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If you had to answer ( I don't know is not an answer ) what would be your answer to what I believe is the most important existancial question : WHY do we exist?

PhilippeLavoie 4 Apr 15
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6

There is no why. There is only a what, when, where, and how to existance.

What’s the how?

@WileEQuixote Chemical reactions, abiogenesis, evolution, sexual reproduction, more evolution, primates, more evolution, Humans, many generations pass, probably some neanderthal hanky panky, then some more generations, then you.

@ThereIsADog accurate. ?

Now that's scientific at it's core.

4

I don't think that there is a reason as to why we exist. I think that we are just the result of the evolution of a species.

4

The meaning of life the universe and everything.

Coldo Level 8 Apr 16, 2018

Ahaha funniest answer so far!

3

There's no 'why' , we are simply a cosmic stroke of fortune. Now, if you go into how do we gain meaning in our life, it's our friends, family, community, helping others, making society better, doing things we enjoy, etc.

3

Random happenstance of an unthinking universe.

Or do you mean, what is our purpose? To which I would answer that we have no intrinsic purpose, and must create our own.

What he said.

Then our purpose is to create purpose according to you, a valid theory ! Could be it !

@PhilippeLavoie I suppose you could say that, though technically that would be circular. Either way, my personal purpose is to be a good person, a good dad, to leave the world a better place, to promote science and reason, etc.

@DonThiebaut your personal purpose can be summarised by "maximizing people's happiness" which seems to be the best purpose the human mind can come up with.

@PhilippeLavoie Again, a reasonable summary. I'm honored that you think so! ?

3

sorry to burst your bubble, but i don't know is in fact an answer, and the only one i feel i can truthfully give...there are all sorts of options out there, none with any real proof, or if you want to look at it in another way, we each may exist for our own individual purpose, in that case the answer would be as vast as the number of people you asked

Byrd Level 7 Apr 15, 2018

There has to be a universal answer to this question, let's assume God exists for one sec, he had to have a reason for creating us

@PhilippeLavoie im sorry but no, there doesnt have to be a universal answer. and since i believe that all gods are a creation of the minds of humans, my earlier statement about each person having there own answer to the question of why still stands. i personally feel that i was born so that i could help those in need. others feel that they where born to become famous, others still feel they where born to complete some task they believe a god or gods set them up with. it all depends on who you ask. im not trying to say there is anything wrong with you seeking an answer, but maybe you are asking the wrong people, maybe you should be asking yourself...just my thoughts tho, others may find that they believe in some devine purpose that answers that question more to your liking.

@Byrd Well i wasn't expecting to find the ultimate answer on this post, but I was curious to see people's answer! Maybe by studying the Big Bang, we'll find some universal answers or something we can't even imagine with our current knowledge, we need to keep asking questions I believe

2

The why is a social and personal construct. If we don't create a why, I think one would not live a very fulfilling life. There is no scientific answers for why. Why is not something science addresses. But, philosophy tries to answer this question. We have evolved to have a conscience that is cognizant enough that our minds allow us to ponder these questions. There may not be a scientific answer for "why" but I think it can be argued that pondering the why must have an evolutionary benefit. If not, we wouldn't have religion, the enldless search for "meaning", philosophy, Good works and Sinful action, a sense of right and wrong (which we all have individually and collectively). But again, these are personal and social constructs. The why might lie in examining the evolutionary advantage of people's endlessly searching for the reason why and aswereing it with religion, dogmas, groupthink. Those forms of thought have helped people survive annihilate their perceived enemies. It may not be a physical form of evolution, but evolution of conscience. Something that would be difficult to test or disprove with another, better theory, and obviously difficult to quantify but the evidence of it's reality is in the very quetion posed. I think, therefore I wonder why.

How people answer this question gives deep insight into their minds, because the "why" we do things we do is people's own explaination for their behavior

2

Richard Dawkins answers this question perfectly;

It's a beautiful and poetic hymn to life from a scientist, but it doesn't explain why we exist!

Point taken; so let me add....The Why is within the gift; you make your own heaven or hell, your own "why" or reason for being.

You do good deeds, raise good kids, and leave fond memories with generations, or you are happily forgotten. It's your choice; choose to discipline yourself to last long and do well, or chose not to - and be a taker, abuser, and short-lived person.

@Robecology good answer, however somehow i have a hard time accepting that we are only here to be happy and have fun. I need a deeper reason!

@PhilippeLavoie The fact that we NEED a deeper reason doesn't bring such a "reason" into existence. The indifferent Universe doesn't give a damn for our existential needs. It is sad, and disappointing, but that's the way it is.

