Naked Science Forum

On the Lighter Side => New Theories => Topic started by: dkv on 14/09/2007 12:15:09

Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 14/09/2007 12:15:09: Animals , plants Humans take birth on this small planet in this vast Universe . Live for few microseconds(relative to the Timescale of Universe) and then Dies it own death.
A philosophical question comes to my mind .
What is the purpose of Life?

What is your opinion?
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: rosy on 14/09/2007 13:47:02: Don't think there has to be a purpose. As you say, it's a philosophical, rather than a scientific question (I do like my science to be a bit more concrete...).
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 14/09/2007 14:12:32: A more scientific question :
What is meant by purpose?

Can we associate purpose to a gene or to organism or group of organism?

If there is no purpose and everything turned out the way it is.
Then what were the chances of this happening?
We are gene carriers living for no purpose.
Genes are replicating for no purpose.
Genes are considered as robots.
And robots cant be selfish therefore all its behaviour must be robotic...
What kind of alogorithm would allow the replications in such way that the alogirthm eats up its own substrate?
Why asexual reproductory system changed to sexual?
Asexual was better in terms of replication than sexual.
The no purpose consumes huge amount of time and space still it does not guarantee evolution of any kind of species!!
A random algorithm is a mechanical algorithm which can not lead to experience and thoughts which are non-random.
If we assume that evolution is still a manifestation of some random algorithm then the so called non-random component is due to lack of knowledge of the algorithm itself.

Gene belongin to X and Y chromosomes carry different chances of survival (70% vs. 30%). Can an unbiased(and therefore truly random) algorithm lead to this kind of biased suicidal strategy?Ideally one would have expected equal distribution of genes.
(X genes spread at a rate 3 times greater than Y specific genes and any diseased gene can wipe out the species as in case of several insects)

The gene theory doesnt explain anything from the evolution point of view.

Everyday we(humans,plants ,animals ,insects) live a purpose . I think one should feel free to share his or her opinions regarding a possible alternative to the current theory.
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 14/09/2007 18:12:34: In my opinion Life has a purpose the purpose is TSP.
TSP stands for Towards Sustainable Pleasure.
TOWARDS - It is process
SUSTAINABLE - Involves a strategy
PLEASURE -Sex (or Happiness of reunion)
It can explain everything which gene replication theory can .. and in addition it can explain human.
Including Condoms and Homosexuality and early recognition of Sexual desires.
It can explain altruism as well.
If you have any other thoughts you can share.
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 16/09/2007 14:29:49: Its time to show faith towards a theory which is in greater harmony with past.
Do not hesitate to show support. Its a matter of future which will raise many moral issues.
Tomorrow the parents will be capable of knowing babies attributes like his or her skills , diseases and behaviour before brith... The gene selection will make the future go crazy...
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: lightarrow on 16/09/2007 14:53:43: Quote from: dkv on 14/09/2007 18:12:34
In my opinion Life has a purpose the purpose is TSP.
TSP stands for Towards Sustainable Pleasure.
TOWARDS - It is process
SUSTAINABLE - Involves a strategy
PLEASURE -Sex (or Happiness of reunion)
It can explain everything which gene replication theory can .. and in addition it can explain human.
Including Condoms and Homosexuality and early recognition of Sexual desires.
It can explain altruism as well.
If you have any other thoughts you can share.

Yes, but I could also ask: "which is the purpose of pleasure"? Maybe, it's just to give us the motivation to reproduct ourselves.
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 16/09/2007 15:06:17: Towards Sustainable Pleasure is the ultimate purpose.
There is no other meaning to life other than Happiness.
Purpose of pleasure is to increase the experience of pleasure.
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: Bored chemist on 16/09/2007 17:31:59: Is there any valid scientific reason to presume that life has a purpose? If not then it's plainly pointless to try to find out what that purpose is.
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: lightarrow on 16/09/2007 19:27:53: Quote from: dkv on 16/09/2007 15:06:17
Towards Sustainable Pleasure is the ultimate purpose.
There is no other meaning to life other than Happiness.
Purpose of pleasure is to increase the experience of pleasure.
Then why nature chose to give us pleasure with sex and not with something else? It would have been much simpler to give us pleasure just looking at the sky, for example.
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 16/09/2007 19:53:55: Quote
Is there any valid scientific reason to presume that life has a purpose? If not then it's plainly pointless to try to find out what that purpose is.
Yes . Humans use condoms(from very ancient times). Humans allow homosexuality.
An African King marries every year. As we grow , from the age of 5-6 we recognize that it feels good to live with opposite sex.
Humans masturbate. It is with humans that we see the major difference.
All sexual behaviours are targeted towards sustainable pleasure... we do not reproduce sometimes , sometimes we reproduce 2 or 3 offsprings.
And that is generally the limit because otherwise the cost of carrying the family will become difficult and the pleasure wont be sustainable.
Animals also involve sex for pleasure.. Calf's play the sexual games... Dogs rub their own genetials...
It is just that dont know how to use contraceptives so it appears as if they are replicating.
Some spiders take great risks to enjoy sex.
Some bees develop sterile workforce to sustain pleasure. These workers do not reproduce.
All life behaviours can be explained using TSP.
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 16/09/2007 20:03:15: Quote
Then why nature chose to give us pleasure with sex and not with something else? It would have been much simpler to give us pleasure just looking at the sky, for example.
Interesting question.
What gives life a pleasure is related to a fundamental
rule ... similar things attract.
(This rule works everywhere in the Universe but we restrict ourselves to Bilogical Life forms)
Similar things produce greater pleasure.
Inter species sex thus gets ruled and is generally not found happening in Nature.
Genrally a small difference reduces the attraction by large amount.
A white skin tends to marry white skin (same applies to brown or balck skin )..
Or chinese tends to marry a chinese.
Therefore when we wish to maximize the pleasure we seek similarity .
Therefore asexual cells tend to live in a group ..
These group then lead to further specialization towards maximum pleasure .. resulting in Sexual plays ...(there are intermediate stages as well for e.g the same cell sometimes acts as male sometimes as female)

