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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Sorry, but COMPLETE BS.

Evolution is not a "purpose", evolution is the consequence of mixing and matching and survival of genetics over time, completely circumstantial to its context.

Great, I never thought of that. Thanks for the correction.

I had heart surgery a few years ago and I told the surgeon I wanted an ophthorectumy, cut the nerve going from the eyeball to the rectum so I would not have such a shitty outlook on life. I went to sleep with the surgical team and the team outside surgery laughing. What a nice way to go under. 

Well, it worked. Going into surgery, I knew there is no meaning to life and no purpose. I woke up knowing that I breath air, drink and eat, poop and pee and fifty years from now, no one will know the difference. However, I have unique experiences and understanding about life and its foibles; I have nothing to lose being an activist in the interest of combating domestic violence, poverty, domination, oppression and exploitation. 

I may not make a difference to others; I do make a difference for people I care about and for me. That is enough for me. 

curmudgeon

That's hillarious Joan! I'm sure my wife would agree that I too could benefit some days from an ophthorectumy.

Joan, you are lucky to live a life full of meanings, thats what makes you respectfull among us.

Love that story Joan!  Also like that definition of Curmudgeon.  I just need to develop my humor more to become a card carrying one.

I agree with greater message by TNT. However it is not fair to conclude beauty is perceived through cultural lens alone. Experiments indicate that appreciation of beauty is biological. 

The studies into "beauty" were not about beauty per se but about the process of selecting a quality mate based on symetry of facial features and suitability of secondary sexual traits such as hip ratio for females and V shape for males. These are measurable characteristics, beauty is entirely subjective.

Okay TNT. I dont feel like engaging in polemics right now. 

And again I quite agree with your take on purpose.

La vie n'a pas de but et sans raison. La vie n'a aucune signification.

I reject the common perspective that there is a subjective purpose, in the sense that the semantic idea behind the word "purpose" refer to some metaphysical outcome on a greater scale than simple opinions. There is this sort of cognitive dissonance when people try to adapt religious concepts into post-religious philosophies, or analytical concepts into the categorical. When someone asserts "my goal in life is to do X", there is a rational reason Y behind X such that "my goal in life is to do X because Y" and Y is never "to be". In other words, arbitrary goals that you've assigned yourself are not purposes "to life" unless they lack any other condition in which case they are random and irrational. Purpose does not exist subjective or objective.

Well stated.

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