The flaw in all of this sophomoric philosophic whinging is that it mostly tends to start off with the presupposition that all of these concepts aren’t just human constructs. The only reason anything has meaning to us is because we decided it does.
Incorrect, only because you’re still tacitly assuming that science (or anything else) must have some kind of external cosmic significance outside of human thought.
Science is important to us – or at least it ought to be – because it’s the method by which we understand how the universe works. Being important to us is all that matters, because we can’t think with the minds of anything else.
science doesn’t require meaning to have purpose. saving meaningless lives and minimizing meaningless suffering are purposes, as is understanding what we are and what we could become.
It would definitely be meaningful to me, at least for a while, but only because I care about myself.
And maybe I am. That’s actually very likely. My understanding is that meaning is what something refers to or in this context, what value, objective or desire something refers to.
This is why I was asking basically, “sure but what are those purposes for?” or “who cares that it has purpose?”.
Cause a better quality of life would be great for me, but why do I matter to begin with? Who cares if my life is better? Even if everyone else in the world did care, (including yourself) why care about them? Why should people spend half a second thinking about my well being or that of anyone, really?
There is no scientific basis for caring being a good thing or desirable just like there is no scientific basis for any kind of judgement of value. I’m just another equally irrelevant manifestation of the interaction between several forces with smaller things in a sea of infinite configurations of forces and small things just like everything and everyone else.
My entire point through this whole thread has been “you can’t science your way into what finally matters. you just know and no one can take that away from you”. (and if that thing you care about is science and nothing else, good for you and hold it dear, as you should)
The flaw in all of this sophomoric philosophic whinging is that it mostly tends to start off with the presupposition that all of these concepts aren’t just human constructs. The only reason anything has meaning to us is because we decided it does.
The purpose of life is life itself.
I’m just glad we can both agree science has no meaning. thanks.
Incorrect, only because you’re still tacitly assuming that science (or anything else) must have some kind of external cosmic significance outside of human thought.
Science is important to us – or at least it ought to be – because it’s the method by which we understand how the universe works. Being important to us is all that matters, because we can’t think with the minds of anything else.
That is exactly my point. Thanks.
science doesn’t require meaning to have purpose. saving meaningless lives and minimizing meaningless suffering are purposes, as is understanding what we are and what we could become.
why are those purposes meaningful?
would it be meaningful to you to have a drastically better quality of life for yourself and everyone else?
maybe you are defining meaningful in some weird way?
It would definitely be meaningful to me, at least for a while, but only because I care about myself.
And maybe I am. That’s actually very likely. My understanding is that meaning is what something refers to or in this context, what value, objective or desire something refers to.
This is why I was asking basically, “sure but what are those purposes for?” or “who cares that it has purpose?”.
Cause a better quality of life would be great for me, but why do I matter to begin with? Who cares if my life is better? Even if everyone else in the world did care, (including yourself) why care about them? Why should people spend half a second thinking about my well being or that of anyone, really?
There is no scientific basis for caring being a good thing or desirable just like there is no scientific basis for any kind of judgement of value. I’m just another equally irrelevant manifestation of the interaction between several forces with smaller things in a sea of infinite configurations of forces and small things just like everything and everyone else.
My entire point through this whole thread has been “you can’t science your way into what finally matters. you just know and no one can take that away from you”. (and if that thing you care about is science and nothing else, good for you and hold it dear, as you should)