Answers to the Big Questions

_{Barry Arrington

November 10, 2014

Intelligent Design}

Share: Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Flipboard; Print; Email

In this post I will be continuing my discussion of “meaning.” In its entry on “meaning” Wikipedia lists the “big questions.” Theists will necessarily answer these questions differently from materialists. Below is my best estimate of how the questions will be answered by the two groups.

Theist’s Answers

Followers of different theistic traditions will answer the questions differently. The following is from a traditional Christian perspective.

1. What is the meaning of life? In the Christian tradition this question is perhaps best answered by the Westminster Shorter Catechism: Q1. What is the chief end of man? A1. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

2. What’s it all about? See 1.

3. Who are we? We are creatures created in the image of God and therefore endowed with unlimited worth. We are partially spirit and partially material.

4. Why are we here? See 1.

5. What are we here for? See 1.

6. What is the origin of life? God created life.

7. What is the nature of life? Life is created and sustained in being by the creator.

8. What is the nature of reality? God created and sustains in being all things

9. What is the purpose of life? See 1.

10. What is the purpose of one’s life? See 1.

11. What is the significance of life? Each life is a gift from God, and we live our lives in the context of our relationship with God. We exist to fulfill a purpose, and our actions have eternal consequences with respect to that purpose. Our every act and thought either advances or impedes that purpose.

12. What is meaningful and valuable in life? See 11.

13. What is the value of life? Since we are created in the image of God, life has infinite inestimable worth.

14. What is the reason to live? See 1.

15. What are we living for? See 1.

Materialist’s Answers

1. What is the meaning of life? There is none.

2. What’s it all about? Nothing.

3. Who are we? We are a bag of molecules that believes falsely that it is conscious.

4. Why are we here? We are a cosmic accident. There is no reason.

5. What are we here for? Nothing.

6. What is the origin of life? Blind unguided natural forces combined with chance and acting in deep time are responsible for all things, including life.

7. What is the nature of life? Life has no intrinsic nature. Living things have no inherent value. A living body has no more worth than an inanimate bag of chemicals. Our false belief in our consciousness does not endow us with worth.

8. What is the nature of reality? Everything can be explained by the interaction of particles in motion.

9. What is the purpose of life? There is none.

10. What is the purpose of one’s life? There is none.

11. What is the significance of life? There is none.

12. What is meaningful and valuable in life? There is no ultimate meaning or value in life. We make up stories to the contrary, but we know those stories are false.

13. What is the value of life? There is no value of life.

14. What is the reason to live? There is no reason to live unless one count’s our subjective desire not to die as a reason.

15. What are we living for? We have no purpose.

Comments

Follow the link, Stephen. You're not even bothering to read my comments.keith s_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
08:28 PM
8
08
28
PM
PDT}

KeithS
The meaning they find in their lives is up to them, not God. (Unless you believe that they don’t have free will, but of course you do believe that, being an obedient Catholic.)
To be sure, an individual can find meaning in his life through the choice of a vocation or a given way of life. If that choice is a good match for his personality, character, and interests, it will certainly mean something to him. By definition, it is subjective; it comes from the inside. However, we are discussing a higher purpose or meaning which, for the theist, is eternal life. Obviously, that higher or ultimate purpose was chosen for him by the Creator. By definition, it must come from the outside. Thus, that person is called on to align his meaningful life choices, which come from the inside, with the higher meaning or purpose for which he was created, which comes from the outside. The creature cannot choose the ultimate meaning of his existence. He can only choose to realize it or not realize it. So it is with all created things. What they are meant for always comes from the outside. Returning to our examples, the can opener or the ball-point pen cannot decide on the meaning of their existence. That decision was made by their creator. The difference, of course, is that created objects do not have that same power to frustrate the aims of their creator as humans do. KeithS
Seriously? So for the inhabitants of the pimply-faced teenager’s universe, you think the true meaning of their lives, and their true moral obligation, is to have sex for the voyeuristic pleasure of their creator? Come on.
????????????????????????????? "O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,. And men have lost their reason."StephenB_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
08:23 PM
8
08
23
PM
PDT}

StephenB,
So it is with all created things. What they are meant for always comes from the outside. Returning to our examples, the can opener or the ball-point pen cannot decide on the meaning of their existence. That decision was made by their creator.
Seriously? So for the inhabitants of the pimply-faced teenager's universe, you think the true meaning of their lives, and their true moral obligation, is to have sex for the voyeuristic pleasure of their creator? Come on.keith s_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
08:14 PM
8
08
14
PM
PDT}

