A single question.

[Tostig]

The other day in my philosophy class we went out and asked the population of Exeter five simple questions, to see how much of the modern Western worldview had been influenced by Fredreich N. Four of these questions were irrelevant. In my opinion the most interesting one was as follows:

If there were to be no point in life, how would humanity be?

What are your views and responces, and more pressingly why do you feel that way?

My personal opinion is that life is meaningless, but that humanity invents reason for its own existance, much in the manner described by Satre. Nietzsche was wrong to think that people would come who would absolutely accept that there could be a concious life without thinking it had a purpose. This is because even he thinks that some things are more desirable than others, for example that humanity can progress and develope, and that this is a good thing. In conclusion I am of the opinion that humanity would continue as it has always done.

[DarkKnight]

If there were to be no point in life, how would humanity be?

Look at humanity right now. That is how it is because there is no point in life. Any point in life that people think they have is just a mirage, something that they created in their minds. When you boil everything down, nothing means anything. Why do I want to do good in school? So I can get a good job. Why do I want to get a good job? So my job isn't boring and it pays well. Why do I want a well paying job? So I can afford the things I like. Why do I want a job that I like and money to afford the things I like? Why? Why does it matter? It doesn't. In the end we all are dead and none of our accomplishments matter. Soon every single person to hear about our accomplishments will be dead too and that won't matter either.

[Lavastein]

the point of life is to continue the cycle of life. We are born give life then die.

[DarkKnight]

the point of life is to continue the cycle of life. We are born give life then die.

I have a question for you. Why continue the cycle of life?

[Lavastein]

i dont know. That is something that no one can answer. The idea of continuing the cycle seems to come naturally. Like a will to live is natural

[DarkKnight]

i dont know. That is something that no one can answer. The idea of continuing the cycle seems to come naturally. Like a will to live is natural

Of course humans naturally have the instinct to live, but does that make it a purpose?

[Trey]

I have a question for you. Why continue the cycle of life?

Why not?

[Nihil]

Look at humanity right now. That is how it is because there is no point in life. Any point in life that people think they have is just a mirage, something that they created in their minds. When you boil everything down, nothing means anything. Why do I want to do good in school? So I can get a good job. Why do I want to get a good job? So my job isn't boring and it pays well. Why do I want a well paying job? So I can afford the things I like. Why do I want a job that I like and money to afford the things I like? Why? Why does it matter? It doesn't. In the end we all are dead and none of our accomplishments matter. Soon every single person to hear about our accomplishments will be dead too and that won't matter either.

Ah, but noble DarkKnight - what is "now"? And what is "soon"? Remove these artificial entities and we have nothing but sensation and perception. To judge things in a context of thens, nows and futures is perhaps distorting the reality of our existence, which simply happens. Futures and pasts are every bit as imaginary as purpose and meaning.

So, perhaps nothing means anything. But compared to what? Perhaps life is short and meaningless. But compared to what? Life is no more meaningful or meaningless than anything else, so the entire question of whether any of human experience can have any absolute measurable and objective relevance is completely redundant.

[rez]

If there were to be no point in life, how would humanity be?

As has been pointed out by the wise old Moromte, this question implies that there is already a defined meaning to life.

Personally the meaning that i identify with the most is to push ourselves to the extremes of human emotion. It is a cause i see enacted subconciously every day.

To say that this meaning could be abolished is to say the removal of human emotion was possible. A life without human emotion is not life. As such the continuity of existence would become pointless.

However, another answer that springs to mind is the very obvious one - The search for a meaning in this life is in itself giving meaning to our existence.

By removing the meaning to our lives we would inherently search for another as we have throughout the ages, thus creating new meaning.

The cycle continues...

[bdh]

If there were to be no point in life, how would humanity be?

As previously stated, humans have a natural instinct. In this sense, even if people don't believe there is a meaning to life, everything they do, de facto, would be on an instinctual drive and meaning. Since all moral codes revolve around this drive anyway, the world, as Tostig said, would continue in much the same fashion.

[snuff]

I truly don't have any new ideas to present for you argument, but it appears your trying to say Nietzsche was a nihilist which he truly wasn't.

[Tostig]

Whether or not Nietzsche was a nihilist is a difficult question to answer. On the one hand he freely declared that there is no absolute truth, no meaning to life and so on. On the other he talks about human progress being impeded, and the nobility of the human race - of the religion of science worshiping gravity and stupidity and nothing. Perhaps the most explicit statement of this comes when he is criticising the Stoic tradition:

Imagine to yourselves a being like Nature, boundlessly extravagant, boundlessly indifferent, without purpose or consideration, without pity or justice, at once fruitful and barren and uncertain: imagine to yourselves INDIFFERENCE as a power--how COULD you live in accordance with such indifference?

This is a contradiction that I believe he was entirely happy with. It seems to me that Nietzsche was a nihilist in that he believed that all we could ever have were incorrect interpretations, and that life was ultimately pointless. Further more he did accept that his own value-judgements were as flawed as everyone elses, and reckonises it as a criticism against him. To quote Beyond Good and Evil when he is criticising science:

Granted that this also is only interpretation--and you will be eager enough to make this objection?--well, so much the better.

