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Posing the question, what is the meaning of life?, supposes there must be some context to life that is not obvious.

If one accepts what is apparent, i.e. no continuation of personality/intelligence beyond death, then there is the meaning of life beyond the obvious. This life is our existence. We live within the laws of physics. Socially and civilly, we "bump" into each other's "space", impacting others and being impacted by them. There are consequences of our choices, they are realized here and now, some with effects that might continue until our death, when it's done, over.

If I do not want to have a contentious border relationship with my neighbor, I will compromise doing with my property what I find worth avoiding that contention. If I do not want to see the hurt on my wife's face, I will not cheat on her.

But asking 'what is the meaning of life?' signals in my opinion the development of human intelligence to the point of considering the abstract and finding that the reality of the abstract is unsatisfying. "There must be something more." But why must there?

So religion is concocted. An afterlife. A maker, all powerful, all knowing. And some inquisitors seeking a meaning to life are satisfied, at least until that peel the layers of that onion back and ask, what's the point to eternal life? It is as hollow and unsatisfying as it would have been simply to have realized that this life is it, there's nothing afterwards. It simply expands the question from what is the meaning of this existence we know and call mortal life, to what is the meaning of a life that continues after mortal death?

Just as if one traveled in space and found the end of the universe he or she would then wonder what is on the other side? Just as one wonders how god was created? One ends up asking what is the meaning of eternal life after exploring the religious 'answers' to what is the meaning of our current, 'mortal' life.

SP,

These are thought provoking points you make. I visited a Vietnam memorial garden yesterday and while walking through it, felt something similar to what I would sometimes consider "feeling the Spirit" as a TBM. I noted it as being very meaningful to me. It's funny how I used to have the prideful idea that Mormons have a special inside to the meaning of life.

We're not here for a long time... We're here for A GOOD TIME!

i know there is a lot of discussion about the extent to which religious tendencies, so to speak, have arisen in humans through natural selection. in some areas this seems sensible, such as with tribal affinity, delaying gratification, and capacity for imagination. but i cannot see what the survival advantage would be in a hunger for meaning.

palerobber wrote:i know there is a lot of discussion about the extent to which religious tendencies, so to speak, have arisen in humans through natural selection. in some areas this seems sensible, such as with tribal affinity, delaying gratification, and capacity for imagination. but i cannot see what the survival advantage would be in a hunger for meaning.

I don't think it is a survival advantage in a hunger for meaning, as much as it is an incident of mental capacity with brain development that provided other skills for survival. With the ability to think in abstract terms came also 'with the territory' an ability to contemplate time after death. With that, it could occur to man to inquire about what impact this life might have on a possible post-death continuation, ergo, what is the meaning of this life?

sock puppet wrote:Posing the question, what is the meaning of life?, supposes there must be some context to life that is not obvious.

If one accepts what is apparent, i.e. no continuation of personality/intelligence beyond death, then there is the meaning of life beyond the obvious.

The opinion that one accepts what you deem "apparent" is incorrect... unless they agree with you.

sock puppet wrote: This life is our existence. We live within the laws of physics. Socially and civilly, we "bump" into each other's "space", impacting others and being impacted by them. There are consequences of our choices, they are realized here and now, some with effects that might continue until our death, when it's done, over.

Again your opinion.

sock puppet wrote:If I do not want to have a contentious border relationship with my neighbor, I will compromise doing with my property what I find worth avoiding that contention. If I do not want to see the hurt on my wife's face, I will not cheat on her.

Those are your choices because you think for yourself. If humans were just another animal, you'd do whatever you wanted to without feeling remorse.

sock puppet wrote:But asking 'what is the meaning of life?' signals in my opinion the development of human intelligence to the point of considering the abstract and finding that the reality of the abstract is unsatisfying. "There must be something more." But why must there?

Because you exist. Just because you don't have the data to figure it out, doesn't mean there isn't a purpose. If you knew all the answers, it would dictate your choices. Since you don't, you have free will to make up your own mind. To Descartes' argument, there is only one known variable, which would be your thoughts. You are the only one having them, so you exist.

sock puppet wrote:So religion is concocted.

