h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*sighs* The 'meaning of life' is simple: Live.

*sighs* no it isn't

How's that then, or are you going to say 42..?

My apologies, didn't mean to sound like a troll, I ran out 0f time and couldn't finish the post.

Simply living is not enough for people, although we seem to have a longing to live as long as possible. Many people regret that descision when they actually live to an old age.

For example, I have an aunt who is over 90 yrs old. She has lost all will to live and doesn't want to live any more, yet our science of living is keeping her alive. There is apparently something more to life, at least for humans, than living.

living has a few meanings!

Of course living has meanings, I never said it didn't. That is why we are looking for a meaning to life.

The question that you raised was is the meaning of life living.

N1NJ4,

Perhaps, as in the case of your grandmother, the meaning of life becomes death. But looking at it another way, death *is* a part of life, so then the meaning of life is still life.



az

Death is not the meaning of her life, it is just what she wants because she has lived too long. If she would have died at a natural age, she may be happier in the long run

The meaning of life is to live it... That's what it's for... when people ask what the meaning of life is they mean 'what is the purpose of life' not a definition.

I think what N1NJ4 was hinting at was that there's more to living life than just not actually being dead.

What people mean is usually either "What sort of cosmic purpose is fulfilled by my life?" - probably none at all, and if there was we probably wouldn't spot it if it hit us over the head with a 14lb lump hammer - OR they mean something much more mundane like "What should I be trying to achieve in my life?" And of such things we can ask "Why?" of any answer that's provided, ad infitum. At some point we have to stop and say, "Because it IS, that's why." Cosmic purpose is just a way of shutting ourselves up so we can get on with the *important* stuff - which is, of course, er...um...


Noggin

Sorry, I was lurking again. Goy - It seems that Az agrees with me that taste is not survival. By food in this argument take it to mean something which can be eaten without major harm to the eater that also provides some bodily use.
Moth - What does cyanide taste like? Remember we're talking taste, not effects.
Duplicate Rimmer - Sorry, as you can imagine we've heard a lot of meanings of life on this particular thread, especially things along those lines. Do you wish to define more strongly the terms used in your argument, or provide more logic behind it?
Noggin - You must've deleted the word "break-dancing" at the end of your post by accident.

Fnord,

Apparently cyanide tastes like almonds.

az

At my age, Fnord, ALL forms of dancing involve breakages.

Noggin

You need to consume more milk, my brittle and shrunken old friend.

Or get Lovely Bones! Oops, sorry - wrong thread!

Don't worry, I'm not *really* that frail. But I think I'll pass on the break dancing.

Noggin

Cyanide tasting like almonds brings some interesting ideas to this discussion. If cyanide were found naturally, say in small puddles, ancient man would have definitley taken drinks of it thinking that it was good. There would be no way for teh other ancient men to know what the people who drank it were dying of. Only the people with not taste for the cyanide would survive. Once again, taste turns out to be survival.

The 'purpose' of life if we wnat to be so bland is to survive and adapt for the species to survive longer... Why is there a presumption that there has to be a point?

What's the point of a tree? It lives... what's the point of bacteria?

As I've said in what must be about four convos about 'religion' is that it's our brains evolving to a state where we ask questions by which I don't mean 'What can we do not be eaten by that giant four-legged thing?'.

Is it not enough to have life without finding the reasons for it...?

Unfortunatly I'm answering questions with questions which might not solve anything but what is the point of a rock?
Is it there for decoration? For adaptation (build a house)? Is it trying be part of a mountain? or is it just something we walk on?

What is the difference between the purpose of something and the point of something. If you really want to think about an overall point, there is none. For all we know, earth could randomly explode tomorrow. Then what would the point or the purpose of anyones lives be? All of the survival and adaptation would be wasted, unless we had somehow adapted to our world blowing up.

Its funny you ask "Is it not enough to have life without finding the reasons for it...?" when you are posting to a thread that is trying to find the reasons for it. It is also funny that you posted that the meaning of live is to live.

What is the point in the point of a rock?

42 and the question of which being "what do you get when you multiply 6x9" to me all can be divided down to the number 3,which being a prime number would furthermore go down to 1 so the meaning of life the universe and everything to me is 1. Furthermore it is up to each individual to determine what 1 is for them hense the meaning of life the universe and everything differs from person to person and species to species.

Garglemaker