Treedbear
Veteran Member
- Joined
- May 30, 2016
- Messages
- 2,567
- Location
- out on a limb
- Basic Beliefs
- secular, humanist, agnostic on theism/atheism
...
If we accept it as true that we need a meaning of life (something more than plain nihilism) and that the belief in the inevitable progress of humanity is dying... what will replace it?
I think that's why religion is getting a come back
What do you guys think, and what can we do about it?
I think the thing to do about it is promote humanism. That is, that humankind is the measure of all things. In a totally connected and interdependent world we need to recognize that the suvival of the entire human race is in the individual interest. This should always be kept in mind as the goal when making decisions either as governments or as individuals. It's the ultimate expression of Kant's Categorical Imperative: "Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law." That should be the basis for anyone's purpose. Meaning goes hand in hand with purpose. Meaning is everything that goes into what we as humans have become. This is revealed in the study of science and history. The search for meaning reveals what we need to do in order to survive. We might not answer the ultimate questions concerning the meaning of life, but the ultimate purpose is survival. As far as I can see that is what distinguishes life from non-life. And anything that promotes human survival should still qualify as progressive, if not necessarily everyone's definition of progress.