Happy?
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 16/09/2007 21:44:39: A case study of Blue Octopus by PZ Myers:
(Used to demonstrate TSP here but orginally used to argue in favour of fitness)

Abstract:
We studied the reproductive behaviour of the blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena lunulata, in the laboratory by examining 15 male-male and nine male-female interactions. The initiation of physical contact was independent of sex, size or residency status, and there were no noticeable changes in behaviour such as sexual displays associated with courtship or aggression prior to contact. Males did not distinguish between females or other males and copulated (defined as the insertion of the hectocotylus into the mantle cavity of another octopus) readily with both. Spermatophores were released in all copulations with females but not with males. The duration of copulation was significantly longer in male-female interactions (median 160.5 min) than in male-male interactions (median 30 s). Although male-male copulations ended passively with the withdrawal of the hectocotylus by the initiating animal, male-female copulations were always terminated by the females following an intense struggle. These studies suggest the inability of male H. lunulata to determine the sexual identity of potential mates prior to the insertion of the hectocotylus and demonstrate the active role of the female during copulation.

In one instance, the female killed the male by pinning him down against the aquarium wall for over 10 h while cannibalizing most of his arms. This was also the male-female pair in which duration of copulation was noticeably shorter, lasting only 25 min.

My comments:
The sexual drive leads to coopulation between male - male .
As well as male - female.
The sexual act has nothing to do with Egg reproduction ...
The preference for female by a male is driven by greater sexual pleasure.
(As per TSP theory : this is the climax.In other words this is what strategy intends to achieve depending upon the species)
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 18/09/2007 19:51:43: You guys keep deleting my posts.
Visit the link to follow a more detailed discussion

http://www.uncommonforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=31667
(http://www.uncommonforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=31667)
and

http://www.uncommonforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=31845
(http://www.uncommonforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=31845)
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: the environmentalist on 19/09/2007 20:17:52: going back to the starting question, I do not see why people ask this so much, surly they should ask "what is the purpose of gravity" or time. both of these questions would probably only be asked by a small child, but why? why is life so much more important to us? life is but a small speck lost in the many concepts of this universe. maybe the reason why this question is so popular could somehow lead to an answer?

just a thought.
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 27/09/2007 16:28:27: Q.Why does gravity exist?
A.Because similar things attract.
Q.Why similar things attract?
A.Because it is what made the observer including you and me.
Q.What is the purpose of Gravity?
A.The question exists because you exist. Where ever in time and space gravity does not work ... this question will not arise. So you are left with no choice.
Therefore the question deosnt stand... Questions are valid if there are options. In this there is no option. Without gravity the question doesnt arise.
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: Ophiolite on 28/09/2007 13:38:03: The purpose of life is to reproduce. Life forms that reproduce successfully pass on their genes to their offspring. Those that do not reproduce successfully have no offspring. A tautology? Yes, but none the less meaningful for that.
Quote
Why asexual reproductory system changed to sexual?
Organisms freely surrender the opportunity to achieve a form of immortality through asexual reproduction, opting instead to sacrifice half of their genetic heritage for the promise of more effective offspring and more rapid adaptation to changing environments. These benefits arise from the elimination of deleterious mutations¹, the repair of damaged DNA² , the creation of greater genetic variation^3,⁴, and perhaps protection against future parasitic attack⁵.

1 Kondrashov, A. S. Deleterious mutations and the evolution of sexual reproduction 1988. Nature 336:435-440
2 Bernstein, H., Byers, GS., & Michod, RE.. Evolution of sexual reproduction – importance of DNA-repair, complementation, and variation. American Naturalist 117: 537-539 1981
3 Weismann, A.. Essays on heredity and kindred biological subjects. Oxford Univ. Press, 1889
4 Burt, A. Perspective: sex, recombination, and the efficacy of selection—was Weismann right?, Evolution 54: 337–351 2000.
5 Ridley, Matt The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-024548-0 1995
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: GBSB on 28/09/2007 13:54:48: I think that people who love life don’t ask question what is the purpose of the life. They live life.

As far as I know, from ancient time till today’s the only people that ask what is the purpose of the life are unhappy ones.

On the other side I’m interesting to know what is propose of asking such a question - “what is the porpoise of the life”.

Luka Tunjic
http://www.biomechanicsandhealth.com/
Title: What is the Purpose of Life?
Post by: dkv on 28/09/2007 15:57:22: Living life is anyones job. A bacteria lives , a virus lives a human lives. Isnt there an overwhelming evidence to support the fact that without a proper strategy towards life men fall.
A strategy can only be formed ifff there is an Natural Goal common to individual , society and nature.
How can you claim this disharmony in Nature?
String theory has matured to know this fact.
And we the biologists are fighting over the inherent collectivenss of desire and destiny.
TSP or Towards Sustainable Pleasure makes it a reality. The pain is just a manifestation of incorrect approach towards life.
Itching is harmful ... but when it itches we fall into the trap.
Without strategy we are like animals. This strategy seperates us from the animals.
What makes human special?
No Purpose?