Why Should Life Have "Meaning?"

[humanguy]

Obviously inspired by Emory's thread.

Having given this quite a lot of thought I just can't see any reason at all for life to have meaning, "Meaning" with a capital M so to speak. I see no reason for us to assume that there's any meaning in all this. I see nothing upon which to base the idea of any sort of universal meaning, a meaning that could in any way be seen as commonly understood by all of humanity to be vital to our existence.

I can see how one's own personal meaning of one's individual life is his and his alone. What I can't understand is how one would feel deeply motivated to find meaning in his life in the first place. Where does that compelling need come from?

Maybe by not needing any meaning in my life I'm missing out on something, but I don't think so. Anyway, I'm an atheist, so there is no supreme intelligence in my life to give my life meaning. Some, of course, would argue that there is no intelligence in my life at all.

I very much like the idea of none of this having any meaning at all, of the universe and everything in it having absolutely no meaning. That's exciting to me, the thought gets my blood running and my mind thinking. It's a very liberating and positive concept (whatever that means). To me it's the most compelling and, in a sense, logical way to view all this, whatever all this is.

So, for both Christians and atheists, why should life have meaning?

[Rhino]

I think a determinist would agree with you. If everything is both an effect and cause to more then meaning is errelivent. That being said, the side of my brain filtering out, says an ultimate meaning should also gunk up the gears of free will. I can see free will deriving a meaning to life that is in flux. If meaning comes first it would be outside free will which again leads me to errelivent. Like I said still meshing this out.

[mitchellmckain]

LOL
This thread is so vilsbed.
LOL
Why should a word have meaning? I can make up a word "vilsbed" and assign it no meaning while making an argument that there is no reason why I cannot use a word that has no meaning.
LOL
So hey, likewise, if you would live a life with no meaning. Go right ahead. If you say your life has no meaning to you then I have no reason to doubt you, for if a person's life has meaning to anyone then it should at least have meaning to that person himself.

But the word "vilsbed" having no meaning leads to the conclusion that the statement using that word has no meaning either and thus there really is no point in making the statement at all. Likewise if your life has no meaning then I would suggest that this discussion about such a meaningless topic is also rather pointless and thus we who would live a meaningful life should stop wasting our time on it.

[VickiRW]

Yes, obviously there is no reason that life would have to have "M"eaning. If you assume it does, then I guess it makes sense to say the "M"eaning comes from god. With no real logical reason to assume "M"eaning, turning to an unreasoned reason may be ironically reasonable in that a reasoned reason isn't going to exist unless you just happen to be right about your first assumption. mitchellmckain is right that this is like language; there are no ultimate meanings to words, just the meanings we assign to them. I assign meaning to my life in the same way.

[humanguy]

LOL
This thread is so vilsbed.
LOL
Why should a word have meaning? I can make up a word "vilsbed" and assign it no meaning while making an argument that there is no reason why I cannot use a word that has no meaning.
LOL
So hey, likewise, if you would live a life with no meaning. Go right ahead. If you say your life has no meaning to you then I have no reason to doubt you, for if a person's life has meaning to anyone then it should at least have meaning to that person himself.

But the word "vilsbed" having no meaning leads to the conclusion that the statement using that word has no meaning either and thus there really is no point in making the statement at all. Likewise if your life has no meaning then I would suggest that this discussion about such a meaningless topic is also rather pointless and thus we who would live a meaningful life should stop wasting our time on it.

Always great to hear from Mr. Sunshine himself, the Happy Christer, the smartest guy in his tiny mind. Play, Mitch, scurry and frolic, play catch with the iddy biddy budderflies.

[Moonwood the Hare]

Anyway I thought humanguy was saying there is no meaning to things as a whole not to his own life. He finds meaning through his actions. We used to call it existetialism. Isn't this sort of what Camus' Myth of Sisyphus says Mitch.

