Why are we here?

[CruddyLeper]

Why everything?

Because everything.

+++ out of cheese error +++

+++ redo from start +++

 

[Pirate]

We're here to see what happens. We're the observers. We are the observers because we are so good at wondering "why." If we weren't we wouldn't care what happens outside of ourselves. This is the only reason that I can think of that isn't self-nullifying. If we discover we are merely pawns in a grand experiment, or victims of random chance, then that revelation reduces our faculties for understanding, our impetus to search for our reason, as meaningless. If we are meant to be the observers, then the revelation does not force us to shift our nature [to wonder 'why'], rather it fulfills our nature.

 

[Stapel]

I agree, but just as the dice rolled so did our DNA and it said our goal was survival.

Nope.

The change of DNA has no goal. It is completely random. But only what is survivable survives.

 

[Gelion]

I'm here to play Civ .
But seriously, somebody said: "what if Earth is Hell of another planet?" Those who live "good" (I don't mean the classical Bible meaning or rather waht we made of it) return to it, those who don't stay for another round....

 

[luiz]

Even if there is a ´why' , we will never know. So don´t bother to try to find it.

 

[nihilistic]

Do any of you have any idea as to why the universe exists, why it was created, or why it came to be?

I don't, and the implications of that fact have landed hard and squarely on me. If God made us to be friends to talk to, then that basically means He doesn't know why He is here either. If there is no why, then all moral philosophies are irrelevant twaddle, and hedonism is the only moral philosophy that has any logical support.

If God doesn't know why we're here, or even worse, not only doesn't know why but hopes we'll figure it out for Him, then the only differences He can offer us are a short and limited hedonism as we can have it now, or an eternal and limitless hedonism via immortality and a universe to spend it in.

I don't find either of those options particularly appealing.

Well, I could have argued that you have no proof that the universe have been "created" or that it somehow "came to be", but I'm not going to do that. I will simply state that your objections (abeit to theories I do not particularly ascribe to) are pointless because it is not the job of a theory (at least not mathematical, scientific, or philosophical theories) to appeal to you.

This is a question that has been dominating my thoughts recently. Why is the universe here, why are we here, just plain why?

Mind you, I don't care in the slightest anymore HOW we got here. Something caused the Big Bangs, doesn't matter what or who. What matters is WHY. Something caused life to appear and diversify on earth, doesn't matter what or who, doesn't matter how, all that matters is WHY.

If there is no why, then what do I do about that? The Bible is silent on the question of why God made the universe and everything in it from Jesus to that kid that was just born as you read this. The Blind Watchmaker defaults to 'There is no why.'

There are actually many different ways you can interpret that quote: "There is no why":

The first one is of course from strong atheism claiming the inexistence of any and all entities supernatural.

The second one, often termed as weak atheism, claims that no answer to that question is verifiable.

The third, usually termed agnosticism, does not see the unverifiability of that claim to be verrfiable, as well as the unverifiability of the unverifiability of that claim to be verrfiable, and so on.

I usually side with the third aternative presented. I see speculation on essentially unverifiably ... unverifiably unverifiable knowledge useless.

All of the questions about this universe gain their meaning from Why. Without it, everything else is meaningless speculation about something that may or may not matter.

But you have nto established that things have "meaning" and/or have to matter.

 

[ybbor]

we were created to worship God, and to please him. almost think of the is world as a big sims game that God created, he created us, gave us our personality, out hair, out money provided a guiding hand through our lives, and in return we give him pleasure

 

[Gelion]

^ don't buy it. We're not that interesting .

 

[carlosMM]

we were created to worship God, and to please him. almost think of the is world as a big sims game that God created, he created us, gave us our personality, out hair, out money provided a guiding hand through our lives, and in return we give him pleasure

there is good evidence that we were not created, at least not in the sense of being the product of some plan or imagination.

there is no evidence for any creation at all.

 

[ybbor]

another thread, another time, this is about why, not how. no threadjacking

 

[carlosMM]

another thread, another time, this is about why, not how. no threadjacking

no threadjacking, this was about 'why' - about why your 'why' makes no sense

 

[ybbor]

it would be better if you actually cited some, i don't know, evidence?

 

[nihilistic]

I am very poorly suited to a life pursuing nihilistic hedonism. I would much rather die. Is there anyone out there who thinks they do know why?

Can you answer these questions:

Which is more important to you? Having an answer or knowing that you didn't make any contradictions or unreasonable assumptions? Is your need to believe in something stronger or weaker your need to verify that that theory that you subscribe to, is true? How important is the question "do I personally like the theory" to the question of "do I think the theory is true"?

 

[carlosMM]

it would be better if you actually cited some, i don't know, evidence?

the evolution of all life on this planet.

enough?

 

[Bozo Erectus]

All of the questions about this universe gain their meaning from Why. Without it, everything else is meaningless speculation about something that may or may not matter.

Do any of you have any idea as to why the universe exists, why it was created, or why it came to be?

Youre never going to know why, might as well come to grips with that. Nobody ever knew, or ever will know. Do we find out after death? Maybe, but we dont know. In a way its impertinent and presumptious of us to even consider that we might be able to understand the meaning of the universe, even if it was revealed to us. In fact, I think it is revealed to us, its in plain sight, but we can only understand bits and pieces of it at a time. The much larger picture is completely beyond our rudimentary mental faculties.

 

[FearlessLeader2]

Can you answer these questions:

Not sure, but I'll try...

Which is more important to you? Having an answer or knowing that you didn't make any contradictions or unreasonable assumptions?

Neither. Both. Having an answer that doesn't require assumptions or contradictions.

Is your need to believe in something stronger or weaker your need to verify that that theory that you subscribe to, is true?

How is irrelevant, why is all.

How important is the question "do I personally like the theory" to the question of "do I think the theory is true"?

Secondary.

ALL:
There are at least two active Evo-Creation threads. This is NOT one of them. That matter is settled to my satisfaction. Creation is not scientific, and doesn't need to be, evolution is not scientific, and desperately wants to be. If you want to debate this conclusion, copy-and-paste it to one of those threads and attack it there.

This thread is for WHY, not HOW. How is chicken feed, why is the pot of gold.

 

[carlosMM]

hehe, you retreated from the evo thread again, just when I made a long post with a lot of evidence.

I will NOT let you claim evolution is no scientific here until you answer in that thread.

for your convenience:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=2072238&postcount=244
last post in that thread
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=92872&page=1&pp=10
beginning of the thread.

 

[nihilistic]

Neither. Both. Having an answer that doesn't require assumptions or contradictions.

A lot of times the only answer that isn't an assumption, contradiction, or a lie is "I don't know". I don't think you accept the unknowability of knowledge as much as I do, so I want to as you again, if you can only choose one out of the two, what answers would you give to the three questions?

Also, about the evolution thing, I don;t think anybody mentioned it at all. I certainly don't usually like to bring up evolution, since my field is mathematics. The only thing that seem to point at the EvC threads seem to be people, probably imcluding me, complaining about your insistence on the assumption of creation as a why, but I don't think anybody mentioned "how".

 

[HannibalBarka]

Not sure, but I'll try...
...
This thread is for WHY, not HOW. How is chicken feed, why is the pot of gold.

I think in this case you cannot dissociate the WHY from the HOW. It's either 1. you think that no one but randon is behind all this, and in this case the WHY loses its significance just like there is no answer for WHY O2+2H2->2H2O (Oxygen+Hydrogene gives Water)
2. you think that there is some one behind all this, and the answer would be some thing like "his reason is above ou reasoning"

 

[ybbor]

the evolution of all life on this planet.

enough?

the creation of all life on this planet.

enough?