Indeed when describing the new philosophers Nietzsche believed that finding noble cause d'etre in the face of this lack of meaning was their greatest challenge:

He enters into a labyrinth, he multiplies a thousandfold the dangers which life in itself already brings with it; not the least of which is that no one can see how and where he loses his way, becomes isolated, and is torn piecemeal by some minotaur of conscience. Supposing such a one comes to grief, it is so far from the comprehension of men that they neither feel it, nor sympathize with it. And he cannot any longer go back! He cannot even go back again to the sympathy of men!

[MoROmeTe]

The question itself seems a bit flawed as it implies that there is a point in living, which cannot be proven to any extend that I would be confortable with... Though I do accept the point that it also cannot be disproven to an extend that other people would be confortable with.

But what if it would at some point in the future someone could prove, to an extent that every single living man could be confortable with, that life had no point? That would be an interesting moment. Those like me, which are inclined to believe life has no actual point, would carry on as usual, maybe with a bit of a satisfied grin. While the others would simply discard the unattackable proof provided and create new illusory points for their lives.

So I agree with Tostig that little would change...

[DarkKnight]

yes i do believe. Because our purpose would therfor be to live, which is reflected in our instinct to do so.

What is accomplished?

[Lavastein]

nothing other than existance. I believe it is as simple as that. To exist is all that matters. That is the meaning of life in its basic form.

[Katrina]

If there were to be no point in life, how would humanity be?

I beleive that the point in life is to live. Simple as that. Thus, if we must live to fufill the point in life, we create a society and a circular system for humanity. If the point in life was eliminated, humanity would most likely cease to exist, as humans are too complex mentally, sensitively and emotionally to go about living for pure natural existance and lifeform.

I could go as far as saying there already is no point in life, but that would contradict the former. We do not have enough knowledge to the know if there is existance beyond life, thus we cannot decide whether life beholds further meaning, so for now, this is the meaning of life. It is inevitable to determine whether there is point or not, thus we cannot determine how humanity would be in a matter that is beyond our understanding.

[Silver Guard]

There are two seperate elements for me
1) The point: We think therefore we are, should we ceace to think we are no more. Trey sums it up excellently, why not?
2) The Aim: The only seemingly purposeful aim is pleasure, in all its forms, from emotional to physical, in the end all we do is for pleasure, even helping a begger makes you feel better about yourself.

In the end, why continue? Because you have no reason not to. Its like being in bed, why get up unless you're forced to?

[drak10687]

The point to life is to live, or in other words not to die. Yet we continue to die, hence we continue to try to live. At least thats what I thought of atm.

I think if people were confronted with the fact that there was no point in life, even those who believed there was, they would simply discard it, or lie to themselves in order to keep on going. Because its hard to continue to live, if you have no point in doing so. So whether or not we have a real point in life is meaningless as long as we think we do. And since at least some think (or lie to themselves that) there is a point to life, you cant prove that there isnt. And for those that tell themselves that there is not point to life, yet continue to live, they are lying as well, for if their life truely had no point, then they wouldnt continue barring its "struggles". So what is the meaning of life of those who dont believe there is one? It dosent matter, it can be anything, even something imediate such as: to satisfy their hunger, or maybe to get on the internet so they can post that they think there is not meaning to life, those could be plausible reasons to keep on living, at least for the moment. It would be much easier to simply discontinue your life, then to day after day continue to satisfy your hunger, desire, or whatever else.

[Fenris]

If there were to be no point in life, how would humanity be?

The response lies in a bad formulation of the question.

If there is no point in life, how IS humanity?

Because even if there is some kind of point, humans are ignorant about it, so they just go around inventing some.

[DarkKnight]

nothing other than existance. I believe it is as simple as that. To exist is all that matters. That is the meaning of life in its basic form.

That simply begs the question. What is the purpose of existing? To exist. What is accomplished by existing? Existing. What is the purpose of existing...

Why not?

Why?

There is no purpose to exist or not to exist. So your question is valid. "Why not?" Because there is no purpose either way.

Ah, but noble DarkKnight - what is "now"? And what is "soon"? Remove these artificial entities and we have nothing but sensation and perception. To judge things in a context of thens, nows and futures is perhaps distorting the reality of our existence, which simply happens. Futures and pasts are every bit as imaginary as purpose and meaning.

So, perhaps nothing means anything. But compared to what? Perhaps life is short and meaningless. But compared to what? Life is no more meaningful or meaningless than anything else, so the entire question of whether any of human experience can have any absolute measurable and objective relevance is completely redundant.

You bring up good points. But can anything even have meaning without temporal limits? If we remove the past and future then what is our perceptions and sensations "now" means absolutely nothing. In fact can anything mean anything mean anything without time to measure it? Therefore I simply see that supporting there being no meaning.