do you think we have the ability to comprehend the answer to the meaning of life if we recieved it?

Question

I have the belief that if we received the "truth" to how the universe began, that we would not be able to comprehend the answer no matter how simple or complex it would be (god vs. science). If it were a simple answer, I dont think people would believe it, and it it were a complex answer, I dont think we would handle it well and would probably fear it. I also believe we are just not evolved enough to handle the answer in which we seek. I mean science would have to take on a whole new direction, and right now it keeps us progressing forward in our quest. Once that quest is answered, where do we go from there?

I need to add an addendum to this description to say that my question is meant for speculation only, and not an absolute truth. My belief is based upon opinion, and that is why it is my belief. I also should have phrased the question differently, because what I really wanted to speculate about was more religion vs. science in the creation of life and NOT what the "meaning of our own individual life is"

Answer 1

I think Josh knows more than he has shared. I agree, and there is so much more backing than what's been stated.
The idea is line upon line, precept upon precept.
Simple concepts add upon themselves until you have a wealth of knowledge that may seem complex to those of with less compilation of these simple,true principals.
Like doing calculus. Give it to a first grader who only knows how to count to maybe a hundred and it is an impossible concept. But as they learn more and move up to college, they realize that it is a totally valid process of figuring out volume and such. The impossible is only because of the lack of knowledge and understanding. Its all those small answers slowly learned and understood building up to the bigger 'impossible' picture.

WHy does it have to be God vs. Science? Could it not possibly be that God has a PERFECT knowledge of the true principals that govern science?? Thus showing that science, rather than disprove the exsistance of a God, in fact is the proof his exsistance?
(?Do you think you could create a world if you had a perfect knowledge of science?? What could you do with that kind of knowledge? Just a thought...)

Answer 2

I think you need to rethink things. When thinking, logic is the best way. You know, if A=B and B=C, then A=C. You go from the known to the unknown, you take what you know and try to figure out what you don't know. What you are doing is "speculating". You write that you "believe" we can't comprehend the "truth" of how the universe began. What facts do you base this on? I am sure that you don't have any facts to base this on.
What you are doing is making wild speculations about things. The problem with this is that you say that you "believe" these things. Many people make this mistake (including many Western philosophers). They think that just because they "think" something, that that thought has some validity! I can "think" that the moon is made of green cheese, so what?
You are starting to speculate about things, good. Now you need to learn how to think so that your thinking may become productive.

Answer 3

dude!
Read my book when it comes out
What2believe
I am writing a 200 word comentary on religion, beliefs, gods and science put it togather and you got the truth just for now i wll tell you why men exist it very simple bet yet the people that i have told it to ignore the fact and cant see the real truth>( if you think i am some punk *** kid forget it)<
When you die you leave behind nothing at all...of course theres your car your house...
thats not gona help anyone though in the long run.
Here the thing though that will
KIDS! CHILDREN!
This may not be your purpose for living but purpose is different from reason. Purpose is "why you are here" reason is "You are here for".
Any thing can be your purpose but your reason will never change its this easy
no children=end of earth with no humans
Stop sex from happening and you get no earth.
Thats why we have hormones the way we do.
To make it bigger and better when i say better you will have to ask a question how will the earth ever become perfect or mail me to no more. peace @Joshua Washburn

Answer 4

I think you are totally right!!! I don't think we would be able to comprehend the answer to the meaning of life. Even if it was in our faces, people would still want to fight over it and disagree. I don't know what comes after the quest. I guess it would be living everyday worshiping the answer or the person/thing that created the universe. But it is a very interesting question and I don't think anyone will have a certain answer. Their isn't one yet.

Answer 5

The meaning of life isn't something that 'out there' waiting to be discovered. Life has only the meaning you give it yourself. You can choose your own goals and values, your own ends and means. Basically, there are three sorts of alternative, and each has both positive and negative 'roads' to take.

One, you can live life selfishly. This, from a moral point of view, is negative - looking out at all times for 'number one'. But it need not be negative - not if you have a special ability or high degree of ability (say, in art) and you concentrate on developing that ability in a way that is 'selfish' in the short term but is likely to make a contribution to human good in the long term.

Two, you can invest yourself in others. This can range from simply concentrating on being a good parent, to being a dedicated contributor to some community or some organization, whether it be a political party, a commercial company, etc. But the negative side of this is that you might, in the latter part of your life, find that the group you have dedicated yourself to has not appreciated your contribution, or has changed negatively from what it was despite your efforts, and you might, when it is too late, regret not indulging yourself a little more than you did.

