Does life have a point?

[Dancing Mustard]

Relax DM, it was a joke.

Oh wow, first post I make to you here, and you're trying to make it FW again. Chill out.

Seriously, if you think everybody else is getting uptight about anything that's posted here, then I can assure you that you're wrong. If you choose to react to internet messageboards angrily, then fine. But please don't insist on projecting that mindset onto everybody you converse with.

It isn't a competition DM. Leave that in Flame Wars.

Why don't you take some of that advice yourself?

So far you've had a clumsy stab at baiting, and now you're trying the whole "Whoah whoah! Don't be defensive!" troll when I respond. Please leave your petty imagined rivalry in FW, i'm simply not interested in indulging your dull trolling here.

There's no need to get defensive when someone replies to your post with a joke.

Correct. Now try practicing what you preach. Please leave your trolling and baiting in FW.

[Gregrios]

Isn't it kind of vain to imagine that we could actually know life's purpose?

Sure, Bible-Thumpers and Philosophers can unite in a frenzy of self-congratulatory dick-beating while claiming that their old books are superior to everybody elses old books... but ultimately, nobody knows. Anybody who claims to be able to make sweeping statements about what life is all about (or what the controller of life is all about) is just fooling themselves, and acting like a gigantically pretentious prick.

Are you saying that the reprodution of our race isn't a worth wild purpose?

If so, then you are truly a disgrace to the human race.

[Dancing Mustard]

Are you saying that the reprodution of our race isn't a worth wild purpose?

Answer 1: Worth Wild? Go back to school and learn to spell. When you've mastered basic literacy skills then perhaps you can graduate to attempting to answer philosophy's big questions. But learn to walk before you try running.

Answer 2: You fail to note that I never said continuation of the species wasn't worthwhile. Congratulations on engaging with a straw-man, and congratulations for reminding us that you're almost completely illiterate, and/or incapable of understanding what other people are saying.

Answer 3: I was saying that people who purport to know life's purpose and who try to condemn others who don't agree with their ignorant views, are gigantically pretentious pricks. Thanks for proving me so right.

[jonesthecurl]

Whether or not life has a point, I sometimes suspect that Greg's head does.

[Gregrios]

Are you saying that the reprodution of our race isn't a worth wild purpose?

Answer 1: Worth Wild? Go back to school and learn to spell. When you've mastered basic literacy skills then perhaps you can graduate to attempting to answer philosophy's big questions. But learn to walk before you try running.

Answer 2: You fail to note that I never said continuation of the species wasn't worthwhile. Congratulations on engaging with a straw-man, and congratulations for reminding us that you're almost completely illiterate, and/or incapable of understanding what other people are saying.

Answer 3: I was saying that people who purport to know life's purpose and who try to condemn others who don't agree with their ignorant views, are gigantically pretentious pricks. Thanks for proving me so right.

1. I don't follow.

2. You did say it, just not in those exact words.

3. The bolded you did not mention.

Any questions?

[mpjh]

No, no, greg's head is flat, like the world.

[Gregrios]

Where's your proof?

[Dancing Mustard]

Are you saying that the reprodution of our race isn't a worth wild purpose?

Answer 1: Worth Wild? Go back to school and learn to spell. When you've mastered basic literacy skills then perhaps you can graduate to attempting to answer philosophy's big questions. But learn to walk before you try running.

Answer 2: You fail to note that I never said continuation of the species wasn't worthwhile. Congratulations on engaging with a straw-man, and congratulations for reminding us that you're almost completely illiterate, and/or incapable of understanding what other people are saying.

Answer 3: I was saying that people who purport to know life's purpose and who try to condemn others who don't agree with their ignorant views, are gigantically pretentious pricks. Thanks for proving me so right.

1. I don't follow.

2. You did say it, just not in those exact words.

3. The bolded you did not mention.

Any questions?

1. The phrase you were looking for was 'worth while'. I was suggesting that you perhaps ought to become better acquainted with the foundations of the English language before imagining yourself to be ready to grapple with serious philosophical questions.

2. Wrong. I said no such thing. If you think I did, then you are mistaken. Go brush up on the reading skills we talked about in point 1, and come back when you're in a position to comprehend other people's replies.

3. True enough. But given that I said people who think they can know the answer are gigantically pretentious pricks, it would have been fair for you to assume that I regard people who not only claim to know the answers but also attempt to condemn others on the basis of the answers they believe they have, are gigantically pretentious pricks.

It's simple stuff Greggy, do try to keep up.

[jonesthecurl]

Where's your proof?

Well, did you ever see a ship sail off the edge?

[Gregrios]

Are you saying that the reprodution of our race isn't a worth while purpose?

Answer 1: Worth Wild? Go back to school and learn to spell. When you've mastered basic literacy skills then perhaps you can graduate to attempting to answer philosophy's big questions. But learn to walk before you try running.

Answer 2: You fail to note that I never said continuation of the species wasn't worthwhile. Congratulations on engaging with a straw-man, and congratulations for reminding us that you're almost completely illiterate, and/or incapable of understanding what other people are saying.

Answer 3: I was saying that people who purport to know life's purpose and who try to condemn others who don't agree with their ignorant views, are gigantically pretentious pricks. Thanks for proving me so right.

1. I don't follow.

2. You did say it, just not in those exact words.

3. The bolded you did not mention.

Any questions?

1. The phrase you were looking for was 'worth while'. I was suggesting that you perhaps ought to become better acquainted with the foundations of the English language before imagining yourself to be ready to grapple with serious philosophical questions.

2. Wrong. I said no such thing. If you think I did, then you are mistaken. Go brush up on the reading skills we talked about in point 1, and come back when you're in a position to comprehend other people's replies.

