Question

What is the meaning of life?

Answer 1

The practical answer would be to reproduce.
The philosophical answer would be that the meaning of life is whatever meaning you give it.

Answer 2

42

Answer 3

Help others, learn, be kind, enjoy the wonder, and above all ... love.

Answer 4

There is no meaning. You are a Homo sapiens, your task in life is to be fit enough to reproduce and care for your kids until they can feed themselves. Then you are just taking up space.

Answer 5

The "practical" answer...
From a Biological standpoint, yes, your meaning can be considered reproduction.
However, I'm sure that's not a fulfilling answer. We don't know, and I don't think Humans will ever know. Maybe it's because we're so selfish. Who knows. Maybe the meaning of life is to find out the meaning of life!

Answer 6

The 'practical' answer is not "to reproduce". It would be to become the most dominant species on earth, making life easier, or something. This is done by surviving the longest, which is done by reproducing....

Answer 7

this is a rather philosophical question, i hope that group gets opend soon...
But in a Biologycal sense, i would say evolving as close to perfection as posible. but, because the environment changes all the time, that is an eternal task... but untill the world ends, life will keep borning, growing, reproducing and dying... towards perfection.

Answer 8

The meaning of life is the reproduction of DNA (which DNA has truly perfected) and therefore viruses are its arch enemy.

Answer 9

'Life' defined as : Matter characterized by the ability to metabolize nutrients (process materials for energy and tissue building), grow, reproduce, and respond and adapt to environmental stimuli.

Answer 10

The question asked is more spiritual than scientific. Many of the answers posted so far relate to Darwinian survival of the species, applied to individuals and reproduction of individual genetic material. Biologically and scientifically this is inexact.

To find the meaning of life or even if it is a valid scientific question one has to look at the origins of life and its evolving complexity. The genesis of life was a random event/events in a suitable chemical and climatic environment. To assume meaning you almost have to assume design (i.e. religion/spirituality) as opposed to a random event(s) that has lead to complex and intricate interaction of millions of its results that can most easily be quantified or rationalised as species. The survival of this end product as individuals or species is meaningless without its place in the greater complexity that we study under the scientific discipline of ecology. Even this only places the individual or species as a cog in the wheel or a strand in the web. One might as well ask what the purpose of the equator is (as I have seen in a high school science paper); it has no purpose - it is merely a label humans have given a geological/geographical region.

When people ask 'what is the meaning of life?', they are either trolling or more usually trying to define what the meaning of their lives should be; an entirely different proposition.
My cynical summation on the meaning of life is:
Genetically/evolutionary it is procreation, if this will promote the survival of the species.
Economically it’s more and more about making lots and lots of money with some arbitrary goal in mind.
Physiologically it’s to metabolise nutrients.
Psychologically it’s about feeling that you are doing the right thing.
Biologically it is about survival; extending life for as long as possible.
Spiritually its about immortality; extending life beyond death.
Mathematically it's 42 or at least finding the question to the answer that is 42.
Intellectually it’s about making pseudo-intellectual comments on the Internet.

If your feeling depressed stop reading now.


Conclusion: LIFE HAS NO MEANING

Answer 11

I have to admit, I really enjoyed reading this answer madoqua, it is deeply philosophical and scientifically accurate all at the same time as being a bit "depressing". Its like a sad story. It was so good infact, I didn't have much to say to it, i was just going to sit back and give you a medal. That was until I read your conclusion: "LIFE HAS NO MEANING." That totally caught me off guard.
I am just curious, How, after all of those reasons for life, can you say life has no meaning? Life is full of meaning, and it means also what you make it mean. I am a scientist, and I believe in evolution whole-heartedly, but sometimes I do fear there is something greater out there. Now Im not saying there is, but it is a possiblity, however crazy it may seem. There are many spiritual meanings in God. I also have my own theories about the meaning of life, but some of them are alittle too deep to fully explain on here, but I assure you, there IS some sort of meaning. I beleive it just goes in such depth that we merely cannot understand it fully.
*sorry for the rant, i just had a cup of coffee and my mind is now running a mile/min. Ill give you a medal anyway for that answer that got me so fired up : )

Answer 12

ur livin to find tat meaning!bt personally i dunno why iam livin in this world!lol