Purpuse of Life
PURPOSE OF LIFE
INTRODUCTION
The meaning of life is a philosophical question concerning the significance of life or existence in general. It can also be expressed in different forms, such as "Why are we here?", "What is life all about?", and "What is the purpose of existence?" It has been the subject of much philosophical,scientific, and theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of proposed answers to these questions from many different cultural and ideologicalbackgrounds.
The meaning of life is in the philosophical and religious conceptions of existence, social ties, consciousness, andhappiness, and borders on many other issues, such as symbolic meaning, ontology, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, the existence of one or multiple Gods, conceptions of God, the soul, and the afterlife. Scientific contributions focus primarily on describing related empirical facts about the universe, exploring the context and parameters concerning the 'how' of life. Science also studies and can provide recommendations for the pursuit of well-being and a related conception of morality. An alternative,humanistic approach poses the question "What is the meaning of my life?" The value of the question pertaining to the purpose of life may coincide with the achievement of ultimate reality, or a feeling of oneness, or even a feeling of sacredness.
One of Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin's most famous paintings.
[pic]
“Where Do We Come From? What Are We here? Where Are We Going?”
For what purpose are we here?
What I'm going to argue in this post is that evolutionary theory provides an answer to this sense of the question as well. But before I get to that, let's survey some of the interesting answers that people have given to the question of the meaning of life over the ages.
Do you sometimes wonder what the purpose of life is? If you are not sure, you may be looking at life the wrong way. You may have a view of life as a
INTRODUCTION
The meaning of life is a philosophical question concerning the significance of life or existence in general. It can also be expressed in different forms, such as "Why are we here?", "What is life all about?", and "What is the purpose of existence?" It has been the subject of much philosophical,scientific, and theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of proposed answers to these questions from many different cultural and ideologicalbackgrounds.
The meaning of life is in the philosophical and religious conceptions of existence, social ties, consciousness, andhappiness, and borders on many other issues, such as symbolic meaning, ontology, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, the existence of one or multiple Gods, conceptions of God, the soul, and the afterlife. Scientific contributions focus primarily on describing related empirical facts about the universe, exploring the context and parameters concerning the 'how' of life. Science also studies and can provide recommendations for the pursuit of well-being and a related conception of morality. An alternative,humanistic approach poses the question "What is the meaning of my life?" The value of the question pertaining to the purpose of life may coincide with the achievement of ultimate reality, or a feeling of oneness, or even a feeling of sacredness.
One of Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin's most famous paintings.
[pic]
“Where Do We Come From? What Are We here? Where Are We Going?”
For what purpose are we here?
What I'm going to argue in this post is that evolutionary theory provides an answer to this sense of the question as well. But before I get to that, let's survey some of the interesting answers that people have given to the question of the meaning of life over the ages.
Do you sometimes wonder what the purpose of life is? If you are not sure, you may be looking at life the wrong way. You may have a view of life as a