OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

What is the purpose of life?

What does it mean to be alive? (No, I'm not looking for a biological answer here! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif )

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Why is the "Hot" always on the left?

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

To learn and grow.

Being connected to your physical body.

Because people develop habits and sometimes act without thinking.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

So that bli……..ah, visually challenged people don’t burn themselves. And because the building code requires it.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

To reproduce, then get fat, sleep a lot, and then die.

Your body takes in air, food, water, and excreats waste. You require sleep, shelter, and compaionship. If you hurt yourself, it hurts. You are self aware and can think. If were unable to do this, then chances are your not alive.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Judeo-Christianity believes that we are here to glorify God.

(Every one else has given snippy responses, so I thought I would go with a more "charged" response.)

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

"This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." - LDS scripture.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Just a few days ago, I was discussing the purpose of life with a colleague at work. He had recently watched a program on insects and their life cycles, and it was explained that the purpose of life for an insect is only to reproduce. They just have to grow and survive long enough so that they can reproduce, and then their job in life is done and they die. We hope that us humans have more of a purpose to life than just the biological function of propagating the species.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

The reall question is: Do we have free will?

If you believe in an omnipotent and omniscient god, then no we don't have free will.

If you believe in a purely scientific action reaction, relative forces, and all that mumbo jumbo, then no we don't have free will.

For each of these situations, there can be no true free will. If god is all knowing, we do not truly choose, because the path was already laid out for us when the universe was created. If everything is merely a mathamatical theoram of relationships between components of the universe, then we have no free will, because we cannot change how these things happen, because we ourselves are merely expressions of that equation.

In truth, I think the reality lies somewhere in between. I firmly believe that there is something more to life than a random collection of molecules, and that something is what makes us truly alive. Who knows? I certainly don't, but the reall question is, what is the point in debating it? Nobody can answer it one way or another, because ultimately, no on will know untill they reach the clearing at the end of the path.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Well, I like to think that we have free will. It certainly seems like we have free will, that we have the power of choice in our thoughts and actions. I don't like the idea that everything is predetermined because then it seems like our lives don't really matter. If everything is predetermined, what's the point of trying to improve one's situation, working towards goals, trying to achieve things? But free will could very well be an illusion, as people like to point out.

I can say, "hey, I can choose whether to pick up this pen in front of me, or choose not to, so I have free will."

Then the other guy could say, "You only think you have a choice, but ultimately, you did the thing that you were supposed to and the free will is an illusion."

Then the related discussion is on whether or not we have souls. If our thoughts are merely chemical reactions in our brains, we don't have free will, because the chemical reactions must follow the laws of biochemistry and physics, and can only go a certain way. It doesn't make sense to say that chemistry follows the exact physical laws everywhere else in the world but not inside brains. Debating whether we have souls or not is hard, just like arguing whether god exists or not, because you can't see or measure it and there's no concrete evidence one way or another.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Well, with many things there is a degree of randomness involved. Chemical reactions are highly ordered and predictable on a macro scale, but on smaller scales, (ie: a single molecular reaction) there is a lot of randomness involved.

Also, if everything was predetermined, why wouldn't that be a good defence in court? I killed that guy but I didn't have a choice. It was all predetermined.

Consciousness is a concept that is very poorly understood. Slap some neurons together, and you don't create a brain or a new individual. The processes are still not understood, but I think current theories have something to do with quantum states to describe why consciousness exists at all.

Some people even believe that consciousness is required for the universe to exist. Otherwise, there would be no observer no one to force the quantum wavefronts, all the possible outcomes, to crystallize into a single reality. Really quite interesting concept.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

OK, I agree there is randomness in chemistry on small scales, but it seems to me that randomness still does not equal free will. Because then our thoughts and actions come from randomness and not from free will. It's like, I made a certain choice just because a molecule in my brain happened to randomly bounce in a certain way and react with another molecule, so it's based on probability and chance, not free will.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

I, for one, believe we have free will. Then again, even if we do have free will, random events will always effect our lives in ways we can't predict, avoid or prevent. So in essence, even if we do have free will, randomness also controls our lives to a certain extent.

I really don't have any basis to believe we have free will, no evidence to prove one way or the other. The very nature of the question doesn't allow us to know the true answer. The real question is; does it matter if we do or we don't? After all, it seems to me as though we have free will, so if we don't it sure is well hidden http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif Therefore if it seems like we have free will, but we don't, is it really any different from actually having free will?

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

I have a question for God, why is it that some people always seem to be given the breaks in life. They have a job they love, they are healthy, they look great, they are rich, they have all that they can ever want and nothing bad, bad as in real world, ever seems to happen to them?

Why do I always get all the [censored] bad luck? Why not spread it around to some of these "life is so great" spoiled rotten richie rich types?

Why won't you let me meet a nice women that I can spend the rest of my life with that doesn't weigh 500 pounds, or insane, or out to screw me over? Why do I have to struggle when so many of my ideas have made others millions? WTF God?

