I found this to be interesting. It certainly doesn’t answer the question of “which religion is right,” but does give a good perspective on the often asked question, “how can life have meaning without a belief in God?”
I’m always intrigued by this human obsession with finding “meaning” in this life. Especially from self proclaimed atheists.
Why does life have to have meaning?
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I only watched the first minute or so but it seemed like one pop-cliche after another . . . .
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The meaning of life? A hot woman, cold dark beer and good mexican food. Next?
I’m always intrigued by this human obsession with finding “meaning” in this life. Especially from self proclaimed atheists.
You hear a lot about it because some theists claim that atheists can’t find meaning in life, and atheists naturally enough want to respond to that claim.
IMO, human beings create meaning in life. If it’s created by your subconscious, of course, then that may set up the illusion that you didn’t create it but it was already there. Also, of course, some people just accept that their lives’ meaning is whatever other people say it is without thinking much about it; they still thereby create meaning, if only in a shallow sense.
Why does life have to have meaning?
It doesn’t. But if you don’t have any purpose in living, then why bother with it?
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IMO, human beings create meaning in life
Which is exactly the point he made in the video.
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I only watched the first minute or so but it seemed like one pop-cliche after another . . . .
I once watched a band tune their guitars and didn’t understand why people like the band, so I left. Seemed like just a bunch of random noise.
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I don’t watch youtube here, but I figured it would be along those lines.
You hear a lot about it because some theists claim that atheists can’t find meaning in life, and atheists naturally enough want to respond to that claim.
I get that, but why even play that game? Why let theists determine the parameters of meaning in the first place? Why not just reject the concept all together?
This ties into my view that almost everyone is “religious” in their mindset (even atheists). The “meaning of life” is a religious concept.
IMO, human beings create meaning in life. If it’s created by your subconscious, of course, then that may set up the illusion that you didn’t create it but it was already there.
So it’s all in your head? Fair enough.
It doesn’t. But if you don’t have any purpose in living, then why bother with it?
Yes, why bother?
Yesterday I working on a tank that is 100 yards from a beach. A lady walked up to me to tell me a sea lion was laying on the beach in distress (she actually asked me if she should drag it back into the water, seemingly unaware that it breathes air and would have drown (not to mention the distinct possibility of being bitten by a diseased animal)). Well the thing was clearly not well and lady seemed intent on “doing something”.
“Sea lions die”, I told her.
We stood there and watched it die.
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it could have been jazz you heard . . .
I only watched the first minute or so but it seemed like one pop-cliche after another . . . .
I once watched a band tune their guitars and didn’t understand why people like the band, so I left. Seemed like just a bunch of random noise.
I guess you would have given up after the first few bars of Beethoven’s Ninth then! (The opening sounds like an orchestra tuning.)
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I was just about to exit, but then Beethoven picked it up a notch . . . like I suggested, I’ll give a promising opus at least a minute.
I did go back and watch the remainder of the video - I did not get anything new from it . . . but then, I’m 60 yo and I’ve been to the mountain top more than once.
Yesterday I working on a tank that is 100 yards from a beach. A lady walked up to me to tell me a sea lion was laying on the beach in distress (she actually asked me if she should drag it back into the water, seemingly unaware that it breathes air and would have drown (not to mention the distinct possibility of being bitten by a diseased animal)). Well the thing was clearly not well and lady seemed intent on “doing something”.
“Sea lions die”, I told her.
We stood there and watched it die.
You sir, are worse than Hitler.
The key is to know your special purpose.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJJA6WRpvlg
Ironically, I was born a poor Mexican child (in Colonia).
You hear a lot about it because some theists claim that atheists can’t find meaning in life, and atheists naturally enough want to respond to that claim.
I get that, but why even play that game? Why let theists determine the parameters of meaning in the first place?
Obviously, I don’t. The theists claim the meaning is already there, having been created by a supernatural being. I argue the opposite.
Why not just reject the concept all together?
Why should I reject a perfectly valid concept just because a religious person happens to share it?
This ties into my view that almost everyone is “religious” in their mindset (even atheists). The “meaning of life” is a religious concept.
The fact that theists go through a certain thought process doesn’t mean that thought process or its concepts are necessarily religious. Is Pascal’s triangle a religious concept? If I accept the idea, does that mean my mindset is religious?
IMO, human beings create meaning in life. If it’s created by your subconscious, of course, then that may set up the illusion that you didn’t create it but it was already there.
So it’s all in your head? Fair enough.
Of course it’s in your head. Purposes and even concepts only exist in minds, even if they relate to external reality in certain ways.
It doesn’t. But if you don’t have any purpose in living, then why bother with it?
Yes, why bother?
Yesterday I working on a tank that is 100 yards from a beach. A lady walked up to me to tell me a sea lion was laying on the beach in distress (she actually asked me if she should drag it back into the water, seemingly unaware that it breathes air and would have drown (not to mention the distinct possibility of being bitten by a diseased animal)). Well the thing was clearly not well and lady seemed intent on “doing something”.
“Sea lions die”, I told her.
We stood there and watched it die.
Why did you even bother getting out of bed that day?
This ties into my view that almost everyone is “religious” in their mindset (even atheists). The “meaning of life” is a religious concept.
It could be that we are hard wired, via evolution, to look for meaning in things, to look for and even find order in things even though they may be completely random. If that’s the case, then it may not be that theists are dictating the parameters, so much, as we are just giving in to and following human nature. Why fight human nature. That would be like not masturbating.
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This ties into my view that almost everyone is “religious” in their mindset (even atheists). The “meaning of life” is a religious concept.
It could be that we are hard wired, via evolution, to look for meaning in things, to look for and even find order in things even though they may be completely random. If that’s the case, then it may not be that theists are dictating the parameters, so much, as we are just giving in to and following human nature. Why fight human nature. That would be like not masturbating.
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This ties into my view that almost everyone is “religious” in their mindset (even atheists). The “meaning of life” is a religious concept.
Its a philisophical concept which really has nothing to do with atheist. You can reject introspection if you wish, but I wouldn’t say its something to necessarily take pride in.
Such thoughts as, “competing in triathlons and spending time with my family brings joy and meaning to my life” aren’t exactly terrible concepts.
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I’m always intrigued by this human obsession with finding “meaning” in this life. Especially from self proclaimed atheists.
Why does life have to have meaning?
I find the need for meaning in life is much more central to religious people. That’s what god gives them - meaning.
What I find interesting is that when you start discussing this with the religious, its not so much about the meaning of life in general as it is about the meaning of THEIR life. Their life must have meaning, cause, well, they are so special. The universe would not make sense if their life was just a meaningless coincidence in the cosmic sense.
To me, The Meaning of Life, is simply of the funnier Monty Python films.