The meaning of life is a question many great thinkers have pondered ever since the dawn of original thought. But while we haven't yet found the answer, humanity has come up with some pretty weird explanations for why stuff just seems to exist.
Is life just one big experiment?
Are we the sworn enemy of the universe?
Does the universe care about us and is there even a meaning to life at all?
Let's see if we can figure it out together with our look at the four most insane possibilities for the meaning of life.
The idea that life has been made to be observed relates to the concept of the simulated universe. And at its heart, it claims that the purpose of life as we know it has been decided by a higher power. But it isn't God.
Some notable academics believe that the world we live in could be one giant virtual reality. If this were true, it would mean that man has been enslaved by either itself or a more advanced being. We could be mentally trapped in a non-physical prison world with no means of escape. And an even more shocking theory suggests that rather than being trapped inside a virtual world, we might be as artificial as the world around us because if consciousness can be created inside a human womb, why can't it be made artificially elsewhere.
Might our minds be completely virtual constructs existing only on some higher power super advanced hard drive? Who knows? But this hypothetical situation does give rise to a question with a pretty awkward answer.
Why create us? For what purpose?
Such a complicated creation as our existence wouldn't have lasted so long unless there was a solid practical use for it. So, is it possible that life has indeed been made to be observed, to be learned from, to provide knowledge?
Think about it. Earth is the ultimate experiment in science, culture, psychology. If you were an advanced entity and you wanted to study the development of life, a virtually constructed version of a planet filled with conscious beings of your own creation would be perfect. The meaning of our lives could be helped another civilization answer a question. We might be the physical embodiment of a late-night Google search.
If we do live inside a simulation, we and every other life form on the planet are nothing more than lab rats being studied in the pursuit of knowledge either that or for entertainment.
The problem with the last entry on simulation theory is that it doesn't give meaning to the life which supposedly created our virtual world.
Let's say, a higher being did create us. What is the point of their existence and if a higher being created them - what is the purpose of our creators' creator and so on and so forth?
It also doesn't answer the question of what life even is. Is life the same as consciousness? Is the meaning of life to exist and think?
Well, no. That doesn't make sense either. Many life-forms are thought to have varying levels of self-awareness but what value does this have to anyone or anything outside of this planet. The only reason we are able to question life at all is that we have the most advanced cognitive abilities of any life-form that we know of.
But if life were so special, would it be so easily destroyed? How can anything on earth have a grand purpose if the whole lot could be incinerated in seconds by an expanding star or killed off by a gamma-ray burst from outer space?
Perhaps, life isn't that important after all. Perhaps, life is just one component of a universe which is entirely indifferent to our presence. If true then that means your life's purpose, your goals, and your achievements are equal to that of yogurt bacteria.
Even if you accept that your place in the universe is insignificant, this doesn't mean that you don't matter. In fact, you may be part of a great collective force which is equal to our universe and far from being indifferent to us. There's a chance that we are the universe's sworn enemy.
To explain this theory, we must first look at the second law of thermodynamics. This law states that the total entropy of an isolated system increases over time. To oversimplify, entropy is order eventually becoming chaos. Our universe is one such isolated system, one that's over 14 billion years old. And in entropy case, the longer the universe exists the more it is inclined to fall into a state of disordered chaos.
But in order to balance that out, some people believed that life was created by the universe to provide negentropy or negative entropy. This is because living things tend to prefer a neat and tidy existence utilizing concepts like structure, function, and responsibility. So while entropy sends energy off in all different directions at random, carrying not where it is scattered.
Living things conversely harness energy. We collect it, store it, and use it. Think of the Sun's solar energy for a moment and picture how it radiates out into space with no purpose or final destination in mind. Those photons could traverse the universe and never achieve a single thing until it comes into contact with life. Because when that photon hits a living entity such as a plant or photosynthetic animal that once meaningless, small photon now has a purpose being used to create complex molecules and to recycle matter and energy. This means that humans, leopards, algae, wasps, yogurt bacteria, and indeed all life, it's actually part of a greater collective force used to balance of the universe.
We are matter's antimatter. We are the proton's neutron and the enemy of cosmic chaos. That is our purpose. That is the meaning of life, to tidy up the universe.
A more satisfying idea regarding the meaning of life is that everyone and everything has a specific purpose. And if you think about this idea biologically and statistically, it kind of rings true.
Everyone on earth can do at least one thing better than anyone else. It may be something important like leading a country or curing a certain type of disease, or it could be insignificant like being the best in the world at rolling your tongue while wearing a sombrero upside down on a roller coaster. While it would be satisfying to discover what you were good at, what makes you unique, and where you're going in life, the idea of a single purpose goes flying out of the window if we can prove the existence of the multiverse.
For how does life have a meaning if there are infinite versions of you, your neighbor, your dog, of everyone and everything. All the things that you could ever possibly achieve have been done, will be done, and are being done right now. In an infinite number of universes, you are an award-winning screenwriter with purple hair. In an infinite number of universes, you are a mass-murderer with a thing for lay elbows.
In an infinite number of universes, all you've ever done is sat at home all day and eat beans, cold from the can. In an infinite number of universes, you are your own ficus tree.
Which of these is your true purpose? Which of these lives has the meaning?
