the meaning of life?

[Nikitn]

imo the meaning of life for every specie is to reproduce as much as possible, and gain as much control and power as possible.

[Helm]

That's good enough for me.

[mrcrusty]

42?

Personally, I don't think life has a universally applicable set meaning or purpose.

[Lupu]

42?

Of course!

[Poach]

I'm with McCrusty, life doesn't have a predetermined meaning. The meaning of your life is what you want it to mean.

[Fiyenyaa]

I'm with McCrusty, life doesn't have a predetermined meaning. The meaning of your life is what you want it to mean.

Absolutely agreed.

[MaximiIian]

The meaning of your life is what you want it to mean.

This. And I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all. It gives us far more liberty as intelligent animals than being beholden to a set cause or purpose.

[Tacitursa]

Life is what you make it.

[TheXand]

Urgh 42, I ing hate Douglas Adams, awful stuff.

I believe that we should be as productive as possible while being good to other human beings, because with the existence of any type of afterlife in doubt all mankind has is each other. That's the only sort of real meaning that I can perceive, though I guess everyone is free to make up their own meanings, like what Jesus and Mohammed and numerous others who fancied themselves prophets did.

[Gordon Freynman]

I'm with McCrusty, life doesn't have a predetermined meaning. The meaning of your life is what you want it to mean.

Totally agreed. The way I see it, it took an extraordinary number of accidents and coincidences for all of us to exist right now, from the forming of the earth and moon at the right distance, to the extinction of the dinosaurs leading to the rise of mammals, to each and every gene mutation from those first cells to us. To me, it would be a waste to not take advantage of this opportunity of existence. To quote the late great Dr. Carl Sagan, "Our obligation to survive and flourish is only, not just to ourselves, but also to that cosmos, ancient and vast from which we sprang."

[Kjertesvein]

Try to be nice to people; avoid eating fat; read a good book every now and then; get some walking in; and try and live togather in peace and harmony people of all creatures and nations. There is also the american corporation view on the meaning of life:

1. People are not wearing enuff hats.

2. Matter is energy. In the univerce there are many energy field which we can not normally percive. Some energies have a spiritual souce which act upon a persons soul. However, this soul does not excist apsidiole as orthodox christianity teaches. It has to be brought into excistent by a process of guided self-observation. However, this is rearly achived going to mans unique ability be distracted from from spiritual matters by every day tribue.

Now you may ask: "When you say souls don't develop because souls become distracted, .... has any one noticed that building there before?"

[Strelok]

Why care about the meaning of anything? Why does there have to be a meaning, and if there is, so what? Does it really affect your life?

[Fight!]

As I believe in Fate, there either isn't a meaning of life, or the meaning of life is to simply be the entertainment and/or slave of higher powers.

And yes, I do have a very pessimistic view of he who is called God.

[Hakkapeliitta]

As an atheist I give my life meaning. That's exactly the same how theists give their live meaning.

[iudas]

The meaning of life is probably hidden in outer space somewhere.

[Helm]

The meaning of life is probably hidden in outer space somewhere.

[ulti]

Warning: The following may not be your view on life, but it is the scientific view, which has been proved.

Let me ask you all one question. How can our lives, meaning humans as a species, have a meaning? We are evolved from a creature, and are going to evolve into another creature. How can we have a different meaning other than to end?

Even as we sit here debating or posting we are destroying ourselves, ready for the next incarnation of humans. We kill our Earth, just waiting for the end. So how can we have a different meaning than that?

[Fiyenyaa]

Warning: The following may not be your view on life, but it is the scientific view, which has been proved.

Let me ask you all one question. How can our lives, meaning humans as a species, have a meaning? We are evolved from a creature, and are going to evolve into another creature. How can we have a different meaning other than to end?

Even as we sit here debating or posting we are destroying ourselves, ready for the next incarnation of humans. We kill our Earth, just waiting for the end. So how can we have a different meaning than that?

There is no "meaning of life" that has been proved.

The reason life can have meaning is because we are sentient creatures with minds. We are no longer slaves to the biological imperatives - we can make our own meaning.

[ulti]

There is no "meaning of life" that has been proved.

The reason life can have meaning is because we are sentient creatures with minds. We are no longer slaves to the biological imperatives - we can make our own meaning.

I never said there was a 'meaning of life' that has been proved. When I said that I was talking about there is proof that we evolved form apes.

If you are saying we are a free race, then isn't religion flawed, as the teachings of most religions say that we were all created by a divine power, and that he/she watches over us and if it is their will, something happens. If religion is flawed, then most of the worlds hope, leadership and society is gone, as well as the meaning of life that they bring.

That may well be true but we're also much more if you think of it on a larger scale.

If we think on a larger scale (e.g outside of Earth), then we are such a tiny impact that we definitely do not have a meaning other than to end. If we are looking at a universal scale, the lifetime of our race is relative to 1mm in a 20sq KM field. Tiny, Worthless and Nothing.

[Helm]

If we think on a larger scale (e.g outside of Earth), then we are such a tiny impact that we definitely do not have a meaning other than to end. If we are looking at a universal scale, the lifetime of our race is relative to 1mm in a 20sq KM field. Tiny, Worthless and Nothing.

Ah but if a tree falls in a forest with no-one to hear it does it make a sound?