning in everything that we do and everything that happens to us. No accidents for me. [/QUOTE] That _is_ a purpose or meaning you made up. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/59 "2010-04-22T13:42:03Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > If the only thing restraining a person from doing exactly what he/she wants, to the harm or detriment of her/his fellow humans beings, is because God had to instruct him/her not to, that person is better described as ‘Psychopath’ than ‘Christian’. Exactly. If you’re a believer and God appeared to you tomorrow and told you that he wanted you to kill your child, would you do it? Would that immoral act suddenly become the moral thing to do because God commanded it? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933/60 "2010-04-22T13:44:23Z")
I find it interesting that the only person so far who would take up the offer of one month of hedonism that is completely forgotten is the OP, who professes to be Christian. I wonder if that says anything about the relative morality of the two … philosophies, or just something about the OP. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-meaning-of-life/536933.md?page=4)