If the multiverse exists then the answer is either all of them or none. And if that's true, it means we can't look to our everyday human experiences for the meaning of life. Your job, personality, and life history would prove irrelevant. The people you love don't matter because you've loved them and others an infinite number of times. The children you've created are insignificant because you've had better and worse kids in other universes. The people you've murdered do not define your life because all across the multiverse, these same people are alive and well living out their own existence.
Is life just one big experiment?
Are we the sworn enemy of the universe?
Does the universe care about us and is there even a meaning to life at all?
Let's see if we can figure it out together with our look at the four most insane possibilities for the meaning of life.
1. To be observed
The idea that life has been made to be observed relates to the concept of the simulated universe. And at its heart, it claims that the purpose of life as we know it has been decided by a higher power. But it isn't God.
Some notable academics believe that the world we live in could be one giant virtual reality. If this were true, it would mean that man has been enslaved by either itself or a more advanced being. We could be mentally trapped in a non-physical prison world with no means of escape. And an even more shocking theory suggests that rather than being trapped inside a virtual world, we might be as artificial as the world around us because if consciousness can be created inside a human womb, why can't it be made artificially elsewhere.
Might our minds be completely virtual constructs existing only on some higher power super advanced hard drive? Who knows? But this hypothetical situation does give rise to a question with a pretty awkward answer.
Why create us? For what purpose?
Such a complicated creation as our existence wouldn't have lasted so long unless there was a solid practical use for it. So, is it possible that life has indeed been made to be observed, to be learned from, to provide knowledge?
Think about it. Earth is the ultimate experiment in science, culture, psychology. If you were an advanced entity and you wanted to study the development of life, a virtually constructed version of a planet filled with conscious beings of your own creation would be perfect. The meaning of our lives could be helped another civilization answer a question. We might be the physical embodiment of a late-night Google search.
If we do live inside a simulation, we and every other life form on the planet are nothing more than lab rats being studied in the pursuit of knowledge either that or for entertainment.
2. There isn't one
The problem with the last entry on simulation theory is that it doesn't give meaning to the life which supposedly created our virtual world.
Let's say, a higher being did create us. What is the point of their existence and if a higher being created them - what is the purpose of our creators' creator and so on and so forth?
It also doesn't answer the question of what life even is. Is life the same as consciousness? Is the meaning of life to exist and think?
Well, no. That doesn't make sense either. Many life-forms are thought to have varying levels of self-awareness but what value does this have to anyone or anything outside of this planet. The only reason we are able to question life at all is that we have the most advanced cognitive abilities of any life-form that we know of.
But if life were so special, would it be so easily destroyed? How can anything on earth have a grand purpose if the whole lot could be incinerated in seconds by an expanding star or killed off by a gamma-ray burst from outer space?
Perhaps, life isn't that important after all. Perhaps, life is just one component of a universe which is entirely indifferent to our presence. If true then that means your life's purpose, your goals, and your achievements are equal to that of yogurt bacteria.
3. To provide order amongst the chaos
To explain this theory, we must first look at the second law of thermodynamics. This law states that the total entropy of an isolated system increases over time. To oversimplify, entropy is order eventually becoming chaos. Our universe is one such isolated system, one that's over 14 billion years old. And in entropy case, the longer the universe exists the more it is inclined to fall into a state of disordered chaos.
But in order to balance that out, some people believed that life was created by the universe to provide negentropy or negative entropy. This is because living things tend to prefer a neat and tidy existence utilizing concepts like structure, function, and responsibility. So while entropy sends energy off in all different directions at random, carrying not where it is scattered.
Living things conversely harness energy. We collect it, store it, and use it. Think of the Sun's solar energy for a moment and picture how it radiates out into space with no purpose or final destination in mind. Those photons could traverse the universe and never achieve a single thing until it comes into contact with life. Because when that photon hits a living entity such as a plant or photosynthetic animal that once meaningless, small photon now has a purpose being used to create complex molecules and to recycle matter and energy. This means that humans, leopards, algae, wasps, yogurt bacteria, and indeed all life, it's actually part of a greater collective force used to balance of the universe.
We are matter's antimatter. We are the proton's neutron and the enemy of cosmic chaos. That is our purpose. That is the meaning of life, to tidy up the universe.
4. There isn't one because you will achieve everything
Everyone on earth can do at least one thing better than anyone else. It may be something important like leading a country or curing a certain type of disease, or it could be insignificant like being the best in the world at rolling your tongue while wearing a sombrero upside down on a roller coaster. While it would be satisfying to discover what you were good at, what makes you unique, and where you're going in life, the idea of a single purpose goes flying out of the window if we can prove the existence of the multiverse.
For how does life have a meaning if there are infinite versions of you, your neighbor, your dog, of everyone and everything. All the things that you could ever possibly achieve have been done, will be done, and are being done right now. In an infinite number of universes, you are an award-winning screenwriter with purple hair. In an infinite number of universes, you are a mass-murderer with a thing for lay elbows.
In an infinite number of universes, all you've ever done is sat at home all day and eat beans, cold from the can. In an infinite number of universes, you are your own ficus tree.
Which of these is your true purpose? Which of these lives has the meaning?
If the multiverse exists then the answer is either all of them or none. And if that's true, it means we can't look to our everyday human experiences for the meaning of life. Your job, personality, and life history would prove irrelevant. The people you love don't matter because you've loved them and others an infinite number of times. The children you've created are insignificant because you've had better and worse kids in other universes. The people you've murdered do not define your life because all across the multiverse, these same people are alive and well living out their own existence.
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