Why?(NOT for the depressed or faint of heart!)

nozzferrahhtoo

Malty_T wrote: »

Is there an ultimate meaning to life? If not, why do we actually proceed in living it?

For the same reason that reading a book or playing a computer game is better than watching paint dry. It is simply a hell of a lot more interesting to do it than not do it.

I have more to gain by living it as I see my options as:

1) Live life, die, no longer live life.
2) Die, no longer live life.

Clearly 1 has a lot more content than 2 and by doing 1 I get all the benefits of 2 anyway.

Malty_T wrote: »

I'm fairly certain that the majority of folks who feel the same way I do, will always do whatever they can to help others, understand nature etc. Is this a simple case of because if we didn't, we wouldn't be discussing it? Or is it something more complex than that.

Rather than reply to this can I simply ask you to read and comment upon something I prepared earlier for the official Atheist IReland blog site?

http://www.atheist.ie/2009/02/the-immorality-of-claiming-morality/

take everything

Goduznt Xzst wrote: »

I've thought long and hard about this question and my conclusion is that the purpose of all humans is to create constant unending distractions for their minds so as to not think about their ultimate death.

I love it.

Turtwig

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

Rather than reply to this can I simply ask you to read and comment upon something I prepared earlier for the official Atheist IReland blog site?

http://www.atheist.ie/2009/02/the-immorality-of-claiming-morality/

Well, nozzy, I read it and have to admit I'm perplexed as to what its real relevance is to the statement you are replying to. I wasn't asking how come we choose to behave morally. I'm asking why is that I proceed to do tedious calculations most day in an attempt to better understand nature, do my utmost best to help others etc, when I know that it all stands for nothing on the grand scale of things. Am I simply sweeping the wool over my eyes in the hope because if I didn't, I wouldn't even be here?

Enkidu

Malty_T wrote: »

I'm asking why is that I proceed to do tedious calculations most day in an attempt to better understand nature, do my utmost best to help others etc, when I know that it all stands for nothing on the grand scale of things. Am I simply sweeping the wool over my eyes in the hope because if I didn't, I wouldn't even be here?

The phrase in bold would be the important one for me. There is no grand scheme of things, that's the fundamental thing. If there is no God then there is no ultimate scale on which what does or does not matter is decided. Let's take the example of helping somebody across the road and assume that they appreciated it. Of course there will eventually come to exist a point where this act has been swallowed up by the mists of time, just as there were billions of years before its occurrence. However does the fact that this moment is sandwiched between two gulfs of time actually matter to either you or the person you help? There are points in space and time where the action doesn't matter and ones where it does, why does the former nullify the latter?

EDIT: Of course there are also points in space and time where "mattering" doesn't exist since there may not be the sentient beings necessary for the concept.

Herbal Deity

Malty_T wrote: »

Well, nozzy, I read it and have to admit I'm perplexed as to what its real relevance is to the statement you are replying to. I wasn't asking how come we choose to behave morally. I'm asking why is that I proceed to do tedious calculations most day in an attempt to better understand nature, do my utmost best to help others etc, when I know that it all stands for nothing on the grand scale of things. Am I simply sweeping the wool over my eyes in the hope because if I didn't, I wouldn't even be here?

I think your implied premise that it would be easier to do nothing/kill yourself is flawed.

Turtwig

Herbal Deity wrote: »

I think your implied premise that it would be easier to do nothing/kill yourself is flawed.

Nah, I think the bigger problem is I'm have trouble expressing my actual point. What you said isn't really my point, it kinda is, but my point is more along the lines that life is an illusion, but then that doesn't quite grasp what I'm trying to say either.

nozzferrahhtoo

Malty_T wrote: »

Well, nozzy, I read it and have to admit I'm perplexed as to what its real relevance is to the statement you are replying to. I wasn't asking how come we choose to behave morally. I'm asking why is that I proceed to do tedious calculations most day in an attempt to better understand nature, do my utmost best to help others etc, when I know that it all stands for nothing on the grand scale of things. Am I simply sweeping the wool over my eyes in the hope because if I didn't, I wouldn't even be here?

I linked it in response to you saying "These mechanisms provide us with senses of reward and satisfaction for deeds which on the whole are ultimately pointless, but we do them anyway."

Essentially it fits because morality and acting morally ARE "deeds which on the whole are ultimately pointless, but we do them anyway". The link I gave you to the essay on morality is to show you one such set of reasons for engaging in such "pointless" actions.

However maybe the rest of my post, the bits you did NOT reply to, are more relevant to your Opening Questions?

Turtwig

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

I linked it in response to you saying "These mechanisms provide us with senses of reward and satisfaction for deeds which on the whole are ultimately pointless, but we do them anyway."

Essentially it fits because morality and acting morally ARE "deeds which on the whole are ultimately pointless, but we do them anyway". The link I gave you to the essay on morality is to show you one such set of reasons for engaging in such "pointless" actions.

However maybe the rest of my post, the bits you did NOT reply to, are more relevant to your Opening Questions?

Oh yeah agreed. The rest of your post was relevant. I didn't reply because all I would be saying. "I agree". It was the latter part of your post referring to the blog that I didn't get until now.