Says who? You? Who said God didn't create multiple religions as part of the plan? What if the plan isn't to choose correctly? What if the plan is to make you figure things out on your own and there is no "incorrect" answer? What if the plan is just to learn by your choices?

sock puppet wrote:An afterlife. A maker, all powerful, all knowing. And some inquisitors seeking a meaning to life are satisfied, at least until that peel the layers of that onion back and ask, what's the point to eternal life? It is as hollow and unsatisfying as it would have been simply to have realized that this life is it, there's nothing afterwards. It simply expands the question from what is the meaning of this existence we know and call mortal life, to what is the meaning of a life that continues after mortal death?

You are finite. The concepts you claim are unreasonable because you don't have the infinite ability to understand them, is just a further testament to how finite you are.

sock puppet wrote:Just as if one traveled in space and found the end of the universe he or she would then wonder what is on the other side?

Not if you have the ability for infinite thought. What if earth is just a domain where everything is manufactured? As long as you don't know you're in the Matrix everything is real.

sock puppet wrote: Just as one wonders how god was created? One ends up asking what is the meaning of eternal life after exploring the religious 'answers' to what is the meaning of our current, 'mortal' life.

in my opinion, it's to learn emotion. No one goes to hell... it doesn't exist. No one gets "saved" while other suffer penalty for choosing incorrectly. What you take from life is experience... the only way to get that experience is to have the ultimate answers kept from you. You will learn things known only to you... what happens after that is something i don't even try to understand... I'm much too finite.

thews wrote:

sock puppet wrote:Posing the question, what is the meaning of life?, supposes there must be some context to life that is not obvious.

If one accepts what is apparent, i.e. no continuation of personality/intelligence beyond death, then there is the meaning of life beyond the obvious.

The opinion that one accepts what you deem "apparent" is incorrect... unless they agree with you.

sock puppet wrote: This life is our existence. We live within the laws of physics. Socially and civilly, we "bump" into each other's "space", impacting others and being impacted by them. There are consequences of our choices, they are realized here and now, some with effects that might continue until our death, when it's done, over.

Again your opinion.

sock puppet wrote:If I do not want to have a contentious border relationship with my neighbor, I will compromise doing with my property what I find worth avoiding that contention. If I do not want to see the hurt on my wife's face, I will not cheat on her.

Those are your choices because you think for yourself. If humans were just another animal, you'd do whatever you wanted to without feeling remorse.

sock puppet wrote:But asking 'what is the meaning of life?' signals in my opinion the development of human intelligence to the point of considering the abstract and finding that the reality of the abstract is unsatisfying. "There must be something more." But why must there?

Because you exist. Just because you don't have the data to figure it out, doesn't mean there isn't a purpose. If you knew all the answers, it would dictate your choices. Since you don't, you have free will to make up your own mind. To Descartes' argument, there is only one known variable, which would be your thoughts. You are the only one having them, so you exist.

sock puppet wrote:So religion is concocted.

Says who? You? Who said God didn't create multiple religions as part of the plan? What if the plan isn't to choose correctly? What if the plan is to make you figure things out on your own and there is no "incorrect" answer? What if the plan is just to learn by your choices?

sock puppet wrote:An afterlife. A maker, all powerful, all knowing. And some inquisitors seeking a meaning to life are satisfied, at least until that peel the layers of that onion back and ask, what's the point to eternal life? It is as hollow and unsatisfying as it would have been simply to have realized that this life is it, there's nothing afterwards. It simply expands the question from what is the meaning of this existence we know and call mortal life, to what is the meaning of a life that continues after mortal death?

You are finite. The concepts you claim are unreasonable because you don't have the infinite ability to understand them, is just a further testament to how finite you are.

sock puppet wrote:Just as if one traveled in space and found the end of the universe he or she would then wonder what is on the other side?

Not if you have the ability for infinite thought. What if earth is just a domain where everything is manufactured? As long as you don't know you're in the Matrix everything is real.

sock puppet wrote: Just as one wonders how god was created? One ends up asking what is the meaning of eternal life after exploring the religious 'answers' to what is the meaning of our current, 'mortal' life.

in my opinion, it's to learn emotion. No one goes to hell... it doesn't exist. No one gets "saved" while other suffer penalty for choosing incorrectly. What you take from life is experience... the only way to get that experience is to have the ultimate answers kept from you. You will learn things known only to you... what happens after that is something i don't even try to understand... I'm much too finite.

Thanks for the input, Thews. And there's something about both our avatars that extends a welcome to the jungle.