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What is the point of life? (atheists only please)

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Probably works better. I just wrote designed before and quickly edited it after realising how some people here would interpret it.
Humans are random evolutionary accidents.
Humankind is one of a billion biological species.
There is/are no God/gods.
There is no purpose to life.
There is no path to truth.

Having said that as an atheist I believe I only have one life, therefore I better try and make it as happy and interesting as possible. As a humanist I also have an ethical imperative to try and help other humans better themselves and improve their situation (e.g., through giving to charity).

Of course you still have a moral reason to do something if you don't believe in an afterlife, to suggest otherwise would be to say that religious people only do nice things in exchange for a reward (i.e., heaven) which doesn't do them any favours from the moral perspective.
lazzarus
If you believe there is no god, then presumably you believe there is no heaven... what then is the point of life? If there is no moral reason to do or not do anything, and most desires are instincts to perpetuate this seemingly pointless phenomenon, why then do we bother?

Umm, so that I can get the most out of these world as I can. I'm not going to live in a state I may not even be satisfied with simply for the sake of entering a realm which questionably exists. (I'm an agnostic but I don't need to be an athiest to answer this question.) Therefore I would never live under the assumption that my only possibility of fulfillment lies in the afterlife.
Reply 283
I personally believe there is no "point" to life, and that our existence can be explained anthropically. We just happened through an unlikely chain of chemical events etc. All our morals etc are arbitrary in that they exist as a human invention to ultimately satisfy the quest for certain emotions like happiness.

Boils down to that its conceivable that eventually there will be no evidence we ever existed in the universe so it doesn't matter, there's no ultimate consequence to anything we can ever do, even as a race. This is why you SHOULD make you life whatever you want it too be, enjoy it... because, well why the hell not? I could go on but this sums up the meaning of life for me.

"There is no meaning of life" so go make one and have fun! :smile:
I think life only has meaning in so far as we give it meaning.
theres a difference between the meaning of life and indeed the purpose of life, its established that the purpose of life is to reproduce and continue the species but the question is what is the meaning of life, what is the point of anything??
Reply 286
Looking for a point to life is trying to find assurance and validation. It's the reason why religion exists in my view, that is to give a point to life to those who want to find one.

In reality I would argue that there is no "point" or meaning and nor should there need to be. The fact that in our universe the possibility of life exists is reason enough to explain us.
Copacetic
Looking for a point to life is trying to find assurance and validation. It's the reason why religion exists in my view, that is to give a point to life to those who want to find one.

In reality I would argue that there is no "point" or meaning and nor should there need to be. The fact that in our universe the possibility of life exists is reason enough to explain us.

I agree.
That is why the theory of evolution is such a horrid notion to many religious, in that it is random and there is no grand plan or reason.
tomheppy
I think life only has meaning in so far as we give it meaning.


existentialism :coma:
What about it confuses you? >_>
SunOfABeach
existentialism :coma:


I became an existentialist without even knowing it!
Reply 291
Im 15 years old - and i have a prospective on the meaning of life.
well, in an atheistic perspective, i think its right to say- there is no true generalisational perception of an idealistic interpretation of life's meaning which is implied emotionally through this question. A meaning to life rhetorically enforces a more spiritually purposeful insight into lifes meaning, which isn't neccessarily (in a euphanistic sense) an 'atheistic possibility'.

In my opinion there is no meaning to life because life has infinite meanings at infinite times. Sometimes your meaning to life may be to study hard, the next minute (perhaps after a life threatenning/changing experience)- so there is no definitional label you can give life, which is infered through asking oneself as well as others- what is the meaning of life?

Moreover in my opinion, the meaning of life is what you make of it at the time of your pondering and thoughtfulness. You can never state the meaning of life because meaning has emotional implications which are entirely variable.

PS: Should I take philosophy AS/A level, im quite good at RE according to my teacher lol.
lol, I just made a typo.
I don't see why there needs to be a 'point' to life. Surely to achieve what you want to achieve is point enough to have a life? Everyone will have their own personal goals etc. and therefore there surely can be no common purpose to life. Each to their own and enjoy life!
indifferencepersonified
I don't see why there needs to be a 'point' to life. Surely to achieve what you want to achieve is point enough to have a life? Everyone will have their own personal goals etc. and therefore there surely can be no common purpose to life. Each to their own and enjoy life!


The problem is that even if purpose to existence is not universal to all humans (or all life, if you're that way inclined), to find personal purpose still requires some conclusions about human agency, liberty, and purpose.

You can say "each to their own", but all you dois break down the question from "What is the purpose of mankind?" to "What is your purpose?", and this breaking down is not terribly helpful, given that all quests for meaning are essentially personal anyway, even if they're held to be of universal validity.
Reply 295
I don't think I'll ever be entirely sure, but I do know for certain that there are damn good reasons for continuing with this life nonetheless :gthumb: Although it may be forever problematic to speak of a purpose in objective terms, it seems as if our inter-subjective terms of equality, freedom, happiness etc do hold a sense of universal importance to us all.
Reply 296
laugh, love, ****, and drink liquor...
Why not?

What's the point in living for religious people if you believe that heaven will be better?

I'm having fun, being alive and such.
It's so much more incentive for me to make the most of my life and improve other people's because I know that when I die, that's it. Squadoosh. Kerput. No fluffy bunnies for Kate.

I resent any implication that because I believe there is no heaven, I will live an immoral and terrible life. I want to make the best I possibly can of everything I do now while I'm alive because when I die I can't accomplish anything else.

Currently my reason for living is McVities, Philadelphia cheese, and the vision of not having to do GCSEs any more.

C'est tout :smile:
Martyn*
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche would have told you that you were a nihilist for asking that question.

Life does have value; does have a point...for those who affirm it; who say "Yes" to life. Those who say "life has no value" and "we live, we die and that is all" etc, say "No" to life; they deny life, as Nietzsche might say.

Of course, Nietzsche recognised that human beings say "Yes" and "No" at the same time. But to be a complete denier to life; to see no point to life or living life - that must be really horrific and deeply worrying. To pose the question, "Does life have meaning?" is already a "No" unless the question is innoncent or is simply an academic question.

Of course life has meaning!

But if inside you are asking yourself that very question I suggest you dispell it from your mind at once; it is a black cloud you do not want!
Good on you mate, saved me from quoting some Nietzche. Say yes to all suffering and all joy.
Reply 299
rabid child
Good on you mate, saved me from quoting some Nietzche. Say yes to all suffering and all joy.


Yep. It is easier said than done, of course. But if you take that philosophy and apply it to the way you live, you will accept that life is just like that, joys and sufferings. In that way, you don't deny life, you affirm it. Then you can, as Nietzsche might say, begin to really live...

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