Symmachus wrote:MrStakhanovite wrote:This is something I don't think I can believe anymore; that the fictive narrative of a human life imbues that life with meaning.
I can't claim any deep philosophical reading on any of this, but I'm always nagged by a persistent "so what?" whenever I hear/read things like "We create purpose and meaning in the world." The problem for me is not the "meaninglessness." I am not entirely clear what "meaning" means, for one thing—presumably, that everything we're doing points to some larger purpose, but that can go on forever. Suppose we all win the celestial lottery—so what? What larger purpose does a celestial existence have? And what larger purpose does that larger purpose have? And on and on. If a celestial existence is our goal because of some sense of bliss, then how's that different from just getting high? It seem like a pretty pointless existence all the way down, as far as meaning goes. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
The problem I've always had, as I say, is not the lack of some elusive meaning in life but the fact of just being in life. Most of the time, even when I'm happy and enjoying my family or any of the good things in this life, I still feel like Theognis:
As for earthlings,
the best of all things
is never to have been born,
never to have seen the light of day.
But once born, best to cross
the gates of Hades
as soon as possible
and rest under a heap of earth.MrStakhanovite wrote:Reading Nietzsche is probably what made me skeptical of human intention and how it plays right into nihilism.
Could you elaborate a bit, or point me where I should go to understand this point?
I kind of feel the same way. One of the reasons I monitor a certain apologist's blog is because I can sense that deep in his heart of hearts, he knows the atheists are right. He certainly hopes that as part of His mysterious ways, God stacked the evidence so it only appears that the atheists are right. He has faith. But he fears that in reality, the atheists are right.
So the dilemma is which is worse for somebody who desperately wants to have a meaningful life: is it worse to have an illusion of an eternal purpose that entails glorifying God and eternal progression (as if that had any real purpose in the really big scheme of things), or is it worse to be a temporary being in a temporary universe who is responsible for figuring out his purpose for himself?
I get the sense that he struggles with this question, and to justify his choices he juxtaposes the grandeur of his fantasies with the meagerness of his life when viewed from a cosmic scale, and decides that if the naturalists are right, nothing is lost because nothing really matters anyway.
The question isn't unlike the question raised in Don Juan DeMarco with Johnny Depp. Is it better to live in a fantasy world where you are the greatest lover the world has ever known, or is it better to take your meds and realize you are a sick kid from a broken home?
Anyway, huge thanks to Philo Sofee for bringing Sean Carroll to my attention. I recently started reading The Big Picture, and so far, am thoroughly enjoying it. I love atheists who personally demonstrate that you can have a genuine great life with your eyes wide open.