KeithS
The meaning they find in their lives is up to them, not God. (Unless you believe that they don’t have free will, but of course you do believe that, being an obedient Catholic.)
To be sure, an individual can find meaning in his life through the choice of a vocation or a given way of life. If that choice is a good match for his personality, character, and interests, it will certainly mean something to him. By definition, it is subjective; it comes from the inside. However, we are discussing a higher purpose or meaning which, for the theist, is eternal life. Obviously, that higher or ultimate purpose was chosen for him by the Creator. By definition, it must come from the outside. Thus, that person is called on to align his meaningful life choices, which come from the inside, with the higher meaning or purpose for which he was created, which comes from the outside. The creature cannot choose the ultimate meaning of his existence. He can only choose to realize it or not realize it. So it is with all created things. What they are meant for always comes from the outside. Returning to our examples, the can opener or the ball-point pen cannot decide on the meaning of their existence. That decision was made by their creator. The difference, of course, is that created objects do not have that same power to frustrate the aims of their creator as humans do.StephenB_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
07:35 PM
7
07
35
PM
PDT}

keith s:
It’s a striking illustration of Barry’s inability to escape his own constricted viewpoint, even temporarily and for the sake of argument. He would flunk the Ideological Turing Test for sure.
There's also http://www.yourmorals.org/ for ongoing research into moral psychology.Daniel King_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
04:43 PM
4
04
43
PM
PDT}

Graham2, Rather than William Lane Craig, perhaps you should seek answers for what heaven will be like from people who have actually died for a short while, been to heaven, and have come back and listen to them, to see what heaven will really be like?
quote 6:20 minute mark: It is NEVER going to be boring in heaven!!!, I get irritated or amused when I hear about what people want heaven to be like,, " I'm going to have a big golf course, I'm going to have hunting,,", Hey, you are going to want to hang around with God! It's AWESOME!!!, I mean I can not put it into words!,,, Mickey Robinson - In The Presence Of Almighty God – The NDE of Mickey Robinson – video https://vimeo.com/92172680 "Regardless, it is impossible for me to adequately describe what I saw and felt. When I try to recount my experiences now, the description feels very pale. I feel as though I'm trying to describe a three-dimensional experience while living in a two-dimensional world. The appropriate words, descriptions and concepts don't even exist in our current language. I have subsequently read the accounts of other people's near-death experiences and their portrayals of heaven and I able to see the same limitations in their descriptions and vocabulary that I see in my own." Mary C. Neal, MD - To Heaven And Back pg. 71 Mary Neal's Near-Death Experience - video (Sept. 2014 IANDS speech) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as6yslz-RDw "The only human emotion I could feel was pure, unrelenting, unconditional love. Take the unconditional love a mother has for a child and amplify it a thousand fold, then multiply exponentially. The result of your equation would be as a grain of sand is to all the beaches in the world. So, too, is the comparison between the love we experience on earth to what I felt during my experience. This love is so strong, that words like "love" make the description seem obscene. It was the most powerful and compelling feeling. But, it was so much more. I felt the presence of angels. I felt the presence of joyous souls, and they described to me a hundred lifetimes worth of knowledge about our divinity. Simultaneous to the deliverance of this knowledge, I knew I was in the presence of God. I never wanted to leave, never." Judeo-Christian Near Death Experience Testimony http://iands.org/experiences/nde-accounts/736-never-wanted-to-leave-the-presence.html
verses and music:
Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Luke 22:69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” I Want to know what love is – Foreigner – music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raNGeq3_DtM
bornagain77_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
04:33 PM
4
04
33
PM
PDT}

OldArmy94
What would you say if I told you that I found meaning in tormenting you? Emotionally, psychologically, spiritually and physically. My greatest pleasure is the slow destruction of your life and seeing you in misery thrills me more than anything else.
I would say that you have delusions of grandeur and should be closely watched.Daniel King_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
04:30 PM
4
04
30
PM
PDT}

StephenB:
Keiths, also my prior example should help here. Recall that the objective purpose and meaning of a ball-point pen is conferred on it by its creator. The pen itself has nothing to say about it. It was “meant” (meaning) to be a tool for writing.
This reminds me of my exchanges with WJM on the subject of objective morality. I introduced the following thought experiment:
You haven’t provided any reason for elevating God’s morality from subjective to objective status. It can’t be merely because he created us. Recall my hypothetical example from a few months ago, in which humans discover how to create universes and some horny, pimply-faced teenager creates a universe in his basement because he wants to watch the inhabitants having sex. No sensible person would argue that the inhabitants of the basement [universe] are morally obligated to have sex for the voyeuristic pleasure of their creator.
I would add that no sensible person would say that the "meaning" of their lives would be to perform sexually for their creator, either. Do you disagree, Stephen? If so, why? If not, then what gives God's morality (or meaning) objective status?keith s_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
04:23 PM
4
04
23
PM
PDT}

