What Is Our Purpose As A Species?

[Raumata]

Feeling down. Obligatory edgy "sometimes I really hate the human race" and a "why are we hurting each other?" for you guys/gals/whatever.

[Junkhead]

Apparently living is not a purpose.

[Zanarkin]

That isn't really a question you could give an objective answer to, other than perhaps a biological function [reproduce and pass on genes]. Unless you want to assume some sort of god or something and it created us and gave us meaning.

You could have some sort of subjective answer for your own life though. That can be meaningful on its own.

[Junkhead]

Yeah, that's the thing. There's no objective answer to it. You're looking for an answer that has no answer. Only humans asks themselves this, and this is where we can learn from animals. Humans are so caught up into being given "reason", as well as an Almighty Objective answer to re-assure them. 

[Rex Glacies]

Y'all might hate me, but as a Christian, I know the purpose of life is to worship and glorify God forever. It is this fact that wakes me up in the morning, and keeps me going all day long. Believe me, I often share those thoughts of "what is the meaning of life?" and "why is humanity so evil?" But it is God who gives me a purpose, and I know that, without him, life doesn't really have a meaning.

[Raumata]

Sigh. Yes, I know there's no point in asking this, since everyone else has come to their own conclusion on what that means.

Quite nice to read everyone's points nonetheless.

[Junkhead]

If something is meaningless here, it's overthinking it. I don't question the meaning of it, just what got me to think that in the first place.

[SullyMcGully]

It is a kind of pointless question, because nobody has the definitive answer. In the end, though, it's all up to what feels best for you. Helping others? Serving God? Enjoying yourself? I can't tell you what's best for you. You'll know it when you see it. 

"The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." That's an old fashioned way of saying what I believe my purpose is. But while I may believe in God with all my heart, that doesn't mean I have a problem with anyone else who thinks otherwise.

So in the end, it's extremely subjective. Everybody can provide evidence to support their point, but ultimately, discovering your purpose is something only you can do.

[Roflolxp54]

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"Who says life is sacred? God? Hey, if you read your history, God is one of the leading causes of death." (from George Carlin: Back in Town (1996))

The best I could say is enjoy life as best as you can because you only have 1. Make the most of it.

[FionordeQuester]

1 hour ago, Raumata said:

Sigh. Yes, I know there's no point in asking this, since everyone else has come to their own conclusion on what that means.

Quite nice to read everyone's points nonetheless.

If it helps, I think I can give a perspective that most haven't heard before.  I'm Christian, but I still have a response that I haven't seen anyone else give.  For me, the key to human meaning lies in Genesis 1...

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Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us...So God created human beings[d] in his own image.  In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground." Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” 

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In other words, our job is to create and protect life itself.  Protect the animals, keep the seas clean, and uh..."fill the Earth", as he put it.  A lot of people miss that that's HOW we glorify God; not by attending Church, not by listening to another human being for 40 minutes, not by singing songs...but by actively trying to be LIKE him.  

I like Rex and Sully's answers, but I feel like most people miss the implications of what "glorify God" really means.  We're his image bearers and children; kindness and compassion were supposed to be our default modes of being, not something we do when we feel like it.

...

If that sounds like a lofty goal, well...it's as my Mom said.  "God doesn't make junk"  !

 

Edited March 2, 2017 by FionordeQuester

[Oricorio]

There is no purpose. We came here by chance, we do stuff by chance, and one day we'll die off by chance.

[Moira]

I don't think it's a pointless question. Many people ask themselves this question during their life, and if you give it enough introspection, you come out on the other siding understanding yourself and what you value much better. It also helps understand each other better. You can learn quite a bit about the people posting here just by their answers. I don't know about a unifying purpose for humans as a whole, but pretty much everyone finds their own eventually.

[Esau of Isaac]

The truth of the matter is that there is no purpose for the human race. While philosophers have debated the nature of humanity, and will until humanity is no more, the most apparent observation is readily evident: That is, in the face of mounting evidence that we are simply the result of a natural causal chain, we are no more innately special than any of the things that surround and inhabit us. While we can use a number of metrics to elevate us above other things, such as our intelligence and self-awareness, they are ultimately subjective evaluations. This is leaving out religious interpretations of the matter, which further muddle the question but similarly offer no clear grounded explanation.

