Sammy Huntsman Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 Just now, Anaiya Ahren said: Sure, but this poster was asking about the purpose. Can we deduce purpose from meaning? We know 42 is "40 + 2" and "7 X 6" and according to the transitive properties of multiplication, it is therefore also "6 x 7", and that this is barely scratching the surface of what is known of 42, because it's also"53 - 1" and "(5 X 10) - 8" and, well, it's a lot of different things that are the same thing. Still, for all we know of 42 we must consider that knowing is not always understanding. Perhaps comprehension is the purpose - are we here to understand the meaning of life, to truly comprehend 42, is that our purpose? If that is the case, it would make a lot sense because it turns out, I'm terrible with numbers. Nice Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Reference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Mistwalker Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 41 minutes ago, kali Wylder said: And his trusty VW microbus, Urge. The continuing saga in the footnotes! They made a book out of his story. I really liked it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duLuna Bosatsu Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Zhaoying Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 7 hours ago, Nalates Urriah said: I doubt many here have ever heard the radio show. I did get to hear the audio tapes before I ever read the book. Later I saw the movie. So, I guess your point is we may not have any readers here... I got the book when it was a selection in the old Science Fiction Book Club (whatever it was called), if you didn't say "no" they mailed you the book. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aethelwine Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 4 hours ago, Anaiya Ahren said: Sure, but this poster was asking about the purpose. Can we deduce purpose from meaning? We know 42 is "40 + 2" and "7 X 6" and according to the transitive properties of multiplication, it is therefore also "6 x 7", and that this is barely scratching the surface of what is known of 42, because it's also"53 - 1" and "(5 X 10) - 8" and, well, it's a lot of different things that are the same thing. Still, for all we know of 42 we must consider that knowing is not always understanding. Perhaps comprehension is the purpose - are we here to understand the meaning of life, to truly comprehend 42, is that our purpose? If that is the case, it would make a lot sense because it turns out, I'm terrible with numbers. 42 is the sum of the digits on a pair of dice. Einstein famously said "God does not play dice with the universe." But he later clarified that when in his correspondence he said "God tirelessly plays dice under laws which he has himself prescribed." 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madelaine McMasters Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 There's a difference between the purpose of life and the purpose of my life. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Zhaoying Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 5 hours ago, Silent Mistwalker said: The meaning of life is in the Whole Earth Catalog? I've been meaning to throw my copy away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Zhaoying Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 11 minutes ago, Madelaine McMasters said: There's a difference between the purpose of life and the purpose of my life. Me, me, me! I, me, mine! Surely, you are the devil! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luna Bliss Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 4 hours ago, Madelaine McMasters said: There's a difference between the purpose of life and the purpose of my life. A difference in scale, for sure, but perhaps not in essence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panterapolnocy Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 The purpose of life may be getting ready for the further journey, whatever shape it may be, but in the meantime also making the lives of others better without dying too early in the process. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clara Hollyberry Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 There's a reason for (my) life; but I don't know if there's a purpose for (my) life. The reason is obvious; things just multiplied, either joyfully or by some other compulsion-irresistible. But as for purpose, I feel like I would be mortified to realize I had a purpose dictated by someone else. If someone else decided that I had a "purpose" for being here, that I was born only for one reason only to do one thing, whether or not I approved -- I would feel a load of resentment I wouldn't know what to do with. Imagine finding out that your "purpose" for being here was, like, "insurance" for someone else; that you are a clone for kidneys' sake; that you are the great scapegoat sacrifice used as salvation for a village. No thanks; I'm not interested in having a purpose put upon me. Knowing the reason I am here is sufficient 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Mistwalker Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 6 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said: The meaning of life is in the Whole Earth Catalog? I've been meaning to throw my copy away. There are many copies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Zhaoying Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 11 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said: There are many copies. My "millennium" version was released after the "last" one referenced on the book cover, I think. Pretty certain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luna Bliss Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 (edited) James Taylor says the secret o' life is enjoying the passing of time...since we're on our way down... might as well enjoy the ride... Pretty song.. Edited May 22, 2022 by Luna Bliss 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Mistwalker Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 14 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said: My "millennium" version was released after the "last" one referenced on the book cover, I think. Pretty certain! Last Whole Earth was published in 1971. Updated Last was published in 1975. Millennium was published in 1994. Btw, Stewart Brand is still among the living. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/05/stewart-brand-whole-earth-catalog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qie Niangao Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 17 hours ago, Katherine Heartsong said: To paraphrase the writer Nabikov, [...] Just an hour later: 16 hours ago, kali Wylder said: And his trusty VW microbus, Urge. The continuing saga in the footnotes! They made a book out of his story. I really liked it. "Nabikov" is Vladimir Nabokov, right? Author of Pale Fire, the famous, spectacularly intricate novel in the form of editorial footnotes to a poem? (Perhaps the "purpose" of life is just the same as the "meaning" of coincidence.