"Purpose of life" versus "reason for living"?

Question

There are many here who say there is no purpose of/in life but I've not seen anyone say they had no reason for living.

Purpose seems optional while reason for living definitely sounds mandatory and serious, i.e. implied suicide candidate.

For those who have no purpose, is your reason for living something you have invented to prevent suicide? It is odd. It is like saying my reason for living is to take a medicine that prevents me from taking my own life.

I'm saying that without a real purpose in life, we must invent a reason for living and it may be to "learn all you can" or "save the whales" but the real reason for living is not learning or whales, it is the prevention of suicide. The whales and the learning are means, not ends.

It is meaningless to speak of "purpose of life" without assuming a Creator. So we can't invent our own unless we claim to have created ourselves. We can invent reasons for living.

For those of you like Speak freely, who think that nature has provided us with a purpose of life, e.g. pass on our genes. The idea that nature has a purpose for us is actually a teleological argument for the existence of God. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleology

Answer 1

The purpose of all life, including that of humans, is to efficiently spread entropy in the universe.

Simply being alive spreads entropy because of your metabolism. Continuing to live is the most basic instinct of every living organism. Reproduction also directly increases entropy and is the second-most basic instinct of life. Learning, teaching, creating artwork, and the other things people claim are their "reason for living" all ultimately lead to an increase in entropy.

Many people might be repelled by this idea because they see entropy as chaos and believe that this idea advocates anarchy. In fact, it does not. The most efficient ways to spread entropy always involve self-organizing systems. The political concept which most fits that idea is democracy, not anarchy, and certainly not dictatorships or theocracies.

Answer 2

As with faith in a loving god and a blissful afterlife, it would be comforting to think the universe or god or nature had some purpose for us. I wish I could believe in something simply to make myself more comfortable. But alas, I cannot.

I do believe one can have a purpose in life. But the purpose derives with the individual. No one is born with metaphysical itinerary.

Answer 3

The purpose of life is to pass on your genes. A reason for living can be many things: your wife, your kids, love doing your job/career, your country or any number of things.

Answer 4

Purpose of life? At birth there is no such thing.

Reason for living? You find it when you are already in an environment where there are people and things (and ambitions and dreams) that you learn to love.

Answer 5

Everybody has a purpose in life. Those who haven't figured theirs out yet, there a things you can do to find it out. Like taking a life purpose test at http://www.theonequestion.com

Answer 6

"Purpose" is a human concept. It does not map well to nature. The parameters nature sets for us are
-adapt
-avoid pain
-survive
-reproduce
-die

But since we're rational agents we can exceed these simple parameters. We each find our own purpose in life. In a very real sense, we all 'invent' reasons to live.

Answer 7

I agree with you.

O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious - see V.2:2).
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #21)

Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshipped).
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #22)

Answer 8

my reason and my purpose are the same. living my life and hopefully leaving my loved ones a little better off than before i came. period. does anyone really need more or is that just ego?

Answer 9

i think when people ask for reason for
living" sounds like no way, like this is the end, "purpose of life" sound like i want to find a way??
and by the way are u doing phychology analysis or maybe u're digging too deep.... Peace!!

Answer 10

biologically, we're here to perpetuate ourselves,
along the way we developed intelligence, (well some of us at least), enough to ask questions about the purpose of life, and waste our time worrying about our deaths.
don't stress, live life and enjoy it.