StephenB #51, Chanting "Nonresponsive. Irrelevant." doesn't constitute a counterargument. Do you have one?keith s_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
03:53 PM
3
03
53
PM
PDT}

Keith S 43 keiths:
Worth is in the eye of the beholder. Something that is of great worth to me may be worthless to you.
Silver Asiatic:
Therefore, to be consistent, you must affirm that ID is absolutely true and correct, since some people believe it to be so. The fact that you don’t has nothing to do with the fact that some people assert it to be true, so therefore, ID is true (in those circumstances).
That makes no sense. Worth is subjective, but truth isn't.keith s_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
03:41 PM
3
03
41
PM
PDT}

W Lane Craig claims our ultimate purpose (when we get to heaven I suppose) is to praise God. Praise god ? So the good people spend all day, every day, telling God how good he is ? For ever ? What purpose could this possibly serve ?Graham2_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
03:34 PM
3
03
34
PM
PDT}

Great idea for an article. As a Vedic/Indian philosophy buff, here's my views, informed by that tradition. 1. What is the meaning of life? Enjoy an eternal relationship with God. The highest form of this enjoyment is found in loving reciprocation with God in many types of relationship flavors, called rasa, such as neutral, servitude, friendship, parenthood or conjugal. There's also the inimical type of enjoyment. It's here where the material universe comes in. This "enjoyment" can take many forms, going as far as tasting estrangement/forgetfulness (animals, insects etc.) or hatred of God (atheistic humans or demoniac species). 2. What’s it all about? See 1. 3. Who are we? We are spirit souls, particles of consciousness, eternal, infinitesimal expansions from God's energy (shakti). We have the same qualities as God (sat - eternal existence; cit - free will/knowledge capacity; ananda - ability to enjoy), but we don't have the same quantity of power and we are ontologically dependent on Him for everything, whereas He is independent and self-sustaining. 4. Why are we here? Our choice to taste the inimical/forgetful relationship with God. Another reason is so that we can exploit God's material energy for our own purposes, according to our will. God facilitates this through his various intermediaries, in a similar fashion in which the father facilitates and helps the runaway son in the Prodigal Son fable. This world is called Maha-Maya, the Great Illussion or, more literally, "The Great That Which is Not". Meaning "Not God", in the sense that this world reflects God's repulsions and how He defines Himself not to be, meaning asat - temporary; acit - unconscious and nirananda - unhappy. Basically, we are here because we wanted to and as long as we choose to remain here life after life, not wanting to enter a positive relationship with God, we are exactly where we should be. 5. What are we here for? To enjoy God's energies separately from a connection with God. To forget God. To experiment the absence of God. 6. What is the origin of life? God as the supreme consciousness and we as infinitesimal expansions of this consciousness have existed for ever. The material universes, which errant consciousnesses embody, live for myriads of lifetimes, and then leave the birth and death cycle to reunite with God where they left off. The origin of embodied life on Earth is only an intermediary origin (repeatedly created and destroyed by God and His agents). But the forms of life, the types of mind-body configurations exist eternally in God's thoughts. 7. What is the nature of life? The connection between unconscious energy and the conscious soul in the material universe is done through the subtle body (consisting of the mind and prana, a type of informational field connecting mind and body). 8. What is the nature of reality? The fundamental of reality is sat-cit-ananda, eternal, conscious and with ability to enjoy. The unconscious energy is also conscious but acting as unconscious energy in order to represent what God is not and so that it can be thus manipulated by the errant souls, under God's supervision (in the form of the law of karma). 9. What is the purpose of life? See 1. 10. What is the purpose of one’s life? See 1. 11. What is the significance of life? Each soul is unique and its personality is the sum total of choices they have been making for eternity. 12. What is meaningful and valuable in life? Consciousness interacting with consciousness, and, even better, with the supreme consciousness in a loving relationship. 13. What is the value of life? The value of life is the value of God, since God is life and we are part of Him. So, in other words, infinite... 14. What is the reason to live? To enjoy. 15. What are we living for? To taste a loving relationship with God.tarmaras_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
07:50 AM
7
07
50
AM
PDT}