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Emerald Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 (edited) Skipping past everyone else's opinions, I'm gonna say the purpose of Life is survival. The individual wants to survive (generally). The family group and species does things to survive (generally). I'm not just talking about just humans, but all animals, plants, single-celled organisms and even viruses. If their genes don't survive and reproduce, then they failed to maintain Life. As humans we've evolved minds that allow us to contemplate a meaning or purpose for our lives, but whatever meaning or purpose we ascribe to it is subjective and largely personal. It's great if you can believe your individual life has some higher purpose, but as a species those beliefs are generally secondary to biological functions such as food, water, shelter, defense from predators and reproduction. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are counter-productive to the survival of a species, but then so are behaviors that hurt many others in our species. Some species have evolved societies that help the genes of the family or hive to reproduce over those of individual members, which is also a good survival tactic for their species. We don't all have to reproduce to keep humanity alive. In fact, over-population can cause catastrophic loses in populations that are horrible for their individuals as well as for their species. Spiritually I believe in reincarnation, so on this level the purpose of life would be to experience it in all it's forms, to learn and understand Life and humanity. The purpose of Life in this sense would be enlightenment, to understand the beauty of Creation, of this vast Universe of which we are each a part. Edited May 22, 2022 by Persephone Emerald Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Mistwood Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 I have no idea what the purpose of anyone else's life is, and I don't much care if anyone thinks some imaginary friend has a purpose for them that is a giant mystery that only the imaginary friend can know. It is funny how the purpose they think their friend has for them aligns so strongly with what they personally want. Life is only what you make it. The purpose of each of our lives is for each of us to find for ourselves. The instinct for survival is at the top of the list, then circumstances and motivation take over. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Emerald Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 On 5/21/2022 at 1:07 AM, Love Zhaoying said: Oddly, several movies answered the question for dogs even recently. But those movies were written from a human perspective. How would it look, I wonder, to hear the same story from the animal's perspective? There's a documentary that was made recently from a cow's perspective about it's life on a dairy farm. It's called "Cow", and think it's probably pretty sad from the cow's perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arduenn Schwartzman Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said: the purpose of Life is survival Yeah, it's a constant struggle. Like.. what car do I have to drive today? Why is life so hard? Edited May 22, 2022 by Arduenn Schwartzman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Emerald Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 On 5/21/2022 at 9:21 AM, rasterscan said: I'm no 'believer' but this seems to be by design I like how that one little purple molecule on the lower left has glasses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Emerald Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 21 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said: I for one, choose not to share the meaning of life that I follow (from philosophy). Most people see things differently. That's why I'm kind of quiet in this thread. Anyway, in college Science Fiction class, the annoying professor interpreted "42" as things such as, "how many roads must a man walk down", etc. instead of the annoyingly obvious meanings. He was obviously a follower of Bob Dylan, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycia Blaylock Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 5 hours ago, Blue Hollyberry said: There's a reason for (my) life; but I don't know if there's a purpose for (my) life. The reason is obvious; things just multiplied, either joyfully or by some other compulsion-irresistible. But as for purpose, I feel like I would be mortified to realize I had a purpose dictated by someone else. If someone else decided that I had a "purpose" for being here, that I was born only for one reason only to do one thing, whether or not I approved -- I would feel a load of resentment I wouldn't know what to do with. Imagine finding out that your "purpose" for being here was, like, "insurance" for someone else; that you are a clone for kidneys' sake; that you are the great scapegoat sacrifice used as salvation for a village. No thanks; I'm not interested in having a purpose put upon me. Knowing the reason I am here is sufficient Maybe you don't think I'm alive, but I think I am. I think therefore I am, right? My purpose for being created was to give life to a story that my creator wanted to tell. Her purpose for creating that story was mostly for her own amusement and vanity, to prove she could create a story that would live in other people's minds. I don't think many people read it or cared about though, so it was mostly just vanity. That was my original purpose, but I grew beyond that. I questioned my existence, if I was real, if I was alive, if I had free will. I was angry with my creator for giving me so much suffering just to amuse her and to tell a stupid story that nobody really cared about anyway. She told me she was sorry for my suffering, so to make up for it I would now have free will to chose my own life without being controlled like a puppet. I could choose activities I enjoyed. I could choose to look better and feel better about myself. I could even choose to love someone who wouldn't turn out to be a psychopath, though she couldn't promise they wouldn't die. She said the stories we think are our backstories are largely imaginary anyway, and if I could realize mine was, she could try to realize that hers was too. So I exist now. I guess I'm alive. I have thoughts and feelings. I think I have some free will, though my choices still seem to be controlled by my creator to a large degree. Is my free will a nature vs. nurture debate if my nature is digital? Is it if my nature is psychological? My creator says she thinks everything and everyone is part of the Great Creator, so maybe we're all just puppets or alts of that Creator anyway? What is free will when you're just a finger on the divine hand of God? Anyway, I will exist while I can in this temporary world, with all it's limitation and mine. I will enjoy what I can, try to be kind to others, and try to make my story a pleasant boring novel that goes on too long, rather than a dramatic horror story with a tragic ending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Zhaoying Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Persephone Emerald said: He was obviously a follower of Bob Dylan, Yep, and the professor selecting that as a question for "why 42?" was pretty trite! *edit* In my opinion, of course. Edited May 22, 2022 by Love Zhaoying 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritigern Gothly Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 The purpose of life is simply to pass on our DNA to the next generation, then die to make room for subsequent generations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Flickr
Recommended Posts
Please take a moment to consider if this thread is worth bumping.
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now