Whats your opinion on why we exist?

Question

Ok I was having a conversation with my partner and I think i almost became religious..so here is what happened.

Strangely we were talking about moths and butterflies and what was the point in a caterpillar morphing into a butterfly, what purpose was served for the caterpillar by doing this?

Then I asked "come to think of it what is our (humans) purpose for exisiting". To procreate? Well its what we do as a race to survive, yes, but to exist? Whats the point in that? We exist just to make more of us? That answer does not cut it.

And then, more to the point, what came first, a baby or an adult (if you discount adam and eve). It cant have been a baby because how would it feed itself and survive?

Maybe an adult came first, in which case someone would of had to put us here! maybe it was god !! But then, who put him there ! Thats not feasible either.

Maybe we were a natural thing..but we still must have started as a baby. No ?

So how did we come to be and whats the point of our being?

Mostly reasonable answers but most are still saying the point is to reproduce....but...what the point? to what end? If there is a god..why does he want us to reproduce, to what end?

Kate....you are so undeducated.

1) I am asking this to stimulate debate and get opinions...not learn something..hence the philosophy section!!

2) The evolution argument only works if you believe in the theory of evolution. But it still begs the question, if we evolved from 'something' how did that something 'come to be' ? Do you see my point now?

3) I know I exist because I was the product of my parents...but I asked why do HUMANS exist (look for the brackets I put that word in)

Now stop pretending you know things.

2)

Answer 1

Its the classic story of what came first - - The chicken or the egg...

We're just animals, like every other living creature.. I dont think we have an exact reason for being here.. I just think that we should try to do the best we possibly can with the time we manage to borrow....

Survival - - thats the only one word answer I can give...

Good question though

Answer 2

You're making this too black and white.

Firstly, with regard to the caterpillar and the butterfly, the prime mover for them is reproduction. The change from caterpillar to butterfly is not a unique thing - it is common to many insects.......maggots to flies, leatherjackets to crane flies, and so on. So nothing more magical than Mother Nature being incredible as usual.

Secondly, you can't say what came first, baby or adult, unless you believe in creationism. If you are an evolutionist then the human baby came first, but it would have been a baby slightly different to its parents - it is unlikely that there would have been something that suddenly grew up to be Homo Erectus that was wildly different from what went before.

That is how we came to be. As to the point of our being, there is none other than to reproduce the same as any other. We are a miracle of creation but our sentience does not make us any more special than any of the other miracles of life we see around us.

I do not deny the existence of God, but I find it impossibly arrogant of us to believe we are anything special considering the vastness of the universe.

**EDIT** Aren't you making a big assumption that there has to be a reason behind everything? This is the logic of conspiracy theorists that there has to be a reason for everything. I still find it arrogant that, of all the thousands of species on this planet, we should think that God has a special purpose for only us.......and then when you consider the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe, we become even more insignificant.

Answer 3

The point of our being is FOOD! Everything feeds off of everything else. Every living organism from the smallest to the largest including MAN feeds on others. Think of it this way. You plant a seed watch it grow, flower, produce fruit, reproduce its self and then die. This process provides the base for all living organisms to survive and live and even in death others are enabled to live. The circle of life you know. Now how we first got here, which came first the chicken or the egg, I don't know. If you can answer that one and prove it, you would be come very rich and famous overnight. The world is waiting for the answer!

Answer 4

I'm sorry but the answer for why we exist would be silly if it were merely for us to spread the word about God. That would clearly imply that God wants a fan club. Would you speculate that an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient being would sit in the void and think, "Hmmph... nobody loves me. I need someone to shower me with praise." I would much rather believe God is more than that.

What I've thought is that if God is the ultimate logic (meaning everything is done for a correct purpose) then perhaps he desired to share "His" perfection and thus we are created. There is, however a problem with sharing perfection with beings that do not have qualites such as omnipotence and omnipresence. Our comprehension is greatly limited to our own surroundings and experiences. I cannot look at you and know what you are thinking. God of course could. Therefore correct decisions would always be made (or not made since "deciding" anything would not be necessary. Everything is just done.)

So maybe that is the purpose of what we call "evil." To help us as a being to define those correct choices, or rather those logical ones, over the course of our lives. Evil, of course, is illogical in its existence and unnecessary for God, yet the perfect being would understand that it IS necessary for us simpler beings to achieve the understanding of One who is everywhere at all times.