3. True enough. But given that I said people who think they can know the answer are gigantically pretentious pricks, it would have been fair for you to assume that I regard people who not only claim to know the answers but also attempt to condemn others on the basis of the answers they believe they have, are gigantically pretentious pricks.

It's simple stuff Greggy, do try to keep up.

1. You got me there, thanks for the spell check.

2. I gave a possible purpose in life when I referred to the reprodution of humanity and you followed up by saying that it's arrogent for anyone to claim to know the purpose in life. Is that your way of agreeing with me?

3. That's already taken care of.

Ya dig, DH?

[Dancing Mustard]

I gave a possible purpose in life when I referred to the reprodution of humanity and you followed up by saying that it's arrogent for anyone to claim to know the purpose in life. Is that your way of agreeing with me?

Seriously, are you being dense on purpose? Or do you actually not understand?

Look, here's how it works:

1. You say "Purpose of life is blah"
2. I say "I think it's arrogant to purport to know the purpose of life"
3. You say "How dare you! You are a terrible man for denying my point of view"

I said I thought your attempts to know the answer to the secrets of life was arrogant. That's no the same thing as saying I think that the activity you were advocating as part of your proposed purpose was wrong. Got that now? Or will you insist on grunting out another smiley saturated nugget of nonsense in response?

[mpjh]

Juan, there is a "point" to life. At a minimum it is to expose ignorance posing as faith for the repressive, reactionary, and retrograde view of the world that it truly is. At a maximum it is to live in defense of truth, beauty and justice.

[Juan_Bottom]

Juan, there is a "point" to life. At a minimum it is to expose ignorance posing as faith for the repressive, reactionary, and retrograde view of the world that it truly is. At a maximum it is to live in defense of truth, beauty and justice.

Is this the "point to life" or is this the point of humanity? I believe it to be the latter. To some life would be a simplistic term meaning human, here and now. I would broaden the term hugely however. Like as in, is there a point to the sun?

[Neoteny]

"Life's a journey, not a destination."

[mpjh]

Yeah, and how we take the journey is where all the difference is for each of us.

[jonesthecurl]

Now you broaden the question, oh seeking-juan.
Is there a purpose to life itself, not yours, mine or humanity's, but the very quickening of organic compounds itself?
Not, I would say, until self-awareness enters the picture.
Up until this point, each lifeform has a purpose which is to survive and reproduce - although by calling this a "purpose", I may be merely defining life.
Not until the question "What's it all about?" can be asked can there be any possibility of the question having meaning.
And the, at least according to me, the purpose is whatever that self-aware being decides it is.
There are those who would hold that the purpose of sentience is to ask, "What's it all about?"
I'm trying to avoid mentioning a number which is not unadjecent to 41.

[Juan_Bottom]

Somehow I believe that Neoteny will kill this question. He just needs a random roof to lie upon....

Now you broaden the question, oh seeking-juan.

This was the championship question at the "Philosophy-off" or whatever it's called at Hawaii in like '98. I can't find an answer myself. It's infinitly expandable... or contractable.

[mpjh]

Well, if some college students couldn't figure it out -- there must not be an answer.

[jonesthecurl]

Well, if some college students couldn't figure it out -- there must not be an answer.

When I was doing my History degree (which I did part-time, voluntarily as a mature student, and abandoned when the kids were born), some of the students couldn't solve the problem of where the uni was - perhaps it didn't exist.

[mpjh]

No doubt.

Never went to undergraduate school myself -- CLEPed out into graduate school after Viet Nam -- eventually went to law school at 35 years old == now a retired lawyer

and I still don't know the answer.

[jonesthecurl]

...and another language barrier:
In the UK, "School" is where you go up to 16/18, not your college or university.

[mpjh]

Well, here it can be anything. In fact, most colleges of law are called "law schools" and post-graduate education is sometimes referred to as "graduate school." We don't have the short pants, long pants hang up so much.

[Fruitcake]

None of what you say matters, as you are all nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Added to which, I do not really exist either as I am but a construct of another beings imagination.

[TheProwler]

Relax DM, it was a joke.

Oh wow, first post I make to you here, and you're trying to make it FW again. Chill out.

Seriously, if you think everybody else is getting uptight about anything that's posted here, then I can assure you that you're wrong. If you choose to react to internet messageboards angrily, then fine. But please don't insist on projecting that mindset onto everybody you converse with.

I only think people are uptight when they get defensive and rude to an innocent joke. That's what you did.

It isn't a competition DM. Leave that in Flame Wars.

Why don't you take some of that advice yourself?

So far you've had a clumsy stab at baiting, and now you're trying the whole "Whoah whoah! Don't be defensive!" troll when I respond. Please leave your petty imagined rivalry in FW, i'm simply not interested in indulging your dull trolling here.

Don't be paranoid. I wasn't baiting you. I was kinda hoping you'd get a chuckle out of what I said along with everyone else.

There's no need to get defensive when someone replies to your post with a joke.

Correct. Now try practicing what you preach. Please leave your trolling and baiting in FW.

Again, it was just a joke. No trolling. No baiting.

You seriously don't have to make a big deal every time I reply to one of your posts. If you had an open mind, you'd see that I was actually supporting your post. It is obvious that nobody can understand something they are only guessing and speculating about. That is what everyone does when they try to "understand" the meaning of life. So, while I was speaking as one of "them", I was pointing out that it is ridiculous to actually use the word "understand" when dealing with this subject. That's why I've been inactive in this thread - it is a useless discussion because there are no meaningful facts to discuss.

Whatever though. If you are bound and determined to argue with me, I'll address your points.

[mpjh]

None of what you say matters, as you are all nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Added to which, I do not really exist either as I am but a construct of another beings imagination.

Yes, definitely you are the figment of the imagination of a piece of dried fruit.