Thirdly, you can turn away from both self and others and, negatively, abandon any attempt to be a moral person, letting yourself be ruled by your emotions or appetites, to the cost of both yourself and those around you. Or, positively, become one of those intensely 'practical' people who 'get things done' in the purely physical sense (but are good for little else).

Of course, it is possible to combine elements of each of the three basic alternatives - though it probably isn't advisible, for sanity's sake, to combine both negative and positive roads.

Life is about choices. Your life is about your choices.

Answer 6

i think your question assumes a great deal about a great many things. And all those assumptions are based on faulty logic and reasoning. Your question is on the wrong footing, and begs an invalid answer.

In short, we already comprehend the meaning of life. simply by living life, the very act of living is meaning life. Existential philosophy, most notably Heidegger, grounds being as meaning. To be is to mean. as such, our lives are nothing other than meaning. In as much as we speak, do, have and act, we are living the meaning of our lives.

What you are implying is some meta-meaning, beyond ourselves, beyond our lives, beyond the meaning we comprehend for ourselves in every moment, every act, every word and every thought. You are assuming there is an exterior a priori meaning beyond ourselves, in and of itself. You assume such a meaning exist and that therefore we must uncover it, if we can.

That's an awfully big assumption. There is nothing outside ourselves. Nothing can or does exist except what we mean it and name it to be. Even if a phenomenon occurs beyond ourselves, it has no meaning unless we name it, describe it. Meaning is inherit only for us. Meaning does not exist outside of us. That's is our special gift, our divinity, that we create meaning. Nothing else does that.

As such, we create our own meaning, and how can we create a meaning for which we can't comprehend? It would be meaningless, and how can we create meaningless meaning?

You're also assuming a Hegelian progression towards knowing Truth and meaning/purpose. Let's say it is either God or Science, like you suggest. Areyou saying that our relationship with God, our faith and knowledge of God, as well as our relationship with Nature (via natural science) are less meaningful and less real and less true than those who will live 1000 years from now? and better than those 1000 years before us?

Kierkegaard suggest that faith/knowledge/meaning is infinite and accessible by all. That a linear progressive world perspective misses the whole point of finding meaning today, individually. And that tapping in to Truth is infinite, not eternal. And that one merely has to leap into the infinite abyss of the unknown vs. the Hegelian lunges over the horizon of time via thesis/antithesis/synthesis.

The meaning of life is already out there, comprehendable, knowable and obvious. You can't see it because you are too busy looking for it with the spotlight of false dualisms of Science/Religion, Nature/God. These are illusions of logic. The truth which you seek is not observable in the face of the Light of Reason. It must be felt, heard, smelled in the framework of all that there is, and then named, and given meaning by the divine that is human condition.

Answer 7

Once we know our place in the grand scheme of things, the lesson is humility. What we are supposed to learn during this incarnation is that pride is the wrong answer.

On the other hand, Tevye, we are probably immortal beings, but a very small part of the big picture.

Judging Angels? Only for the wise.

Answer 8

Yes, if those who are wise will understand the teaching of our Heavenly Father, and the blessing of our Mother Earth, where all is of one, and one is of all. where all subjects are connected one way or the other, as mathematics will not exist without science, and science will not exist without life. who know that the end of a quest maybe the beginning of another, but it's for certain that it will be Heaven on Earth if we'll put our faith into our heart to do so.

Answer 9

ur question is ur answer, we are NOT capable of comprehending certain things which is why we arent immortals in respect to this world (the soul never dies), we must die and depart from this world and body b/c it is weak and incapable of the true understanding and knowledge that will define for us what we crave to know, "god like" knowledge, its truely a feeling of elation to know the answer to a difficult question, hence, knowledge is true happiness. if u study the philosophy of monothiestic religions, especially islam (b/c i have studied parts of it) u will find answers that will hit the nail on the head in this respect.
Bottom line is we have knowledge that will benifit us and we should be careful of dangerous knowledge, thats rite knowledge can be dangerous especially when its of no benifit to us.

Answer 10

I think the question: "what is the meaning of life?"is a very personal one and should be: "what is the meaning of MY life?" We spend our lives searching for that answer, thus giving our life a certain meaning.