I think mankind has a BIG problem with hubris and that religion, philosophy, social engineering and controls, politics and the arts have sought through recorded human history to present answers and/or directions to guide our temporary sojourn on earth. In some cases they have fostered civility and progress and in others war and destruction- not only of the human species but of related systems and creatures of the natural world/habitat. History- if authentic- is our answer for human nature, intelligence and emotions have varied little in spite of attempts of various theories.
On Dec 2, 11:29 am, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > Why do I exist? Is it because some self-replicating chemical has > designed and created me as an instrument for the sole purpose of > improving its success rate for self-replication? Is it to express > some soul purpose? Or is the reason of my existence without purpose? > > Descartes’ phrase “I think, therefore I exist,” was meant to prove > that there is at least one fact in the universe that is beyond doubt. > I am, I exist is necessarily true each time that I pronounce it, or > that I mentally conceive it. But his exploration here doesn’t tell us > why we exist. > > Perhaps why we exist is defined by what Thomas Aquinas thought of as > salvation: “Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to > know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to > know what he ought to do.” Can our beliefs, desires and moral actions > answer the question why? > > Tolstoy believed that “The essence of any religion lies solely in the > answer to the question: why do I exist, and what is my relationship to > the infinite universe that surrounds me?” > > What do YOU think? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en.