Mung #7:
You disagree with the claim that only humans decide meaning and purpose?
Yes, I disagree with that. You can find some sort of purpose throughout the biosphere.Neil Rickert_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
07:20 AM
7
07
20
AM
PDT}

I appreciate Daniel King and Seversky for taking the time to offer answers to the questions in a straight-forward way.Silver Asiatic_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
04:57 AM
4
04
57
AM
PDT}

Keith S 43
Worth is in the eye of the beholder. Something that is of great worth to me may be worthless to you.
Therefore, to be consistent, you must affirm that ID is absolutely true and correct, since some people believe it to be so. The fact that you don't has nothing to do with the fact that some people assert it to be true, so therefore, ID is true (in those circumstances).Silver Asiatic_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
04:52 AM
4
04
52
AM
PDT}

I started to answer Barry’s big questions from my materialist view but found they were rather repetitive - most of them were versions of: A. What is the meaning/purpose/significance/worth of life? B. What is the meaning/purpose/significance/worth of human life? Meaning, purpose, significance and worth require something to impart the meaning, have a purpose, give significance, attribute some worth – as I don’t believe in any being capable of doing these things in an overarching definitive fashion the answer to all these questions is – none. This takes care questions: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12 and 15. My answers to the others are below. 3. Who are we? We are a bag of molecules that believes falsely that it is conscious. You can describe us in many ways – bag of molecules, advanced life form, complex system that reacts with its environment and reproduces. They are all different ways of describing the same thing. Of course we are conscious. This is not a false belief. It is a property of particular organisations of molecules. 6. What is the origin of life? Agreed - unguided natural forces combined with chance and acting in deep time are responsible for all things, including life. 7. What is the nature of life? I don’t understand the question. From the theist point of view you gave pretty much the same answer as you did to 6 – except you added “sustained”. But the answer you supplied for a materialist was mostly about the worth of life. Which do you mean? 8. What is the nature of reality? Again not sure what you are getting at. I certainly don’t believe everything can be explained by the interaction of particles in motion. If you are trying to ask what kind of explanation can all others be reduced to … well I don’t know the answer. 10. What is the purpose of one’s life? This almost identical to B but refers to one specific human life. So the answer is none. 14. What is the reason to live? My subjective desire to live is an excellent reason.markf_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
04:33 AM
4
04
33
AM
PDT}

SB: God doesn’t “attribute” meaning to his creatures, he confers it. Their reason for being is, by definition, His decision, not theirs. KeithS
The meaning they find in their lives is up to them, not God. (Unless you believe that they don’t have free will, but of course you do believe that, being an obedient Catholic.)
Nonresponsive. Irrelevant to the refutation. You are not addressing the difference between attributing meaning and conferring meaning. Recall my example of the can opener. SB: If meaning is subjective to the creature, then the meaning conferred on the creature by the Creator has been obliterated.
Not at all. God can continue to see our lives as having a particular meaning even if we disagree, and vice-versa.
Nonresponsive. Irrelevant to the refutation.
God is objective to us, and we are objective to God. God is subjective to himself, and we are subjective to ourselves. It’s symmetrical.
Correct. Keep it up.
Good night, Stephen.
Good night, KeithSStephenB_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
01:29 AM
1
01
29
AM
PDT}

Keith S Are you still confused or are you not so sure?Andre_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
01:13 AM
1
01
13
AM
PDT}

Keiths, also my prior example should help here. Recall that the objective purpose and meaning of a ball-point pen is conferred on it by its creator. The pen itself has nothing to say about it. It was "meant" (meaning) to be a tool for writing. It was not meant to be a can opener, which has another purpose. If the pen subjectively decides that is purpose is to be a can opener, and if it acts on that subjective perception, it will not only fail to achieve its mission, it will destroy itself in the process.StephenB_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
01:12 AM
1
01
12
AM
PDT}

keiths:
Worth is in the eye of the beholder.
StephenB:
We refuted that position on the last thread.
Um, no. And you won't be able to refute it in this one, either. keiths:
Suppose God exists and created us. I can still regard my life as meaningful, even if the meaning I find in it is different from the meaning God attributes to it.
StephenB:
Bad logic. God doesn’t “attribute” meaning to his creatures, he confers it. Their reason for being is, by definition, His decision, not theirs.
The meaning they find in their lives is up to them, not God. (Unless you believe that they don't have free will, but of course you do believe that, being an obedient Catholic.) keiths:
There is no contradiction here, because meaning is subjective.
StephenB:
The contradiction is nothing short of violent. If meaning is subjective to the creature, then the meaning conferred on the creature by the Creator has been obliterated.
Not at all. God can continue to see our lives as having a particular meaning even if we disagree, and vice-versa. keiths:
God, if he exists, is one more subject.
StephenB:
Bad logic. God is objective to us. He is subjective to Himself just as we are subjective to ourselves. Do you understand your errors?
Bad logic. God is objective to us, and we are objective to God. God is subjective to himself, and we are subjective to ourselves. It's symmetrical. Do you understand your errors? :-) Good night, Stephen.keith s_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
01:06 AM
1
01
06
AM
PDT}

