As I slowly make my way through section one in The Ethics, I've been struck by Spinoza's need to define and understand purpose. What is God's (i.e., nature) purpose? What is the purpose of our species and what is the purpose of each person? Of course, Spinoza is not alone in this regard. The search for purpose -- why we exist and all of the ramifications which spring from this -- has been the driving force in the fields of philosophy and the social sciences.
It's also the centerpiece of religion. When all the hubris and hyperbole that clothes religion is stripped away layer by layer, what we get down to is varying attempts to define humankind's purpose for existence. For Christians, the answer to the nagging question of one's purpose is to serve the almighty. Supposedly, this will allow a person to live a purposeful life and it will also provide peace of mind.
There's only one problem with this supposed solution -- It doesn't work! Christians (as well as adherents to almost any other religion) are just as screwed up as the rest of us! Christians suffer from the same depression, personality disorders, phobias, anxieties and neuroses as any other group of people. Our prisons are filled with just as many Christian murderers, rapists, pedophiles, forgers, embezzlers, and wife beaters as there are atheists or adherents of other belief systems.
So, if Christianity's aim is to provide purpose in the lives of its adherents, why doesn't it work?
The most obvious reason is that no one can be absolutely sure that the purpose underlying the Christian institution (and again, that of ANY religion) represents the real deal. While adherents may say they believe in the tenets of their belief system with every fiber of their being, there is always a stray neuron or two that isn't positively convinced. What if I'm walking down the wrong road?
A second reason is that, even if a person could be 100% sure of their specific purpose, it doesn't necessarily follow that this will bring any level of certainty, happiness or contentment to their lives. A soldier who knows the purpose of a particular mission is to claim a certain hill doesn't lose their fear of dying just because they understand the purpose. Heck, knowing the purpose can have the precise opposite effect -- intensifying one's feelings of uncertainty and fear!
As I drifted off to sleep last night, I was thinking about the notion that the search for purpose is pointless. What does a person gain by trying to answer this singular question?
I know that some people will say that a person without purpose will not be motivated to do anything with their life and, in fact, will not value the sanctity of his or her life. I'm simply not convinced this belief is grounded in fact.
If we each awakened tomorrow morning and, magically, the knowledge of all religions had been wiped from the collective consciousness of the world, would this mean that millions upon millions of people would rush to kill themselves, at worst, or wander aimlessly about, at best? If you think the answer would be a resounding YES, then why aren't atheists, agnostics and Taoists killing themselves in droves and wandering aimlessly right now?
In the end, I've come to believe that this endless striving for a sense of purpose is a waste of time. Who cares WHY we're here? We are. And, since we are, we might as well embrace the moment in the here and now, rather than gaze off into the unknown future looking for something that we already know (in our heart of hearts) we can't really find anyway.
It's also the centerpiece of religion. When all the hubris and hyperbole that clothes religion is stripped away layer by layer, what we get down to is varying attempts to define humankind's purpose for existence. For Christians, the answer to the nagging question of one's purpose is to serve the almighty. Supposedly, this will allow a person to live a purposeful life and it will also provide peace of mind.
There's only one problem with this supposed solution -- It doesn't work! Christians (as well as adherents to almost any other religion) are just as screwed up as the rest of us! Christians suffer from the same depression, personality disorders, phobias, anxieties and neuroses as any other group of people. Our prisons are filled with just as many Christian murderers, rapists, pedophiles, forgers, embezzlers, and wife beaters as there are atheists or adherents of other belief systems.
So, if Christianity's aim is to provide purpose in the lives of its adherents, why doesn't it work?
The most obvious reason is that no one can be absolutely sure that the purpose underlying the Christian institution (and again, that of ANY religion) represents the real deal. While adherents may say they believe in the tenets of their belief system with every fiber of their being, there is always a stray neuron or two that isn't positively convinced. What if I'm walking down the wrong road?
A second reason is that, even if a person could be 100% sure of their specific purpose, it doesn't necessarily follow that this will bring any level of certainty, happiness or contentment to their lives. A soldier who knows the purpose of a particular mission is to claim a certain hill doesn't lose their fear of dying just because they understand the purpose. Heck, knowing the purpose can have the precise opposite effect -- intensifying one's feelings of uncertainty and fear!
As I drifted off to sleep last night, I was thinking about the notion that the search for purpose is pointless. What does a person gain by trying to answer this singular question?
I know that some people will say that a person without purpose will not be motivated to do anything with their life and, in fact, will not value the sanctity of his or her life. I'm simply not convinced this belief is grounded in fact.
If we each awakened tomorrow morning and, magically, the knowledge of all religions had been wiped from the collective consciousness of the world, would this mean that millions upon millions of people would rush to kill themselves, at worst, or wander aimlessly about, at best? If you think the answer would be a resounding YES, then why aren't atheists, agnostics and Taoists killing themselves in droves and wandering aimlessly right now?
In the end, I've come to believe that this endless striving for a sense of purpose is a waste of time. Who cares WHY we're here? We are. And, since we are, we might as well embrace the moment in the here and now, rather than gaze off into the unknown future looking for something that we already know (in our heart of hearts) we can't really find anyway.
I don't believe we have a "purpose" other then to survive and reproduce. We make our own purpose at times but I don't think there is some underlying purpose we are supposed to find in life and that doesn't make life meaningless or any less important to me at all. I think it’s funny when people say that.
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