@PhilippeLavoie That's the point; we just don't know....but we know we're very, very fortunate to be alive. I'm guessing that if there is a god, (s)he gave us this life as a temporary gift....in a sense, we're "in Heaven" for a short visit....to allow more souls to enjoy - or not enjoy - the trip.

@COGITOERGOSUM if the answer doesn't exist, there is no way to be certain the answer doesn't exists, which means generations and generations of people will search for it without success, let's hope that's not the case πŸ˜›

@PhilippeLavoie Clause (1): You are right; Clause (2): Generations and generations have searched for the answer, and we both know the results. So, if the past is any indication....

@COGITOERGOSUM Just because many people failed and died trying to make the first airplane, doesn't make the quest for flying irrelevant! Something that hasn't been invented or discovered yet always look impossible at first (because if it was easy someone would of done it long ago) , but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try, it just gives more credit to whoever will succeed!

@PhilippeLavoie Keep trying, my friend! I wish you luck (sincerely).

2

Well, I have an opinion of sorts.
Here’s s short version..
the biological answer is that we are fleshy automatons assembled by our genes to make copies of themselves ...
But something happened , be it the foxp2 gene mutation or some astounding combination of mutations , we developed language.
This created the opportunity for far more sophisticated social structures ..
We are Map Makers, that’s propably the primary function of our cognition and eventually we made mental maps that contained a copy of ourselves ! That seems to be the rise of consciousness as we understand it..
This awareness seems to have driven an unprecedented mutation in consciousness where we collectively and individually conspire to overthrow the Gene Impitous ..
We invented condoms and the like and embarked ,at our best , on a path of altruistic social structures that defy the selfish drive of the gene and foster civil society and intellectual and creative expansion . The Why We Exist becomes a grand experiment in creative cooperation that benefits society as a whole
. At our worst we harness the selfish gene impitous for selfish gain . Our greatest intellectual achievement is the capacity for altruism . This could enable us to survive in cooperation with each other and our environments for many, many thousands of years . There are unfortunately those who work for selfish gain at the expense of greater society .( their god is Ayn Rand) πŸ˜‰
These cheaters could drain us and our environment in a few short generations and crate the map to our demise as a species ..

So, why are we here?
To defy that selfish drive by expanding our creative capacity and our altruistic capacity and become something truly remarkable !!!

Nice answer!

2

I consider "why" to be meaningless. I don't think there's any underlying purpose, and neither any cosmic intention to our existence. The "how" of our being is far more germane to me.

Well if there is no god then there is probably no why, but if God really exists then there is a why, aren't you curious to find out what it is?

@PhilippeLavoie I'm confused about your saying (more than once) "....if [g]od really exists, then...."

You do realize that the majority of the people here don't believe for a second that "god really exists," right?

@BlueWave but then why are you on an agnostic app, if you are an atheist? Some people here really are agnostic

@PhilippeLavoie hmmm...I really am Agnostic and I also think 'why' is meaningless. And I also wonder at the nature of your questions.

@PhilippeLavoie The app is for anybody. What I asked is whether you realize the majority of the people who participate in this community don’t believe any gods exist. Do you realize that?

@PhilippeLavoie This is like asking why Sasquatch broke the tree limb in my back yard. Until there's good reason to believe Sasquatch exists, what would be my motivation for expending any energy on that question? And even then, I'd have to make some assumptions about Sasquatch, its nature, whether it is self-aware, whether it was concerned with me at all, whether the branch incident was an intentional act, how many Sasquatch there are, how perhaps the existence of an evil Yeti comes into play, and on and on β€” but after all that, I'm no closer to knowing anything and all I've done is entertain and perhaps perpetuate an unsubstantiated claim.

@BlueWave Well we could look at the actual ratio of atheist/agnostic on this app. But if you're using an app litteraly called "Agnostic", it's a little wierd to lecture me on being Agnostic and saying things like if God then X, if no God then Z. Do you realise that?

@PhilippeLavoie Your non-answer to my simple question is noted. Cheers! ?

@BlueWave Besides I have answered your question : No I don't realise that the majority of people here are Atheists because you haven't shown me the ratio of people's belief on this app AND even if you do and there are more atheists or more muslims or what ever, it's still not irrelevant to talk about agnostism on an app litterally called "agnostic"

@resserts a strange comparison, but let me remind you that Zoology is a science and some people would really dedicate their life to studying the saskash behavior if it existed, so asking why we exist seems a more valid question to dedicate your life to, no?