[Rhino]

How many times have we read, said or heard "life without God is meaningless" or some variation there of? There is a marid of answers, question, responses, anyone just as valid more or less as asking why should life have meaning? Asking the question maybe the most valid response as it leads to examination. Saying X gives my life meaning is pointless if you have not examined what meaning if gives you.

[Keep The Reason]

Relax, everyone. I found the answer to this question.

meaning of life.jpg (15.48 KiB) Viewed 367 times

Next?

[Rhino]

Breaths a big sigh of relief.

[mitchellmckain]

Yes, obviously there is no reason that life would have to have "M"eaning. If you assume it does, then I guess it makes sense to say the "M"eaning comes from god. With no real logical reason to assume "M"eaning, turning to an unreasoned reason may be ironically reasonable in that a reasoned reason isn't going to exist unless you just happen to be right about your first assumption. mitchellmckain is right that this is like language; there are no ultimate meanings to words, just the meanings we assign to them. I assign meaning to my life in the same way.

Correct. Meaning is largely subjective. It is at most that median between subjective and objective that we find in the agreement between members of a group, just as we find in language. That is to say that there is no way that we can objectively demonstrate what the meaning or value of our lives should be, and thus in a free society it is our right to find whatever meaning and value that we can for our lives. But taking that as a given, people have every right to look for such value in different places and thus that includes seeking value and meaning that is dictated by a group or some authority that they accept -- though this not something that I ever could really understand myself. I can understand the value and meaning that people find in relationships with others, and it is on that basis that I relate to the way that the theist finds meaning for their lives in a relationship with God.

Always great to hear from Mr. Sunshine himself, the Happy Christer, the smartest guy in his tiny mind. Play, Mitch, scurry and frolic, play catch with the iddy biddy budderflies.

No meaningful content here just a lot idiotic ad-hominem hostility.

Anyway I thought humanguy was saying there is no meaning to things as a whole not to his own life.

...shrug... So just substitute "things as a whole" for "life" in what I said and it still applies.

He finds meaning through his actions. We used to call it existetialism.

Now THAT, I have no problem with whatsoever. If what he meant to say is that there is no a-priori meaning that can be objectively established but that meaning is something we have to find for ourselves then I would say "Damn straight!" But you are not going to find such meaning for yourself if you start by saying that you don't need any, and I see no reason to have anything but contempt for the denunciation of the efforts of others to find meaning in their lives.

Isn't this sort of what Camus' Myth of Sisyphus says Mitch.

Yes I think that the above is certainly a premise in the Albert Camus' "Myth of Sisyphus". Since we must find the meaning of our existence for ourselves then we can find meaning and even happiness in defiance of immoral gods no matter how hopeless that defiance may be.

[humanguy]

Always great to hear from Mr. Sunshine himself, the Happy Christer, the smartest guy in his tiny mind. Play, Mitch, scurry and frolic, play catch with the iddy biddy budderflies.

No meaningful content here just a lot idiotic ad-hominem hostility.

I keep it on hand just for you, darling.

[mitchellmckain]

No meaningful content here just a lot idiotic ad-hominem hostility.

I keep it on hand just for you, darling.

I believe that is what is called holding a grudge.

At least there is no absurd pretense to having made comments based on any kind of objectivity or logical reasoning, just the naked truth that the reasoning of human beings is rather typically mired in irrational emotional outbursts regardless of what their opinions on objectively undecidable issues may be.

[Keep The Reason]

I believe that is what is called holding a grudge.

Whoop! Whoop! Hypocrisy meter says,

0% |___________________________________/__| 100%

98.4%

Not a record, but close.

[humanguy]

No meaningful content here just a lot idiotic ad-hominem hostility.

I keep it on hand just for you, darling.

I believe that is what is called holding a grudge.

Not at all. It's called not liking someone.

[Aaron]

I believe that is what is called holding a grudge.

Whoop! Whoop! Hypocrisy meter says,

0% |___________________________________/__| 100%

98.4%

Not a record, but close.

Hey that's creative with the colors and all (no comments on the content of the message though).