• Question: What is the meaning of life

    Asked by to Becky, Clara, Daniel, Simon, Thomas on 18 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Simon Albright

      Simon Albright answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      I don’t think there’s a particular meaning, I think the meaning is up to the individual to find.

      I find my meaning in my loved ones, my work, finding ways to better myself and help those I care about. Coupled with a smattering of computer games and good books 🙂

    • Photo: Thomas Elias Cocolios

      Thomas Elias Cocolios answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      I would say that mathematically speaking, the presence of life means that low probability events are still possible and should not be dismissed if the sample size (in this case, the universe) is big enough.

      As for a meaning to my life, or yours, it is indeed a very personal thing to find. When I look around, I see many people going about their lives and feeling very much purposeful. I think it is important to question oneself and find out that meaning.

      Personally, I have decided that my life was to be dedicated to understanding the world and making the most out of each experience. I try to make the world a better place, one person at a time, one meal at a time, one discovery at a time. If we all proceed that way, we can make a difference!

    • Photo: Daniel Roach

      Daniel Roach answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      You guys sure do ask the big questions, don’t you? The entire human race since the dawn of time has been asking this very question – and I think that the sum total of our philosophy and science, religion and arts has been at least partially motivated by our desire to answer this very question!

      So… perhaps the question you want to ask is ‘what is the meaning of my life’? If you keep asking yourself this question, you’ll be surprised the answers you find, sure. But if you keep asking yourself this – keep asking yourself why you do what you do, why you enjoy doing what you enjoy doing and how you can ‘make a difference’ to those around you – then you’ll start to find answers to this very important question yourself.

      No-one can tell you what the meaning of life is – it’s your life! But there are many people who can help you find your own answers.

    • Photo: Clara Nellist

      Clara Nellist answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      The evolutionary meaning of life is to make more life. Look at the animal kingdom – almost everything is focused on two things, mating and not dying. I put mating first because there are some animals that die in the process of passing their genes on. The male preying mantis gets eaten by the female during the act of making baby mantises. It seems that they try to avoid getting eaten if possible, but not completely.

      But humans have evolved to think beyond just instinct (well, most of us! 😉 ). In this case we want to fill our lives with more meaning. Become famous, write a book, have a big family, leave a legacy, see the world. So for this I don’t think any answer is right or wrong since each person has their own individual goals.

      For my life, here is where I find meaning (not in any particular order):
      – I want to understand how the universe works and in the process contribute in any way that I can to increasing that understanding.
      – I want to leave the world a little better for having me in it. Which is why I think science outreach like this is so important – I want to show you how awesome learning about the universe is, and hopefully you will pass a little bit of that enthusiasm on to people you know.
      – I want to travel lots and see our world. I moved to France for a chance to live in Paris and learn a new language. If I got the chance to go into space I would do it in a heartbeat!
      – I want to enjoy spending time with my friends and family, playing games, drinking wine (when you’re old enough 😉 ) and telling funny stories about that time my brother did something stupid!

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