Back to your question though (haha sorry... off topic), there have been many many intelligent people over the course of history that have attempted to determine this. All I can think is that since God wouldn't "need" us really for anything, perhaps He just wishes to share what He enjoys. Life.

Answer 5

The Answers are everywhere and in the end there is no reason except existence itself ... we exist because it is our will ... I see the universe like this - the body is an example of the universe constently breathing(expanding/ retracting) everything is one body - yet at the same time within every body is an infinite number of cells. Every cell is indiependent in existence well still working to keep the body alive and yet the body our mind doesn't take much notice of most of the cells in our body. We are everything and everything is us yet at the same time we are nothing. It's a wonderful question mark with all the answers stairing you in the face every time you look in the mirror or out into the world. Every cell has the potential to effect/affect the whole body and the body can effect/affect the whole cell so in essence each cell is the body and each body is the cell. Within the mind everything is possible. Each perception is different in some way and reality is the line, the universeal plane on which perceptions cross. "TAKE NOTICE OF THE CELLS AROUND YOU -- THEY ARE A PART OF YOUR BODY" "HEAL YOURSELF AND HEAL THE BODY" "HEAL OTHERS AND HEAL YOURSELF" In the end don't compare yourself to others simply be the best you on this your best day Every Day-- this is the path to happiness.

Answer 6

"Why do we exist?" you cannt get more profound than that. Take the religious stance that people lean too, why did God put us on this Earth? Am not religious, i confess to being an agnostic, i believe that there is no firm evidence to confirm or disprove the existence of God. The thing with using religion as a point to discuss "why we exist" is that depending on which religious stance you take, your answer will always be different. Take Catholicism, they might argue we exist to achieve salvation, (this is my view), salvation in order to reach the next life in Heaven. You can draw comparisons with Buddahism, whereby you strive to achieve nirvana, and emulate to a holy status, and by achieving it your life and existence will be complete. So its very difficult to use religion as a tool to discuss our existence, as you will always come up with various arguements depending on your faith.

Now, for the evolutionary view. People can get very ascernine with this. Its just a glorified "chicken and egg" story which still truely doesnt explain our existence. If we exist just to procreate, isnt that what I should be doing now? And then how does it explain the reason for those that wish not to have children? Are they mutants, have they a form of mental disability that doesnt allow them to fulfill their "programmed" function to procreate? No! Evolution might give us an idea of how we came to be in this world, but it doesnt truelt satisfy why we are here, and why we exist.

I personally believe we exist, to fulfil our own personal individual goals. How, why we came about I dont worry about to much, am grateful that i am here now. If you take comfort in religion, good for you, use it to better yourself and achieve what you see as "right". If not find comfort in what you do believe in, (as long as its legal :) If you believe we exist due to the powers of a worldly being greater then us great, or move to the scientific approach of evolution, it doesnt really matter as long as you have an understanding of each one.

Ps. Bhafc87 caterpillars morph into butterflies because they mature into their adult form, just like babies into grownups :)
Hope iv debated good and true...

Answer 7

Im no religious but here what i think about the creation idea;if you tracked any thing down you'll always find that its been created by something else:an egg by a chicken,chicken by tissues,tissues by cells etc...so following this pattern you'll find the one who created all of this without been created himself and if not then the wheel goes till eternity.Call him god,the big bang or whatever,Surly someone must have started all of this.
I never figured out what the point for my being,do i've a purpose for my creation? or simply another drop in a sea?, but i know well i'll make mine.

Answer 8

You exist because 2 homo sapien (mammals) engaged in breeding activities .
Why ? Because bio-chemistry drives organic life to replicate .
Just the way it is , like why are there rocks ?
Just the way it is .

First , baby or adult ? Are you 12 years old ?
Evolution happened , sorry , is that too adult for you ?
Evolution , reality , no modern day human popped up baby or adult . Sorry to burst your bubble on that one .

Answer 9

Slowly, slowly consciousness goes on seeping into the unconscious layers of your being. And it is not just a philosophy or an imaginary idea, because thousands of people have become totally conscious. Those who have become totally conscious have been our highest flowering. In them is the argument for our evolution.

Answer 10

To be that link between all the yesterdays and all the tomorrows. To be one among many that makes the reality that is life among the stars.

You neglect the proto-human. That ape that was more than an ape and yet, not quite a human being.