@PhilippeLavoie Yet how do we determine the reason without knowing anything about the being in question? Everything is conjecture. It seems useless to speculate about why we were created when we have nothing to suggest we were, in fact, created, what the nature of such a creator is, whether it's a self-aware entity, whether it cares about us or even knows we exist, whether it's a single entity or one of many, and on and on. Everything hinges on this conditional assertion "if it exists," and that seems to be a question worth exploring (though difficult, given that the concept isn't easily or clearly defined) β€” until we start asking questions that assume knowledge that we don't have. How can we know what the intention of our creation is or what our cosmic purpose is without first somehow establishing that there's a personal creator, what the personality/nature of such a being is, and knowing the mind of such an entity? "If it exists" leaves all the work ahead of us to clearly define what we're talking about and find solid evidence for its existence before we could ever hope to understand enough about it otherwise to answer the question "why."

@resserts really nice and smart answer. the existance of God and why we exist are completely different questions and are only linked in the assertion that "if God exist"(God indeed being a form of intelligence that we know nothing about like you said) then maybe we can just ask why he created the universe, but then we would be stuck with an equaly strange question, why was God created? Which indeed like you said can't be answered for now, does God even know why he exists? If he exists? At this point it's pointless to speculate like you said, but hey it's human nature to question things

2

Because we are. Since all matter is also energy, and can't be created or destroyed, and time and space are an illusion, then our reason for being is that WE WANT TO.
We are literally our own gods.

β€œI regard consciousness as fundamental and matter as derivative from consciousness." – Max Planck, theoretical physicist who originated quantum theory, 1918 Nobel Prize in Physics

Good theory I love it πŸ™‚

1

Because we do.

1

I don't know is an answer, and anything else is just a guess or an opinion.

Still worth the try!

@PhilippeLavoie Why?

@Sticks48 well questioning our reality in general makes us more aware of everything around us, and the big WHY is part of that, even if unanswerable for now, I believe we have to try

@PhilippeLavoie I think by the time we're declaring ourselves Agnostics and Atheists we're not really asking these questions anymore.

@crazycurlz what do you mean?

@PhilippeLavoie asking 'why' is what the religious waste their time on. Forgive me if I'm wrong but you are not one of us and everyone here sees through you.

@crazycurlz Sorry for expecting to meet agnostic people on an app called "Agnostic" I overestimated Atheist's rationality. Besides I'm not hidding my agnostism at all, so of course you see right through me

@crazycurlz also you may want to reconsider your last comment after watching "WHY are we here" by Stephen Hawking.

1

Just the perfect storm

1

The 'big' went 'bang'.

Thats the how not the why!

0

β€œMan is only a reed, the weakest in nature, but he is a thinking reed. There is no need for the whole universe to take up arms to crush him: a vapour, a drop of water is enough to kill him. but even if the universe were to crush him, man would still be nobler than his slayer, because he knows that he is dying and the advantage the universe has over him. The universe knows none of this.” [Pascal]

0

To finally learn how to spell "existential" ?

0

Who cares?

Because I do. And I enjoy it.

0

There is only "how" and not "why"

For now yes, but my hope is that we'll find the why by studying the how!

0

We exist for different reasons at different times in our lives. As babies to melt the hearts of parents; as teens to irritate the heck out of those parents; as young adults to start the cycle again. I say this with all the seriousness that I can muster with my tongue pressed hard against my cheek.

0

The Buddha: "What do I not teach? Whatever is fascinating to discuss, divides people against one another, and does not lead to liberation."

"What do I teach? Only that which is sufficient for liberation from suffering."

Me: "Not important."

But the lack of answer to this question is causing suffering to me

@PhilippeLavoie because you're attached to having an answer. πŸ˜‰

@stinkeye_a Well yeah curiosity is what brought Humans this far, but yet the very reason for our existence is still out of reach! I can't accept the idea that we exist for no reason, i need to find out what it is!

@PhilippeLavoie why don't you tell all of us, then? What's the reason we all exist? It's as if you're bursting at the seams, so please enlighten us...tell us your 'why'?

@crazycurlz I litterally just wrote that not knowing the answer to this question causes suffering, at least to me, so obviously I don't know. The truth is, if some form of intelligence didn't create us then we might never know(because otherwise we could just ask him/her). So if Atheist are right we are doomed to try to answer the HOW like Stephen Hawking dedicated his life to, perhaps by trying to find the HOW we will find the WHY by accident?

@PhilippeLavoie you spelled litterally wrong.

@crazycurlz Your answer just showed you're not interested in the topic, you just want to contradict me on everything I write. Ok you win Crazycurlz, talking about agnostism on this app is crazy and who cares why we exist and why we do things we do. Science is all about Beliefs and questionning things is a sin to scientists right?

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