Cold hard facts?

Question

So if I ask a scientist about the cold hard facts of life, and why were alive, s/he might say: to procreate. i.e to have sex

now, the question is, what if you have two options.

either to believe life is completely and utterly meaningless, besides procreating, or

that life has a deeper meaning and that is to live a good and honest life, constantly making conscience effort to chose the good and abhor the wrong.

Which one would you chose?

And do you really think the second could ever exist without some spirituality and/or religion involved?

Note: Morality undoubtedly exists out of religion. Im not questioning that. The point is, an atheists explanation for morality is: social order. whereas, a spiritual person does it for something more than social order per se...its the actual doing of goodness that pleases the person. Thus it has nothing to do with social order and or gain.

Answer 1

In your notes you said the act of doing goodness pleases the person...that is for gain, personal gain. The act of doing goodness should come from compassion and love for others, empathy. It should be a selfless act, not done for feeling good which is a selfish act.

The meaning of life is to love. For religious people that includes loving God and His creations. Some people can do that without procreating. There are more than two choices.

Answer 2

False dichotomy. First off, science isn't about the meaning of life. Asking a scientist about meaning is like asking a cook about politics - perhaps the individual has some good points, but it's not their field of expertise.

Second, there are more than two options. It's not sex vs. God, there are thousands of possibilities. And all of them short of 'giving my life over to an imaginary being' are compatible with atheism.

Third, ethics and morality do not spring out of religion/spirituality, as has been repeatedly demonstrated on this site. In fact, one could argue that morality exists despite religion.

Answer 3

I'm very confused by your question. There are many reasons for being an atheist, and many athesiests are spiritual, in my understanding of the word Spiritual. There are also atheist religions. Valuse are not dependent on religion. The real question of meaning here, for me, is what criteria do es one use to base thaie value decisions on. The problem of using authority is that there are many authorities and we need good criteria to justify our choice of the one we use. If we appeal to God we, being vailed by our physicality and need to use language, have chosen something that could answer any question, and such an answer really answers none. Either way you go, in your dichotomy and your thinking, you still leave unresolved the basic question, what is your criteria. As a Sufi I have chosen love, or for this life, loving life.

Answer 4

I believe The Great Gazoo has actually explained FREE WILL in simple terms,although free will is not something atheists seem to be able to comprehend.
And if procreation to continue our species is our only purpose,why hasn't Darwinism weeded out homosexuality? Homosexuals don't,for the most part,reproduce. That in itself assures me that there is greater purpose to our lives than just simply expanding our gene pools.

Answer 5

Just because you'd like there to be a deeper meaning doesn't mean there is. We exist for the same reason that everything else does.

To continue our species. There's no grander scheme than that and its not meant to be comforting so stop looking for some.

The universe is a hash unforgiving place and there is no justice but what we make for ourselves.

Answer 6

great quiz Dave! . I arrived right here way previous due :( i comprehend 3 and 11 ) Jimmy website and Race music (yet they have been already replied) a million am now on the east coast. i will objective to return back while i'm unsleeping and edit.

Answer 7

Instead of focusing on your own life, try being an instrument to raise the collective consciousness of this planet. Helping other people is where you will find the 'meaning' you are looking for.

Answer 8

Probably the second...and you can be moral without religion. Religion does not make morals, but it is the morals that make the religion.

Answer 9

You have to make your own meaning. If that is what you want it to be, you don't need a sky faerie to make it that. Life just doesn't come with a pre-set meaning. You are FREE to make your own.

Answer 10

Whichever one I want to be true, will not change the actual facts.

That is simply wishful thinking.