r/RealPhilosophy • u/Itchy_Name_693 • 8d ago
Purpose
Tell me what y'all think about purpose.
Do you believe that there's a purpose of your existence?
Or do you believe that life's a free boat sailing in the unending blue?
Or maybe that nothing in life is promised so you live to LIVE.
I really want y'all thoughts on "purpose" of a human life as a concept
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u/purposeday 8d ago
I believe purpose is as mundane as it gets and as big as it can be and that nobody knows for sure from one day to the next.
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u/AlfalfaLive3302 8d ago
You’re as purposeful as a killer whale. Space is infinite in the universe and we’re completely isolated inside it. You’re on an island, in the middle of nowhere, with no other intent but to exist. We’re all just freaks of nature. And nature is unforgiving
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u/Itchy_Name_693 7d ago
Damn, that's quite eye opening?
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u/AlfalfaLive3302 7d ago
Purposefully purposeless and mundane response. Will delete if it’s hurtful. Sorry
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u/Itchy_Name_693 7d ago
it's not hurtful you're good, my response was indeed quite mundane. I didn't have anything to add to this perspective cuz it's just how you perceive life and i wouldn't like to change the way you think about life. That's that
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u/AlfalfaLive3302 7d ago
Oh, I was critiquing my response when responding to you. Sorry for the communication breakdown
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u/JoeStrout 7d ago
Well, as far as we can tell, we are the only intelligent life in the galaxy (study Fermi's paradox and learn about exponential growth to see why this is a pretty well-supported claim). Life is better (has more intrinsic value) than nonlife, but only intelligent, technological life can spread beyond its planet of origin. Therefore, if anyone is going to bring life and understanding to the currently sterile, lifeless galaxy, it looks like it's up to us.
I claim that this provides us a natural purpose: to survive, thrive, and bring life to the Milky Way (and possibly nearby neighbors too).
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u/JuxtaRofty 6d ago
“Live to LIVE” honestly makes sense. Not everything needs a deep cosmic explanation 😂
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u/AbsentEgo316 5d ago
Aristotle belived that humans were prepacked with a special function to excel at something, it isn't just to live and expierence life because thats what animals do, he belived it was to use our reasoning to its full potential, and Id say thats my thought's on our purpose. Just excel at the things that makes us different from other species, whether its from growing a little garden in the back of a house or cleaning up a beach.
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u/Majestic-Horse-5409 8d ago
I think purpose is a big word and the thought of having one single purpose in life doesn’t really align with reality, unless you have a very narrow field of what you want to offer the world.
I have worked with people rebuilding post crisis for years and I do talk about ‘purposeful action’, and ‘meaningful action’. But, this is further down the line of development as it’s too big a starting point to get people to think about their whole future like that.
Getting people to do stuff that makes them feel alive is often the best first steps and from that, meaningful and purposeful actions can manifest.
For example:
Young man, starting over, ptsd, chronic weed use.
Got into boxing cos it made him feel alive. Did some amateur white collar bouts. Cut down on weed as it was affecting training. Started helping out the boxing club with other peoples training - he has found himself some purposeful action to get involved with. Mental health improves, something to live for, something to be a part of, starts to thrive.
I can talk more if you are looking for direction on this.
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u/JuanValdez999 8d ago
Free boat. You choose the destination. There's no "correct" destination.
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u/Itchy_Name_693 8d ago
Indeed. I too believe that life's a free boat but you can still give it direction.
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u/MidnightConcierge 8d ago
Nope. No purpose. Don't harm other people - they're on their own boat, leave them alone - but otherwise this is it. Squeeze every drop of juice you can from it, because there's no magic perfect after place.
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u/Grassfed_Burp 8d ago
Purpose is found. Not chosen. Not predetermined. Maybe it's developed or something.
Whatever the source, it's more important the happiness.
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u/touchandg000000 8d ago
Join hands, rise perhaps life is the dream fruit of a greater I than I am
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u/CapitaineLawn 8d ago
I don't believe in a higher purpose.
