On 3/12/2014 2:14 PM, LizR wrote:
On 13 March 2014 09:47, John Mikes <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Liz, please!
don'[t you think "pursuit of happiness" is indeed "UNHAPPINESS"??
Why would a happy person pursue happiness?
I would not vote for 'unhappiness' as the meaning of life, although it
looks like it
frequently.
It's closer to a meaning than "happiness" imho. "Acheving happiness" could be a purpose,
at least, although personally I still don't consider it a meaning. I'm not sure what
sort of meaning life /could/ have. Meaning is generally something that is interpreted by
a conscious entity, extracted from information, so the idea that life has a meaning more
or less presupposes the existence of a God or something similar to whom our lives have
some meaning (or at least purpose).
Monty Python parodied this in "The Meaning of Life" by the way, although I forget what
the exact meaning of life turned out to be. (It was along the lines of "take plenty of
exercise, don't eat too much fatty food..." etc)
"Meaning" implies referring to something else; a symbol means something when it stands in
for it. Similarly for "purpose". You can have purposes, but they don't "mean"
something. I think the right way to frame this kind of "ultimate" question is "What do
you value?" Most people have different things they value. When they have enough leisure
then they seek stimulation. Sometimes they want solace, sometimes companionship. There
is no one "ultimate value", even for one person, much less for "mankind".
Brent
"People want their lives to have purpose without having to provide it
themselves."
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