What is the meaning of life?

[Muliro]

It's to live
next question

 

[FitBoyAwe]

I'm not sure. It's something that has been on my mind a lot lately. I once thought that the goal of life—or perhaps my own life—was to help and encourage others to do good. Like showing kindness merely out of goodwill, as you never know what another person is going through. Hugging everyone who requests one, even complete strangers, in an anonymous manner. Things like that. I'm sick and tired of it now. I was only able to pour until my cup was empty. I'm beginning to wonder if all altruism is fundamentally selfish. You act morally upright not because you are moral but to convince yourself that you are.

I've been pondering whether there is any true goodness in this world and, if not, what purpose does it serve.

I gave natural ecosystems and the cycle of life a lot of thought. Although we have a great appreciation for nature and its beauty, none of it serves any higher purpose. And perhaps that is the key idea.

 

[Digital_Cheese]

I'm also with reproducing isn't the meaning of life. I mean that would mean people physically unable to reproduce don't have a life?

For me the meaning of life is to life endlessly. Now this is impossible, right? No, it isn't: While you will die your footprint won't. So make sure to leave a big footprint. This footprint can be anything: Some wisdom you're sharing, some code you're writing, some cooking recipe you invented, ...

I'll start by committing a few war crimes. That well get people to remember me for nearly forever. What else could I do from there tho?

 

[Benja81]

For me personally the meaning of life is to reproduce and ensure that your family/children are able to do so as well.

Reproducing (to me) is more of a neccessity of life vs the meaning. This doesn't take anything away from the beauty and meaning our children have to us, which is honestly priceless; but related purely to reproduction I see it as more of a necessity of life vs the meaning, to keep the ball rolling or we'd be extinct of course.

I believe learning is the meaning of life. Many people believe our souls are here in a monkey body in order to learn and grow. Why is the world so hard is another life question. Well besides us being fallible of course, its because ignorance is often the culprit of adversity; but adversity is the shaky bridge to wisdom.

 

[Creamu]

Reproducing (to me) is more of a neccessity of life vs the meaning. This doesn't take anything away from the beauty and meaning our children have to us, which is honestly priceless; but related purely to reproduction I see it as more of a necessity of life vs the meaning, to keep the ball rolling or we'd be extinct of course.

I believe learning is the meaning of life. Many people believe our souls are here in a monkey body in order to learn and grow. Why is the world so hard is another life question. Well besides us being fallible of course, its because ignorance is often the culprit of adversity; but adversity is the shaky bridge to wisdom.

But what does learning mean without reproduction? Necessity to life is a stronger framing, and it is true. If you don't reproduce your kind is dying. Has a lifeform unable/-willing to learn but to reproduce failed at achieving the meaning of life? I believe life is reproduction. If you don't reproduce nothing but death will follow. Learning is secondary. If you reproduce you have engaged in life. What is the meaning of life. It is to reproduce.

 

[simsimsim]

There's no one answer as only you can give purpose to your life. Some people seek money or power, others influence or fame, many live only because they are alive. I think the most important thing is happiness and if you can make yourself happy and also act in a way that help other people happy, it would be a pretty good purpose.

 

[aoikurayami]

Purpose is a man-made concept,
which ties all your time on earth to the stress of having to fulfill some greater goal.

Free yourself from this pressure Kevin

- war and peas



(I realized just now, that fulfil AND fulfill are somehow BOTH correct ? wat)

 

[Benja81]

But what does learning mean without reproduction? Necessity to life is a stronger framing, and it is true. If you don't reproduce your kind is dying. Has a lifeform unable/-willing to learn but to reproduce failed at achieving the meaning of life? I believe life is reproduction. If you don't reproduce nothing but death will follow. Learning is secondary. If you reproduce you have engaged in life. What is the meaning of life. It is to reproduce.

Everything you said is true, I just think we have different ideas about what "meaning" is.

To me, meaning is the reason for life, reproduction is really just a requirement for life to keep going.

For example, a plant that produces seeds. If it didn't do that we would have no more plants after we ate the first one, kinda like a taco (as Jill Biden would say, no shade), which can't reproduce itself. Is this the meaning of the plant (or taco)? No, to me the meaning for it would be food. The seeds/reproducing are in order to have more of them after the first one is gone, but its not the meaning.

 

[Digital_Cheese]

The meaning of life is to take over the currently observable universe and become a powerful dictator. Yep that's it.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

It's tough to answer for most people, and you will get a different answer depending on who you ask, but the one answer that applies universally to just about everybody, is the following:
Spread joy and happiness to those around you, so you make their days and their lives a little better. Why is this so important? Because by improving other people's lives, they'll go on to treat others around them better as well, which causes a ripple effect that can last many generations into the future. Truly, it is the one thing just about anybody can do that has a lasting positive effect on the world as a whole.
Making revolutionary new inventions, or curing thought to be impossible to cure illnesses would be some other ways, but we're not all inventors or scientists. It's hard for an average person to have a noticeable impact on the world apart from that one thing.