So, in light of that, and to escape the sort of nihilistic drain-circling that tends to consume a lot of people that first encounter the question, I would say that from a humanistic point of view, your goal should be to create lasting contentment. Create experiences that you can carry with you long after they have happened. There is misery in the world, and it will never go away no matter how much you dwell on it. Don't torture yourself confronting this fact continuously, because it will help no one and only hurt you. Instead, elevate yourself in ways you appreciate. The world will never be a paradise, and that is alright.

[Time the Crestfallen]

Depends on the scale your approaching the question from. Broadly speaking, there is no point to our existence and nothing we do matters in the face of our inevitable extinction. Doesn't mean you can't find your own individual purpose for living though.

[eclipse]

Survival.  Our bodies will fight to keep us alive. . .whether our minds are in the same place is another discussion entirely.

If you're talking about something more abstract, eh.   I'm going to die sooner or later.  While I'm alive, I'm going to make my life mean something to me - if I can't be happy with myself, why should I expect anyone else to care?  Once I'm dead, it becomes a moot point - the rest of humanity isn't going to ground to a halt because I'm gone.

[Gruntagen]

To paraphrase one of my greatest idols:

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We exist to make the best possible stories that anything can leave behind - stories to enlighten, stories that let us understand each other, or even stories that change lives.

 

[blah the Prussian]

We exist to survive long enough to pass down our genes, contributing to the evolution of the human race. That doesn't have to be genetic, it can also come in the form of culture, philosophy, technology, learning, etc.

[Etrurian emperor]

My stance on the matter is that the human race doesn't have any kind of purpose but that we are free to give one to ourselves.

Mine would be to have an easy and carefree life for all my years. 

[Thane]

Wouldn't it be boring if we all had a collective raison d'être?

[FionordeQuester]

Indeed.. On the one hand, you can decide that the meaning to life all about "passing on our genes" (which I imagine would be a pretty depressing outlook once you got married/got into your 50's and beyond), living an enjoyable life, deciding on what we can do, being God-chosen protectors of love and life (like what I basically suggested), or just decide there's not meaning.

 

Rather nice to have the variety, eh?

Edited March 2, 2017 by FionordeQuester

[Rapier]

There's no set purpose, unless you count our biological inclination to reproduce and maintain our genes as a "purpose", but I understood your question on a more abstract way.

Anyway, even though I said there is no set purpose, that doesn't mean you cannot find one that fulfills you and/or makes you comfortable. For example, for me, my purpose is to develop my skills and improve myself as a person, then use it to make my life better and care better for the people and things I care about, but that's very particular to my own psychology (I'm very competitive and hot-headed, for example). I think I can safely say that our purpose is what fulfills us and relates to our inner needs (in a very ample take), though the details vary from person to person.

Now, a curious line of thought came to me: Isn't it curious that we associate our needs to psychological and/or biological satisfaction? By saying that my purpose is to fulfill those needs that are heavily influenced by my biology/psychology, am I not also saying that I am essentially a slave to my biological/psychological inclinations and that I'm just "flavoring" it all with associated, abstract stuff? I may just as well be acting as a "robot" flavoring my "directives" as if they were elevated, abstracted things when they're actually a product of my "directives".

But contrary to nihilists (or the modern, probably caricatured version of nihilism that says "nothing matters"), if following those "directives" are an imperative and there isn't anything special about them, might as well follow them and satisfy myself instead of letting it get over my head since it is unavoidable. One thing that I liked in Nietzsche is that he defended making our own purpose on a purposeless universe and life, instead of succumbing to despair or clinging to imaginary idols for self satisfaction and escapism. Or that's as far as I remember his position, someone correct me if I'm wrong or misremembering things.

