I didn't ask why people ask it. I'm asking what they are saying, or assuming, when asking. Again, what is meaning? — Harry Hindu

I answered it. You did not understand it. Look, I am tired of the hostility on this forum, ok?

If you answered it point me to where you answered it. If you think asking questions is a form of hostility then maybe you shouldn't participate on a philosophy forum.

Again, what is meaning? — Harry Hindu

Have you not suggested an answer yourself. Meaning is a human measure of significance. A measure of profundity, which has a range from low to high, small to big!

If you answered it point me to where you answered it. If you think asking questions is a form of hostility then maybe you shouldn't participate on a philosophy forum. — Harry Hindu

I think you do not know what cause and effect means. You confuse cause with meaning. I think you would flunk an intro philosophy class. Your questions are formal and show lack of understanding.

Have you not suggested an answer yourself. Meaning is a human measure of significance. A measure of profundity, which has a range from low to high, small to big! — universeness

Yes, he clearly did not comprehend.

Have you not suggested an answer yourself. — universeness

That depends on how you define meaning. If meaning is the relationship between cause and effect then meaning is innate to the universe. In asking what the meaning of life is you are asking what caused life to exist and what purpose (which is just another type of cause as a prediction of future states based on one's goal in the present (final cause)) it has. — Harry Hindu

Meaning is a human measure of significance. A measure of profundity, which has a range from low to high, small to big! — universeness

Then meaning is equivalent to value? Each human places varying degrees of value on different things, therefore meaning cannot be something objective and asking others what the meaning of life is would be useless. You would never need to ask the question of others.

Then meaning is equivalent to value? — Harry Hindu

Yes, took you a long time to figure that out.

Each human places varying degrees of value on different things, therefore meaning cannot be something objective and asking others what the meaning of life is would be useless. — Harry Hindu

That is just your subjective opinion.

I think you do not know what cause and effect means. You confuse cause with meaning. I think you would flunk an intro philosophy class. Your questions are formal and show lack of understanding. — Jackson

Ad hominems and intellectual dishonesty are not an argument against anything that I have said. You would flunk a class in logic.

Ad hominems and intellectual dishonesty are not an argument against anything that I have said. You would flunk a class in logic. — Harry Hindu

No, I do very well in logic.

That is just your subjective opinion. — Jackson

All you have to do is watch the news to see that the value of human life varies from individual to individual. Why don't you go ask a serial killer what the meaning of life is.

All you have to do is watch the news to see that the value of human life varies from individual to individual. — Harry Hindu

What news show are you referring to? Is this another opinion with no evidence presented again?

Why don't you go ask a serial killer what the meaning of life is. — Harry Hindu

Why would I want to do that?

You edited your post where you seemed to disagree that value is subjective. I can't have an intellectual discussion with someone who changes their posts in the middle of the discussion.

You edited your post where you seemed to disagree that value is subjective. — Harry Hindu

I post the relevant information. Something any philosopher knows how to do.

Why would I want to do that? — Jackson

Why wouldn't you want to do that?

Then meaning is equivalent to value? Each human places varying degrees of value on different things, therefore meaning cannot be something objective and asking others what the meaning of life is would be useless. You would never need to ask the question of others — Harry Hindu

It's a personal value measure, yes, it's subjective, yes. Seeking personal meaning may be objectively true. I suppose you would have to see how many dissent from that before you could declare 'seeking meaning' to be objective. I don't think it's useless to ask others about their measures of meaning as it can help you judge what kind of relationship you might establish with them.

Why wouldn't you want to do that? — Harry Hindu

It is your issue not mine.

It's a personal value measure, yes, it's subjective, yes. Seeking personal meaning may be objectively true. I suppose you would have to see how many dissent from that before you could declare 'seeking meaning' to be objective. I don't think it's useless to ask others about their measures of meaning as it can help you judge what kind of relationship you might establish with them. — universeness

If 'seeking meaning' is seeking value then what makes a life valuable if not the effects it has on the world?

If 'seeking meaning' is seeking value then what makes a life valuable if not the effects it has on the world? — Harry Hindu

That sentence made no sense.

It is your issue not mine. — Jackson

No, it's yours as you are the one that thinks that value and meaning are objective. If that were the case then a serial killer's values and meanings would be shared by you.

That sentence made no sense. — Jackson

I'm no longer interested in what you think.

No, it's yours as you are the one that thinks that value and meaning are objective. — Harry Hindu

I never said that.

If 'seeking meaning' is seeking value then what makes a life valuable if not the effects it has on the world? — Harry Hindu

Indeed. But others judge your 'meaning' or 'value' to the world or to their individual lives. You have the 'reluctant' hero, you have the 'good guy' in public who can be abusive to family members and a large myriad of other flavours also exist but I do think all humans seek meaning.

I'm no longer interested in what you think. — Harry Hindu

If you think asking questions is a form of hostility then maybe you shouldn't participate on a philosophy forum.

Indeed. But others judge your 'meaning' or 'value' to the world or to their individual lives. — universeness

How is this any different from saying that others judge your 'meaning/value' based on your effects on the world and their individual lives? Meaning and one's judgement of it are mutually exclusive. Meaning exists where ever causes leave effects. Any judgement of those effects is based on one's individual goals. So in judging some meaning to be bad or good, they are projecting their own wants and needs on to meaning that already exists as inherent in the universe

I do think all humans seek meaning — universeness

Right. So meaning is something that exists prior to seeking it as it is something that is looked for and found in nature, and not created by the mind. Not all meaning is useful to one's life, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist apart from your own wants and needs.

Meaning exists where ever causes leave effects. — Harry Hindu

Where is your proof of that? Just asking you a question.

Where is your proof of that? Just asking you a question. — Jackson

In the definition I have provided for meaning as the relationship between cause and effect. The definition I have provided stems from my own observations of others asking questions about what something means and what they actually mean in asking what something means is what caused it to happen.

For instance, what do your words on this page mean? They mean your ideas and your intent to communicate them. If you didn't have any ideas or an intent to communicate them (the cause), would your worlds appear on this screen (the effect) for me to observe and read them? In reading your words (the effect) am I not attempting to get at your ideas (the cause)?

How is this any different from saying that others judge your 'meaning/value' based on your effects on the world and their individual lives? — Harry Hindu

Its not different really but it is down to their interpretation of the 'effect' you have had on THE world or THEIR world. Which can be very different from your own personal assessment of your effects.
The OP was suggesting that life was meaningless. I think even the simple acrimony that discussion about the meaning of life can cause is itself strong evidence that living a life is anything but meaningless and that legacy is very important to many, if not most people.

Not all meaning is useful to one's life, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist apart from your own wants and needs. — Harry Hindu

Does this also indicate that you think some meaning is useful to ones life?

Memento mori, memento vivere. :fire:

1. What causes a turn from distraction to facing the meaninglessness of human existence? — Tate

Nothing distracts one from one's distractions. Ultimately, "meaninglessness" is just another distraction.

2. How do you personally deal with it?

It's meaningless to "deal with it", so I don't.

Art, especially music can distract from the pointlessness of existence. But then, even they become pointless in the end.

Maybe death is the only way for total distraction from the the pointlessness of existence.
Life is presupposed with the pointlessness of existence. It is fundamental fate of life. Life cannot exist without the pointlessness of existence.