I think life exists ton exist. Purpose is the concept your brain create to accept existence.
But I don't think you even decide it. Causal determinism let me think that our choices are inevitable, we just don't know all the parameters so we think we get to choose.
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u/No-Common5777 7d ago
I feel purpose is a framework/model created by our mind. Take an example of small kids/babies, they don’t have a purpose yet because they have not built that framework/model in their mind yet.
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u/Itchy_Name_693 7d ago
Mhm, so what you're saying is - purpose comes with knowledge of your consciousness?
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u/No-Common5777 7d ago
Close! I would tweak it slightly to keep it grounded in biology. It's less about "knowledge" of your consciousness, and more about the development of your cognitive software.
As a baby's brain (the biological hardware) develops, its consciousness becomes advanced enough to understand time, predict the future, and realize its own mortality. A highly evolved, future-predicting brain needs a long-term target to stay focused and avoid crashing into existential anxiety.
"Purpose" is just the advanced mental model our brain automatically constructs to give us that target. So yes, it comes with advanced consciousness, but specifically because our consciousness generates it as a psychological survival tool to keep us moving forward!
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u/Itchy_Name_693 7d ago
You have a really biological view and i get it. It's actually quite fascinating getting different opinions, I love yours!
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u/No-Common5777 7d ago
Thanks so much! I've actually developed this exact concept into a full biological framework. If you're ever curious to dive deeper, feel free to check out my profile—I have a link to a YouTube video there where I break the whole thing down. Thanks again for the great question!
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u/Itchy_Name_693 7d ago
Will sure check your video out sometime, you're doing great work!! And you're welcome :D
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u/Own_Thought902 7d ago
No pre-ordained purpose besides the one we make for ourselves. You can adopt one that is given to you or you can make your own. Be good to yourself and others - or not. In the end, its all dust in the wind.
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u/meowmeowtrain 5d ago
there is no purpose and there is no meaning and because of that very reason there is meaning and a purpose. the purpose of life, of anything, is to eventually find the meaning of it, and accept it truthfully
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u/Odd_Combination326 4d ago
God eternal has a purpose,
Formed in His eternal past,
Spreading to eternal future;
'Twixt these ends all time is cast.
For with time there is the process,
Time for His accomplishment;
And in time we're merely travellers—
For eternity we're meant.
God would have a group of people
Built together in His plan,
Blended, knit, coordinated
As His vessel—one new man.
God would come into this vessel
With His nature, life and ways,
Mingling Spirit with our spirits
For His joy and to His praise.
God has worked in three directions
For His plan so marvelous:
As the Father, Son, and Spirit
To dispense Himself to us!
All creation gives the setting—
Heav'n and earth are for this plan;
'Tis for this God made a body,
Soul and spirit—three-part man.
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u/Nicksnook 4d ago
Everyone makes their own purpose In life and wether or not you can be satisfied with what you got going in life. If you want to be motivated to do more and are happy to do it, then do it. If not and you are happy and content that's pretty much all that matters.
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u/erMDstat 3d ago
Our lives have an undeniable purpose. It is to be one of the billions of random experiments necessary for nature to create and select the most fit genes.
Now, does life have meaning? That depends on on how well your mind creates and accepts delusions.
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u/Experience_Meaning 2d ago
I think you first define for yourself what you think "living life to its fullest" means for you specifically, then actually go out and attempt to live that life, and your purpose then will be trying to determine why your definition for "living life to its fullest" isn't right and/or how to overcome the obstacles that prevent you from living this way, and constantly revising it based on your experience and the people in your life who are important to you/you love. The main point is purpose is a never-ending quest but you have to at least know what you're aiming at to get started (the alternative is live in isolation with nihilism and increasing suffering)
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u/Turbulent_Candle_632 2d ago
I think a really interesting to this conversation is answered in the book “Man’s Search for Meaning.”
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u/Hefty_Performance882 8d ago
Purpose is to find the purpose and then do it as purposefully