[FionordeQuester]

2 hours ago, Rapier said:

Now, a curious line of thought came to me: Isn't it curious that we associate our needs to psychological and/or biological satisfaction? By saying that my purpose is to fulfill those needs that are heavily influenced by my biology/psychology, am I not also saying that I am essentially a slave to my biological/psychological inclinations and that I'm just "flavoring" it all with associated, abstract stuff? I may just as well be acting as a "robot" flavoring my "directives" as if they were elevated, abstracted things when they're actually a product of my "directives".

But see, are biological and psychological satisfaction ends in and of themselves?  If you were to live in the lap of luxury and have everything you could possibly want, without fear of it being taken away...would you live happily ever after?  Or would you just feel more empty after the initial dopamine rush wore off?  Would your mind acclimate to how good your life is, and get bored with THAT too?

One of the ideas I get from my Christian faith is that human beings aren't searching for physical things necessarily; they're looking for something that makes them feel complete. Most people have an innate sense of incomplete; like they're missing out on something real important.  It just so happens that most of them try to "fill the void" with food, accomplishments, fame, hard work, beautiful women (and men), money...and etc., etc.

Unfortunately, most of those things can't bring any real fulfillment.  Most of them are material things that are meant to facilitate a rush of dopamine; the "pleasure" neurochemical in our minds.  But the sad thing about that is, the more saturated our brains get with dopamine, the more dopamine it needs just to feel "normal".  This is one of the huge reasons why drugs, alcohol, and other narcotics are such a big problem; the psychological addiction is far worse than the physical addiction could ever hope to be; and it's all due to that increasingly unfulfilling dopamine rush.

A successful marriage and a good family are perhaps the things that comes closest to "filling that void"; in addition to the obvious benefits, those also facilitate the release of "oxytocin"; the "bonding" neurochemical.  This is part of the reason why "evil doesn't pay" really is far more true than most people give it credit for...it's rather hard to form bonds with people when you're actively driving them away with your evil acts.  

But that said...even relationships will go through stress and strain for one reason or another; and that's assuming the people you love don't pre-emptively die or change for the worse.  So if you truly want a purpose that will outlast even the ravages of time...one needs to submit to a higher power than themselves.  It doesn't necessarily have to be God (who I believe is the best "higher power" to have); but it does need to be something a person considers more important than themselves.  Perhaps a moral code, like what Batman has.  Or perhaps one can devote themselves to protecting the planet.  Perhaps a "fight against racism and discrimination"?  Something that gives someone a reason to go on living.

[Fly_or_Die]

On 3/1/2017 at 9:02 PM, Raumata said:

Sigh. Yes, I know there's no point in asking this, since everyone else has come to their own conclusion on what that means.

Quite nice to read everyone's points nonetheless.

I think this pretty much sums it up. It's a highly objective question to be sure, but you shouldn't take that to necessarily mean life is pointless. You'll just have to set your own goals in life and define your own purpose. In any case, I hope you feel better.

For me? I don't know what our purpose is. I will continue doing the things that I think are meaningful or worthwhile, and maybe one day I'll be able to define my criteria for deciding if something is meaningful.

[Radiant head]

the way society is set up, our only purpose is commodity production basically

 

 

[JJ48]

On ‎3‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 9:49 PM, SullyMcGully said:

It is a kind of pointless question, because nobody has the definitive answer. In the end, though, it's all up to what feels best for you. Helping others? Serving God? Enjoying yourself? I can't tell you what's best for you. You'll know it when you see it. 

"The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." That's an old fashioned way of saying what I believe my purpose is. But while I may believe in God with all my heart, that doesn't mean I have a problem with anyone else who thinks otherwise.

So in the end, it's extremely subjective. Everybody can provide evidence to support their point, but ultimately, discovering your purpose is something only you can do.

I agree that Man's purpose is to glorify and have a relationship with God, but I have to disagree strongly with the idea that it's subjective.  Yes, everyone is entitled to their beliefs, but that doesn't mean that all beliefs are correct or that there is no objective purpose.  Simply because some refuse to acknowledge God's intended purpose doesn't make it any less true, any more than someone earnestly believing that 2+2=5 makes math subjective.