Reproducing is not the meaning of life, it's a means to ensure life keeps on going, you spend the vast majority of your life doing other things than reproducing so that would make 99% of it pretty meaningless if that was the only reason to live.
There seem to be a lot of people here who think otherwise, to all of you I want to ask you this, what is then the meaning of reproducing? If your answer is "life" that would mean a feedback loop where the meaning of life is reproducing and the meaning of reproducing is life which means that argument breaks apart and there is actually no meaning to anything.
Also, there is much less meaning to reproducing when the population growth is already so obscene. We're gonna outgrow this planet sooner rather than later and we don't yet know if we'll have a solution to that in time.

 

[BlazeMasterBM]

to poop in the sink

 

[Creamu]

Everything you said is true, I just think we have different ideas about what "meaning" is.

To me, meaning is the reason for life, reproduction is really just a requirement for life to keep going.

I really enjoy your perspective in saying reproduction is a requirement. It's a bare essential part. It is a good way to look at it.

For example, a plant that produces seeds. If it didn't do that we would have no more plants after we ate the first one, kinda like a taco (as Jill Biden would say, no shade), which can't reproduce itself. Is this the meaning of the plant (or taco)? No, to me the meaning for it would be food. The seeds/reproducing are in order to have more of them after the first one is gone, but its not the meaning.

The plant ensures it's exisitance by providing the material for delicious tacos. It exploits humans for its own evolutionary strategy. It produces this material as a mechanism to reproduce. So the deeper meaning of the material provided is to motivate humans to make sure they engage in the evolutionary strategy of the plant. The meaning of life is circular. Life is there to ensure life. If life looses touch with this circular meaning it ceases to exist. Without the existence of life there is no meaning.

So what does it mean to be life, it means to ensure life. Everything extra is either a complex system of this cycle or it is misdirection and death. If you engage in non necessary lifestlyes you will be outcompeted and cease to exist. So every ineffective lifestyle is a temporary phenomenon, that in the long run will fade and the meaning of these lifestlyes will be no more.

It's tough to answer for most people, and you will get a different answer depending on who you ask, but the one answer that applies universally to just about everybody, is the following:
Spread joy and happiness to those around you, so you make their days and their lives a little better. Why is this so important? Because by improving other people's lives, they'll go on to treat others around them better as well, which causes a ripple effect that can last many generations into the future.

This is true as long as these people share your evolutionary startegy. If its hard coded in there genes to spite you, you are just fooling yourself.

Truly, it is the one thing just about anybody can do that has a lasting positive effect on the world as a whole.
Making revolutionary new inventions, or curing thought to be impossible to cure illnesses would be some other ways, but we're not all inventors or scientists. It's hard for an average person to have a noticeable impact on the world apart from that one thing.

The only notable thing in the long run is reproduction. Scientific advances are worthless if the kind of people that will uphold them cease to exist.

Reproducing is not the meaning of life, it's a means to ensure life keeps on going, you spend the vast majority of your life doing other things than reproducing so that would make 99% of it pretty meaningless if that was the only reason to live.

If you are ineffictient in your time spent with ensuring your lifeform it will be outcompeted.

There seem to be a lot of people here who think otherwise, to all of you I want to ask you this, what is then the meaning of reproducing? If your answer is "life" that would mean a feedback loop where the meaning of life is reproducing and the meaning of reproducing is life which means that argument breaks apart and there is actually no meaning to anything.

Just because the argument is ciruclar doesn't say anything about how valid it is. It is quite elegant in its simplicity really.

Also, there is much less meaning to reproducing when the population growth is already so obscene. We're gonna outgrow this planet sooner rather than later and we don't yet know if we'll have a solution to that in time.

Yes, but I like to hold the hope that the world of tomorrow will be more intelligent and kind, and not low IQ and evil.

 

[skimask]

I have lost many hours of sleep pondering this question, sometimes I wonder if there is a meaning of life. I do see the argument of life being solely reproductive, but I would like to imagine we've evolved past that. But, at the same time I think we're just overevolved apes, that have too much intelligence. It's strange that the thing that led to us being the most evolved animal on Earth is also our albatross.

With that being said, I personally believe the "meaning of life" is a very personal journey and differs for most of us. My meaning is making memories with those I love, and making sure to maintain a healthy lifestly (not just physically).

 

[AncientBoi]

Hands down?

The answer is to have Sex.

Duh

 

[Frenetar]

Hello,

today I want to ask you about a rather existential question:

What is the meaning of life?

For me personally the meaning of life is to reproduce and ensure that your family/children are able to do so as well.

Please let me know what your perspective is!

Thanks

I don't think there's a meaning. If reproduction were, then what's the meaning of reproduction?

 

[bazamuffin]

42

 

[AncientBoi]

42

nope. 69

 

[Creamu]

I don't think there's a meaning. If reproduction were, then what's the meaning of reproduction?

It is life. Its an elegant system.

 

[bazamuffin]

nope. 69

Nope, 69 is dinner for 2