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As An Atheist Can Your Life Have Purpose and Meaning?

I was wondering what other people thought about this.

I realize we weren't born with a purpose. No creator or "higher calling".

But as a non believer can your life have meaning and purpose without god?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on November 16, 2012 at 9:09pm

TNT, have any animals told you they have no purpose?

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Permalink Reply by TNT666 on November 16, 2012 at 9:22pm

Nope, and until there's EVIDENCE that they do, I'll stand behind my words. On topics of scientific knowledge, evidence speaks louder than opinion. Now if it were a socio-political issue, then hell yes, opinions are good arguments.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on November 16, 2012 at 9:31pm

Where do you see evidence that human purpose isn't the results of selective pressure?

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Permalink Reply by TNT666 on November 16, 2012 at 9:45pm

Where do you see evidence that god doesn't exist... We don't have evidence of negatives, it's not the scientific rational way.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on November 16, 2012 at 9:53pm

If there's no evidence of negatives, then why do you think animals have no purpose?

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Permalink Reply by TNT666 on November 16, 2012 at 9:57pm

Surely you're jesting? Have you no understanding of the workings of scientific evidence? In order for animals to have a purpose, there would need to be evidence of this. It can't be stated any simpler.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on November 16, 2012 at 10:08pm

And in order for humans to have a purpose, there would need to be scientific evidence. You can't have it both ways.

If you reject the idea that animals have a purpose on account of the lack of scientific evidence, then you must reject the idea that humans have a purpose on account of the lack of scientific evidence, and you must reject that God exists on account of the lack of scientific evidence. But you should also know that the lack of evidence is not evidence to the contrary.

So do you still stand behind your words that animals don't have "purpose"?

Permalink Reply by JP Carey on November 16, 2012 at 8:32pm

great great great

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Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on November 16, 2012 at 9:24pm

Damien:

Have the words 'positive' and 'negative' been defined for all people, everywhere, and for all time?

I don't think so.

World War One failed to influence people to create a League of Nations. World War Two succeeded and we now have the United Nations. Adolf Hitler and his allies found so much crap to fling that they persuaded us to get past our differences.

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Permalink Reply by JP Carey on November 16, 2012 at 9:36pm

it's true that good and bad are products of our on mind. "there is no good or bad, but thinking makes it so".

But there is Order and Disorder outside of ourselves. A chair IS order -it has form and purpose. Litter on the road IS disorder (chaos).

So positive and negative are not absolute -but it's what we have to go on. -we're making it as we go

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Permalink Reply by TNT666 on November 16, 2012 at 9:54pm

Your "orderly" chair is a fascinating topic. In physics we learn that order never exists on it's own, it's always a balancing act between entropy and enthalpy. Therefore, the chair in fact gives you the illusion of orderliness.

Metaphysically speaking, order and disorder are soul mates and inseparable. :)

Agree 100% with the rest of your post.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on November 16, 2012 at 10:01pm

Since you are defining the rules for the purpose of those objects, then they are hardly "outside of ourselves". The mind is required to make the connection between "chair" and "sit", or "litter" and "pollution".