What is the meaning of life?

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 05 Apr 2004 08:52 PDT

By asking the question you are implying that life actually HAS a
meaning. Is this something you know for a fact?

tutuzdad-ga

Hi adamandu,

First let me direct you to the "Meaning of Life: Frequently Asked
Questions page". Yes, there really is one, and it covers just about
everything from "What is humanity's place in the cosmos?" to "Why
should I get up in the morning?":

"FAQ about the Meaning of Life"
http://yudkowsky.net/tmol-faq/meaningoflife.html

Next, there is a page that suggests that people often ask about the
meaning of life when they really want the answer to some other
question, and then attempts to answer those other questions:

"The Meaning of Life"
http://users.aristotle.net/~diogenes/meaning1.htm

By the way, I should mention that this same question has featured
before on Google Answers. It was asked (for $4) by tafora-ga in April
2002, and he or she got an answer from katwoman-ga which explored
sites listed in Google and Yahoo's Personal Philosophy and Meaning of
Life categories:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=2573

It was also asked (for $2) by googlsky-ga in November 2002, and he or
she got an answer from bobby_d-ga which explored the meaning of "life"
according to the dictionary, and generated a good deal of discussion
in the comments:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=95936

It was also asked (for $20) by qpet-ga in January 2003, and he or she
got a succinct and thoughtful $20 answer from journalist-ga:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=139239

Reynolea-ga asked the same question in October 2002 (for $2), and
politicalguru-ga gave a chatty answer here:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=75873

Polikashin-ga upped this to $2.50 when asking in November 2002, and
also received an answer by politicalguru-ga, who must specialize in
"meaning of life" questions:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=99493

Another researcher who seems to specialize in "meaning of life"
questions is katwoman-ga who, in addition to the question already
listed, tackled koffie-ga's question of May 2002. Koffie upped his
offering to $4, but for that wanted to know about "the universe an
everything" in addition to "life":
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=13017

For the next part of this answer, I used Google's wildcard search
facility and found the following answers on the web, which might
provide insight into the meaning of life:

The meaning of life is:
   - to increase fitness
   - impaired by fixed notions on what it is to be human
   - usual Monty Python stuff
   - presented as a series of sketches
   - shopping
   - to give and receive love
   - to find something you love doing
   - to reproduce
   - a film
   - life's meaning
   - all about learning through living

Finally, however, I found the ultimate answer here:

"The meaning of life is being alive"
http://www.ram.org/ramblings/philosophy/meaning_of_life.html

I certainly can't argue with that!


Google search strategy:

intitle:"the meaning of life"
://www.google.com/search?q=intitle%3A%22the+meaning+of+life%22

"the meaning of life is *"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22the+meaning+of+life+is+*%22


Regards,
eiffel-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by adamandu-ga on 05 Apr 2004 10:23 PDT

The thing is there are a number of ways of interpreting the original
question.  On a practical level, you could say the meaning of life is
to create more life, e.g. go forth and procreate.

As you guessed though, I was looking for more of a meta-physical answer.  

The spiritual leaders from the last 5000 years or so have not managed
to really satisfactorily answer the question, for me anyway.  As
Google accesses 5 gazillion or so pages of information (or however
many it is), I thought it/you was the most likely place to find such
information.

To return to your question, I will admit to not knowing either way for
sure if life does have a meaning.  If I was 100% sure, I probably
wouldn't need to ask the question in the first place.

However, as a relatively optimistic, and dare I say it, intelligent,
sort of chap, I did hope that there was some meaning to life beyond
the aforementioned practical reason.

So, to rephrase my question:

"Assuming life has a meaning, what is the meaning of life?"

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Clarification of Answer by eiffel-ga on 05 Apr 2004 11:18 PDT

Thanks, adamandu, for your kind rating and tip.

eiffel-ga

This was definately worth the tip I gave.  Unfortunately I'm not a
cash rich person, so couldn't tip much.  However in a karmic sense,
this researcher is clearly already rich beyond most peoples dreams!

The answer used to be '42', but inflation may have changed this.

I went to a site called www.googlism.com, which allows you to enter a
term and then tells you what google thinks of it. (kind of a fun site
actually).  However, for "the meaning of life" I got:

Sorry, Google doesn't know enough about "the meaning of life" yet.

For anyone who is seriously interested in the quest for the meaning of
life, I recommend Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning." This is
a truly profound work which bears rereading as one advances in the
stages of one's life:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671023373/

Fact: 
The Universe includes EVERYTHING: including you. Therefore, you a part
of the universe, and the universe itself. (Like droplets in the ocean
of existence).

Fact:
One fundamental law of the universe is that matter and energy cannot
be created or destroyed. All the matter and energy that makes up your
body and mind have recycled through countless galaxies, stars, rocks,
and organisms since the beginning of time.

Assumption:
As you attempt to give your own life meaning, the universe is
simultaneously trying to understand itself through you.

Hypothesis:
If you are the universe's mirror, then the universe is your mirror.

Conclusion: 
take a look.

I highly recommend Roy Baumeister's books on the subject:
http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/baumeist.dp.html

Better yet, here are research articles posted on the web as pdf's:
http://www.psy.fsu.edu/~dewall/labpublications.htm: