The meaning of life
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"Not so quick" goodideaSSPPA...@lvcm.com
The meaning of life: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=life Really, that is the meaning of the word "life".
At least one dictionary's entry.
If there are other questions like: What meaning can man find in life?
Is there a creator who has a definite purpose for individuals?
But the question "What is the meaning of life?" presupposes quite a bit and leads to more questions than answers, perhaps.
"Roger" roge...@hotmail.com
Since mankind has been trying to answer this for thousands of years, do you really expect it to be answered here? Or just being rhetorical?
"Not so quick" <goodide***PPA...@lvcm.com> wrote in message ...
"Miller" chumley702NOS...@chartermi.net
Isn't that the point?
Scott
"Not so quick" goodideaSSPPA...@lvcm.com
To me, the question isn't clear. What does it mean to ask "What is the meaning of life?" Which of the questions above is closer to what you would mean by the question? I think someone else wrote this on this ng a long time ago and I'm just getting it.
"Not so quick" goodideaSSPPA...@lvcm.com
Sorry, I don't see a point. Or a line or a plane.
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"arthur" avla...@nsw.bigpond.net.au
If there is meaning then where does this meaning come from?
Instead of looking at life look at all of existence.
Why is there something rather than nothing? -- Leibniz The mystery is that anything at all exists.
All else is derivative to this.
It seems beyond reason that anything exists.
Can you find an objective meaning of life without knowing the answer to Leibniz's question?
Some opinions you come across for the meaning of life are that there is no objective meaning to life but life can have the meaning you give it. Others argue that the question itself is meaningless.
There is a book of papers and essays called "The Meaning of Life" edited by Klemke that's entertaining reading.
Arthur We have the technology.
We just can't get it to work!
"Not so quick" goodideaSSPPA...@lvcm.com
Why do you insist that there is a "meaning to life".
I guess I'm trying to say, "Put it in other words." and if you can't put it another way then maybe the question doesn't have any meaning. It's interesting what your information about Liebniz says. Did he also ask why life evolves instead of devolving? Is that a word?
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objective meaning to life but life can have the meaning by Klemke that's entertaining reading.
"Miller" chumley702NOS...@chartermi.net
To see a point, one must be focused.
Scott "Not so quick" <goodide***PPA...@lvcm.com> wrote in message ...
"arthur" avla...@nsw.bigpond.net.au
I don't believe there is a meaning of life but that's just an opinion.
I think existence is beyond reason and looking for "reason" or meaning to life is secondary to existence.
Leibniz lived 1646-1716, Darwin 1809-1882 so I don't know if evolution existed as a concept at that time?
One of the arguments that the question is meaningless goes into what people mean by "meaning" it argues that the meaning or purpose of something lies outside of that thing. Since existence includes everything then there is nothing outside of it so it is meaningless to ask what the meaning of existence is.
Fortunately the argument is better presented in Klemke's book.
Its all just opinion and there are plenty of them.
Arthur "Not so quick" <goodide***PPA...@lvcm.com> wrote in message ...
"Not so quick" goodideaSSPPA...@lvcm.com
What do you mean, "a meaning of life"? What would it be if there were a meaning? Who would install the meaning?
If the answer would be God, then it wouldn't be called a meaning of life, it would be God's plan or God's creation, or God' meaning of life. Just a meaning with no one to think it or create it? If someone believes in God then God's meaning of life is the meaning of life. If you don't think there is a creator, ok, but who would make the meaning?
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life is secondary to existence.
existed as a concept at that time?
people mean by "meaning" it argues that the meaning or purpose everything then there is nothing outside of it so it is ...
Keynes Key...@earthlink.net
On Wed, 23 Apr 2003 22:34:07 -0700, "Not so quick" This is the wrong question IMHO.
Meaning implies direction toward an ultimate purpose.
The attitude that life can only be fulfilled in the future is basically destructive to life as we actually live it. It is unwise to always be becoming without ever considering one's actual being from moment to moment. The present is all we can ever have. Why spend it looking at our watch?
So instead of meaning, I would say life has 'value'.
Life has value right now and every now, regardless of our helpless drifting through time. Why wait to arrive?
The future will look just like this moment. Don't waste it.
"Not so quick" goodideaSSPPA...@lvcm.com
It occurs that it could be said that propagation of the species and the rest of life as we know it might be a purpose. But definitely without the anthropomorphic attributes.
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"arthur" avla...@nsw.bigpond.net.au
I never appreciated Wittgenstein until this discussion: The meaning of a word is its use in language. -- Ludwig Wittgenstein It looks like the initial problem in this question is what does meaning mean.
A google search for "meaning of meaning" gives a flood of pages.
Many stating that there are multiple meanings of meaning.
It now seems that my intended meaning of meaning was purpose.
(purpose: The reason for which something is done or exists.) But not believing in an intelligence causing existence then there couldn't be an originating purpose.
Choose your meaning of meaning.
cheers Arthur "Not so quick" <goodide***PPA...@lvcm.com> wrote in message ...
Jay Vogelsong JayAVogels...@netscape.net
Douglas Adams, who was an atheist, said something like, "If there is no God, life is a matter of opinion."
"Not so quick" goodideaSSPPA...@lvcm.com
the poorest of people starve to death or freeze to death or get a disease and die from that.
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"Not so quick" goodideaSSPPA...@lvcm.com
There is no such thing as a meaning of a word.
There are only things to which we attach labels.
This is true in one sense, in another you can look up the definition of it in a dictionary.
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be an originating purpose.
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"Anthony Cerrato" tcerr...@optonline.net
Meaning? Meaning has many meanings, but each is solely a man-made concept. The universe or its putative creator did not create meaning per se. As many others have said, the meaning of life is in the making of it. ...tonyC
"Not so quick" goodideaSSPPA...@lvcm.com
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The universe or its putative creator did not create making of it. ...tonyC I'm glad that SF got through to you by installing the word putative. I like it too. As far as meaning goes, I would say that there are things to which we attach words, I guess that would be better called a 'referent'. What the referent is for meaning is a little hard to see. I guess this is part of what's called metalinguistics. I don't mean to sound like I am telling you something you don't know. I'm sure you do but like me, it takes too much time to define the process of attaching meaning every time you use the word.
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