Is there an objective meaning of life, or is it necessarily based on perspective?

A Ree Zen

I find myself searching for an objective meaning of life, but is that even possible? This discussion explores this question from the perspectives of with or without a creator god.

1. With a creator god- The objective meaning of life, from our perspective, would be the meaning of life solely from the perspective of the creator god, as we can perceive it. After all, a creator should get to decide the meaning or purpose if his creation. But that would still leave unanswered the meaning or purpose of the life of the creator god. Who gets to decide the purpose of God? Certainly God Himself is authorized to declare His own purpose. But are we not also endowed with some discretion? If we declare that the purpose or meaning of a God is a teacher and life giver are we incorrect in our assertion? What if God is declared a punisher? It seems that the purpose or meaning of a god can have many purposes or meanings from different perspectives in time. Since the meaning of God's existence would also be part of the inquiry when we seek an objective meaning of life, it seems an objective meaning of life remains elusive, even in a universe with a god.

2. Without a creator god. If there is no god, how can an objective meaning or purpose of life exist? What if there was a creator that had a purpose for creating the universe, but no longer exists. If the true purpose of life existed only in the mind of the creator, that purpose would cease to exist when the mind of that creator ceased. But if the creation continued, and imagined a different meaning of life, where would that leave the objective meaning of life?

This is really the craziest question, because the rule of thumb is that anything is possible. But is an objective meaning of life even possible?

Pantagruel

It seems to me you are asking "Is meaning meaningful?"

To me, this sentence makes sense (is meaningful) independent of the status of the existence of God. So to me, that some things are meaningful is self-evident. So meaning exists. If meaning exists, then life is meaningful.

JerseyFlight

↪A Ree Zen

I will here simplify your position: the problem with your thinking is that you are not actually thinking about this word, "objective." How you define this word will determine everything else you are trying to achieve or comprehend. Further, and this is the point that really matters, any supposed "Objectivity" you think you are referencing in any Absolutist or Supernatural sense is an indefensible lie. This is very important and this is why: the place you believe meaning to exist, that place is and has always been the non-objective that merely called itself The Objective. This is very important because it proves the objectivity you desire and thought existed was merely the non-objective, what gave this domain power was your false belief regarding its nature. This does not leave us in a black hole. Christians think the Bible contains objective morals, it doesn't and never has, it has only ever contained cultural morals. So here's the point, one doesn't need to despair, just as Christian morals were created and had value, even as they replaced more primitive values, we can do the exact same thing and have already been doing it for a very long time. The question of "Objective Values," is a useless, abstract hypothetical that plays in the realm of a make believe ontology. It is actually a sophistical device used to create a false dichotomy in order to nihilistically condemn reality, thereby leveraging the student in the direction of the idealistic image.

Is there an objective meaning of life, or is it necessarily based on perspective?

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