No offense Lord, I would just like to know.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Haven't you read the bibble AT? God is a dick....

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Ah, yes; you get all the [censored] bad luck. Sitting in front of your rather expensive computer, out of the rain, with a full belly, have all the [censored] bad luck. Of course. Because, you know, there aren't, say, children getting molested by their parents, or people getting tossed out on the streets, or starving to death..... you get all the [censored] bad luck. Of course you do. It's not like you're the one without any real-world problems. Roof over your head? Clothes on your back? Food in your belly as needed? Perspective.

The Bible doesn't usually list God's motives, but you might think of looking into One Group's Take on the subject.

My own understanding mostly boils down to "free will". People take actions, and actions have consequences - good, bad, and unintended, for the person who acted, for the person who didn't act, and for those not otherwise involved. When someone chooses to murder, that someone also chooses another to kill. When someone chooses to be indiscriminate in their relations, they choose to run the risks involved. Multiple people get similar ideas all the time - some choose to follow up, and some reap the rewards; others choose not to, and don't. Others enter into, and follow through on, agreements that are more advantageous to one party than the other. Occasionally someone betrays a trust. You refer to "let" - yet the specific criteria kinda implies "force" - be that motives, body type, or other choices; would you marry a robot with no choice but to follow it's programming? Would you want to live in a world where everyone was identical?

The world is as our collective choices shaped it, and of course, God gets the blame. Easy to blame someone you don't really know, and not have to put the face of your neighbors, your friends, your family, and yourself as the causes of your troubles, isn't it?

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Whoa. I detect just the tiniest hint of acrimony. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

I was trying to be synical, but your right Jack, who the hell am I to ***** about bad luck when there is so much evil in the world.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

The meaning of life is what ever makes you content with your life.

Genetically there is a strong reward system (contentment) for having offspring. There is an unbroken line of ancestors from you to the very first life. Each and very one has the fact that they reproduced as a common trait. Now you may chose to do something else with your life, but don’t expect your grandchildren to follow in your footsteps.


Free will is not knowing what your decision will be before you make it. The only one without free will would then be god.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

I have no free will. I must post to this thread. There is no choice. It must occur. Chemical biology exists; therefore my free will does not. And now, I must stop this post.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

AT: "Why do I always get all the [censored] bad luck? WTF God?

God: "Atrocities, there's just something about you that pisses me off!"

AT, for what it's worth, we all love you on this board; we just can't show it when God's around... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

[PythonParaphrase]
"On second thought, let us not go to the Shrapnel Forum... it is a silly place."
[/Python]

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

R O F L M A O

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Sometimes I hear people say that humans are sentient but other animals are not. I don't understand how we could possibly know this. How can you tell the difference, for example, whether a dog is sentient or not?

If we agree that humans are sentient, I would argue that other animals are sentient also. But then we have the problem of where to draw the line. Are fish sentient? Are insects sentient? Are plants sentient? I would have to say that viruses and bacteria are too simple to be sentient, so which organisms are sentient and which are not?

Part of the problem is that we don't have a good definition of what "sentient" means, but the other part of the problem is that you could never know what another creature is thinking, whether it is self-aware or not, what thought processes it is going through.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Actually, 'sentient' means 'having senses' -- that is, a creature capable of experiencing its environment. Guess what? Plants are sentient. They recognize where sunlight comes from and turn their leaves to face it. That is proof of 'sentience' ... What people think this word means is 'self-aware' or 'intelligent'. It doesn't. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

And yes, animals are smarter than we generally believe. They have just managed to prove that dolphins use individual names, for example.

http://today.reuters.com/News/newsAr...E-DOLPHINS.xml

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n..._dolphins.html

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science...whistles_x.htm

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Too Hell with that !!! God's been pissin' on my shoes for years now, so I got your back, <font color="blue"> AT </font>, anytime, anywhere, any reason...

Bring it on God !!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

One of my favorite lines from a movie:
"God is going to sit this one out."
I don't remember what the movie is called, but it features that guy in the black t-shirt with a big skull on it (could be me, but I'm not as big and muscular as he is... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/fear.gif ).


Anyway, back to the original question:
"42". http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/cool.gif

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

OK folks, let's simmer down on the God-bashing. I, who am not easily offended, am beginning to get offended. Just as it would be improper for those who have dedicated their lives to God to come in here and start preaching to the unbelievers, it is equally inappropriate for others to show such disrespect to God in front of the believers. Please be sensitive to those around you and recognize that this is a sensitive issue.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Thanks for saying that in a nice way. And I agree wholeheartedly.

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

And that after the awful 'fate' that Turin Turumbar suffered. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: OT: Some of mankind\'s toughest questions
 

Animals have more going on than cognitive science has gotten around to understanding and proving. Sensitive pet owners seem to be WAY ahead of cognitive science in understanding the animal mind. A few years ago, some German animal behaviorologists announced their amazing discovery, that a dog who has been told not to eat some food, and who does not eat that food when humans are in the same room, will go ahead and eat that food when the humans have left them alone in the room. Imagine that! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif