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What "Does it for you?"

Atheists in my experience are pretty diverse in their world views and ideologies. If you don't believe in god, what do you believe in? I find a great deal of meaning in science and humanism. I'm also a firm believer in democratic socialism (within a modern market context).

Please post what ever it is that has replaced god as the source of meaning and direction in your life and why it is that whatever it is "does it for you".

Nihlists are free to post as well, but I don't know why they would.

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Permalink Reply by LeaT on January 11, 2009 at 1:31pm

I know there is a lot of critique against String Theory after it was looked throughly upon and there were errors in the calculations etc, I just couldn't think of any other science pointing to what I wanted to explain due not being more well-read with physics which I find pretty hard because I am not very good with advanced maths (suffice to say, it easily makes my head spin and all those calculations mean nothing to me).

I never said in such a sense that it cannot be connected to your brain, you asked for an example how to explain the nonphysical which I gave you in its simplest sense, neither did I say they didn't communicate, I merely said if you believe in a soul it is of nonphysical matter and it is this idea atheists in general reject. I think even a Christian would say there is some sort of communication between the soul and their body, although they couldn't possibly explain how.

I cannot prove such an energy matter exists, I however find it emotionally appealing to believe it could be this way, especially as there is no evidence pointing to why it shouldn't, however, we can clearly say there is an energy causing things to live, may it me solar energy, wind energy, you name it. I must conclude here because I have a feeling there might be a misunderstanding that I don't just believe humans to be this way, for me the matter is not whether humans are sentient or not, the important thing is merely that you "live". What energy really gives us and our cells the ability to change as we do? Certainly not our sentient will, and certainly not because our cells just one day decided that it was fun to see what would happen if they started to evolve. I don't really mean energy as in our cells needing nuitrients either, what I am trying to get at is there there is something we cannot properly explain today, more akin to, what caused things to live in the first place? If you are well-known to science which you seem to be, then you also know that we cannot answer that question, merely what caused us to become what we are today.

I am not concerned with the mind or the soul, I firmly believe that my cognitive abilities will stop to function when I die since my brain will stop functioning; however, my definition is more of one that there is also energy making us live and thus returns to earth as we die. I cannot tell if this energy is finite but since our universe is I must assume it is.

To sum it up, I don't believe in dualism in such a sense at all, I merely belive in monism, which science also indicates.

I hope I managed to clear things up. Whether my idea is probable... it might be, it might not. I would however dare claiming it is hell more probable than believing in a skydaddy :)

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Permalink Reply by BB on January 11, 2009 at 1:42pm

Thank you for the clarification. I don't have too much I disagree with you on, not really. Just a different approach.

I just tend to be the type of person that says, "I don't know" more often than others. I try not to come to any conclusion that I cannot back up with logic, evidence or reason. There are a lot of unexplained things out there! It's awesome. Things to explore, to learn about, to probe and prod.

Here is where I think our main difference is. Let me know if I am wrong.
I won't believe something if there is no evidence telling me I shouldn't. I will only believe something when the evidence tells me I should (and only to the level of certainty that the evidence actually warrants).

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Permalink Reply by LeaT on January 14, 2009 at 5:22am

I am with you on this actually, the difference here is that I have a sort of gut feeling, I just know, in lack of better terms, and yes, I know that this reminds awfully much of a theist ;) But to explain a little further, this is a realization I had not too many years ago, but I have always in fact felt this way. It's really strange really, it was more that I just recognized this within myself, sort of coming to terms with my beliefs as you will. I was for example utterly fascinated by Wicca many years ago, I found that Wicca resembled many of my own ideas and I should really have paid more attention to this, but I was young and stupid and didn't know much about religion or philsophy back at that time so I didn't. So really, I've always felt like this throughout my whole life without even being fully aware, I just recently gave it full recognition. What's even more interesting is that I cannot blame any outside source for inspiring or indoctrine me; I belong to a very secular home. Maybe it's just is that way that some people are made to believe while others don't?

So in reality, I am very skeptical by nature on everything but this little thing :) On the other hand, I am not alone thinking this way, look up John Dobson, Einstein had similar thoughts as well, etc. Honestly I don't know, i also remain skeptical to my own views I should add (it would be foolish of me not to), I just await until there is evidence proving me completely wrong. It will hurt but then I will also recognize I indeed was wrong, and maybe I will return to becoming agnostic again.

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Permalink Reply by Yellowtimer on January 8, 2009 at 10:33pm

I think we can all agree that the mere search for purpose and meaning is a noble adventure in itself--and yet I find frustration quite often of still not fully having something that "does it" yet. At least I am happier struggling to create a meaning than being born into one.

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Permalink Reply by LeaT on January 9, 2009 at 4:08pm

Honestly, I thought I could answer at first but now I really can't when I really try to explain why. Just a feeling of wanting to be a part of a whole (read nature) and how it is everywhere and basically given everything we have now. We should be thankful to nature and I really mean it! It saddens me that so few have any real respect for the very thing that managed to spawn us and make us into what we are today (imagine how different we would be without nature, as a matter of fact, we would probably not exist).

This is a meaning I've felt all throughout my life; I've always enjoyed shows on tv about nature, I've always cared about the environment and looked down upon those who polluted it by throwing things into the nature like empty beer cans and such.

I am an existiential nihilist though, but only in an existential sense. I believe that we must make our own meanings in our life and that we should follow of what we as individuals want to do, not the crowd. I am not sure of how many who would agree with what I am going to say, but though I am soon to be 21, I actually feel pretty satisfied with my life, mostly because I don't hold many high expectations. I seek knowledge and knowledge is easy to find, especially concerning how much knowledge there is out there! I have probably barely scratched the surface and I find it astonishing how few who are so "well-read" as I am myself in certain schools and areas, and I by no means consider myself professional on any level. Pseduprofessional as you wish, I can always pretend I am :)

I am very careful with how I treat myself, I have almost a buddhistic view on this as I believe to put my own body first before anything else. If you feel tired you sleep, if you are hungry you eat. This gives a calmness to your life, you don't feel very stressed. I think many are forgetting this art, no wonder people get burned out. I am of course not putting it to such an extreme that I don't go to work because I am hungry etc (then fastfood is your friend!), but yes, you can say that I am clearly influenced by Asian teachings (and strangely enough I it was never an active choice I made, it just "came" on me).

I guess the rest of the comments I left in this thread will explain another dimension of what I believe in and what I feel gives life meaning.

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Permalink Reply by Curse it to Hades on January 11, 2009 at 4:59am

Life is art. Life is beautiful in its insignificance. It is beautiful how a work of art so strange and complex could be created accidentally by a force that is both blind and devoid of emotion. Those who attempt to bypass the complexity and candidness of the universe with ideas of supreme beings only dilute its essence.

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Permalink Reply by Walker Smith on February 1, 2009 at 4:49pm

My life has meaning because of a conviction that people can build a better world, on earth instead of waiting on one in heaven. A hope that humanity can improve, and move out of the Dark Ages. Also, a deep and abiding sense of wonder in the beautiful intricacy and sheer elegance of the universe.