KeithS
Haven’t you grokked the pattern yet?
Of course I grasp the pattern. You would prefer not to answer my question, I understand. I don't blame you.
Worth is in the eye of the beholder.
We refuted that position on the last thread. And then there was this: KeithS
Suppose God exists and created us. I can still regard my life as meaningful, even if the meaning I find in it is different from the meaning God attributes to it.
Bad logic. God doesn’t “attribute” meaning to his creatures, he confers it. Their reason for being is, by definition, His decision, not theirs.
There is no contradiction here, because meaning is subjective.
The contradiction is nothing short of violent. If meaning is subjective to the creature, then the meaning conferred on the creature by the Creator has been obliterated.
God, if he exists, is one more subject.
Bad logic. God is objective to us. He is subjective to Himself just as we are subjective to ourselves. Do you understand your errors?StephenB_{November 11, 2014
November
11
Nov
11
11
2014
12:51 AM
12
12
51
AM
PDT}

Jim, Andre: Beautiful! :)gpuccio_{November 10, 2014
November
11
Nov
10
10
2014
11:41 PM
11
11
41
PM
PDT}

Jim Very good point, one of the most comforting passages in the Bible for me deals with physical defects and the fact that they do not impede our worth..... Exodus 4:10-12 "Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." 11The LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12"Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say."Andre_{November 10, 2014
November
11
Nov
10
10
2014
11:39 PM
11
11
39
PM
PDT}

One of the problems caused by materialism is that it implies the self is identical to the physical organism. If you have a defect in the body or the brain then materialism implies you are a defective person. This is particularly a problem with mental illnesses or emotional disorders. On the other hand, the model that the soul is a temporary resident in the body using the brain as a tool to interact with the body and perceive the physical world, then any defects are not necessarily a reflection on the incarnating soul. It also provides encouragement for those trying to cope - if the brain is not the self then it may be possible to learn to control the brain rather than be stuck with things as they are.Jim Smith_{November 10, 2014
November
11
Nov
10
10
2014
11:18 PM
11
11
18
PM
PDT}

Is the serial murderer’s morality of higher worth than the morality of one who rescues drowning people?
Of higher worth to whom? Worth is in the eye of the beholder. Haven't you grokked the pattern yet? To me (and to you also, I hope) the rescuer's morality is of higher worth than the morality of the serial killer. There may be others who disagree, including the serial killer. There is no absolute answer. Just to make sure you don't miss the point: Worth is in the eye of the beholder. Something that is of great worth to me may be worthless to you. Something that is of great worth to us may be worthless to God.keith s_{November 10, 2014
November
11
Nov
10
10
2014
10:59 PM
10
10
59
PM
PDT}

Eric, Don't sell Daniel King short.
Who are we? We are persons.

What is the nature of life? It is what it is.
StephenB_{November 10, 2014
November
11
Nov
10
10
2014
09:55 PM
9
09
55
PM
PDT}

Eric what Neil really means is...... Against all odds matter created its own purpose and magically came to life! Matter did that you just have to believe it!Andre_{November 10, 2014
November
11
Nov
10
10
2014
09:54 PM
9
09
54
PM
PDT}

Neil: "The purpose of life is life." Wow. That's deep.Eric Anderson_{November 10, 2014
November
11
Nov
10
10
2014
09:49 PM
9
09
49
PM
PDT}

Aleta
Social arrangements and belief systems which foster love are better than ones that don’t.
Why? How do you know this? I think if we kill 50% of the planet's human population we will save the planet. So is this known as tough love? Is murdering 50% for the sake of the other 50% not also an act of love? Is it wrong of me to think so? How about acting it out? What is love Aleta?Andre_{November 10, 2014
November
11
Nov
10
10
2014
09:35 PM
9
09
35
PM
PDT}

Aleta Do chemical reactions concern themselves with truth or do they follow the laws of nature?Andre_{November 10, 2014
November
11
Nov
10
10
2014
09:31 PM
9
09
31
PM
PDT}

Prev 1 2 3 4 Next

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Leave a Reply