A Philosophical Perspective On Existence. (1 Viewer)

[transcendent]

1. Why do you believe you exist?
2. What is the purpose to your existence?
3. What is your passion?
4. What are your life goals?
5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?
6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?
7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else? How and how long?
8. Are there any role models, idols, leaders, teachings or quotations that you live your life by or aspire to live by?

I bring up this question not only to promote discussion on philosophy, but to understand other people. I find it rather difficult to 'delude' myself into believing something that doesn't make rational sense to me or is not convenient for me. I'm also struggling with finding a reason whether continued existence is inherently useful seeing as I'm an existentialist. On the contrary, I'm contemplating, and have renounced, a number of my former hardline opinions on certain issues, just to alleviate the boredom with reality. So I was wondering what drives other people as a means of altering my understanding of my existence and hopefully enlighten you on your understanding of your existence.

If you are unsure about certain terms, please visit the links attached to my signature.

 

[_dhj_]

1. Why do you believe you exist?

Don't quite understand what you mean by this question.
-I exist because a sequence of events resulted in the formation of matter which eventually came to be known as me.

2. What is the purpose to your existence?

Who knows.

3. What is your passion?

Don't have one.

4. What are your life goals?

Would like to eventually make enough money to become a person who sponsors and has time to enjoy the arts.

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?

Not very often.

6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?

No. I don't believe anyone can.

7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else? How and how long?

There's no need to persuade others that you are someone else. I think if you can persuade someone to believe that you are who you actually are, that's a great achievement. Ultimately, all our actions are understandable given our motives for them.

8. Are there any role models, idols, leaders, teachings or quotations that you live your life by or aspire to live by?

Yeah I <3 Lost in Translation (the film). I almost live my life by it.

 

[robo-andie]

1. Why do you believe you exist?
To continue my genetic line.

2. What is the purpose to your existence?
aka meaning of life? I have no idea, nor do I wish to know.

3. What is your passion?
I don't really have one.

4. What are your life goals?
Becoming the best I can be, without being at the expense of another.

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?
Daily.

6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?
Yes.

7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else? How and how long?
Someone else by physical appearance - no. Someone else in terms of personality - yes. I think I could go for quite some time as someone else, I would always have those private moments where I can reflect upon who I really am, and stay true to myself. I don't think the 'other' me would ever consume me, unless I willed it to.

8. Are there any role models, idols, leaders, teachings or quotations that you live your life by or aspire to live by?
"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent" - Isaac Asimov.

 

[vanush]

1. Why do you believe you exist?
Why does an animal exist?
We have two existences, a conscience one and an obvious one.
Our conscience existence is thrown into being.
Our obvious one has some sort of evolution/animal type thing. I don't know about it.

2. What is the purpose to your existence?
I have yet to make it.

3. What is your passion?
As above

4. What are your life goals?
As above

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?
All the time.

6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?
Ostensibly, yes. You can't change who you are, but you can change outward appearances


7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else?
No

8. Are there any role models, idols, leaders, teachings or quotations that you live your life by or aspire to live by?
"beauty is in what we create, not what we endure. life is what we endure. life is not beautiful." - Me.

 

[littlewing69]

1. Why do you believe you exist?

I am part of a Universe which I believe was created by something or some force outside our comprehension. My personal existence is explicable through evolution and chance.

2. What is the purpose to your existence?

To learn, and to enjoy the experience.

3. What is your passion?

Music. And knowledge

4. What are your life goals?

To live long and hard enough to exhaust life's possibilities so that I can die happy and fearlessly.

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?

Often. I'm on the end of a big existential crisis right now, so more than usual in the last couple of months.

6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?

Not really. But I do believe people become different people. You are not what you were.

7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else? How and how long?

Don't know.

 

[ButterflyFish]

1. Why do you believe you exist?
i will never know the answer to this. ever.

2. What is the purpose to your existence?
to make existance for other's easier

3. What is your passion?
social justice - particularly economic inequality (rich world verses poor world).

4. What are your life goals?
to help people living in poverty

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?
Lots, depends what mood im in.

6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?
I dont believe you are 'fundamentally' anyone. i think that your life experiences shape who you are and i think the experiences you have in the future can change you.


7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else?
Its hard enough persuading people to believe you are who you are

8. Are there any role models, idols, leaders, teachings or quotations that you live your life by or aspire to live by?
Not really...
just to help others
theres probably a really good quote but i cant think of it atm

 

[gerhard]

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?


jesus, all the fucking time. its abit depressing really

 

[_dhj_]

Meaning of life, purpose of existence, why we are here.. etc etc are overrated questions.

 

[gerhard]

they are the only important questions

 

[vanush]

they are questions that will lead to either our doom or ultimate enlightenment. depends, really.

 

[vanush]

More importantly.

I think it's good that people are starting to question their existence.

If there's a good thing about twentieth century cynicism, this is it.

 

[The_Apprentice]

Would like to eventually make enough money to become a person who sponsors and has time to enjoy the arts.

<3<3<3​

 

[yy]

1. Why do you believe you exist?
i don't know, i don't believe in anything for certain any more.

2. What is the purpose to your existence?
there's none.

3. What is your passion?
none

4. What are your life goals?
live as long as possible and experience as much as possible

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?
a lot

6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?
yes, and quite easily

7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else? How and how long?
yes, it's quite easy. although it really depends on what you mean in that question. because i don't think there's an aspect that's essentially me. i'm what you all perceive me to be. my personalities are just what others think of me. some people think i'm outgoing, some think i'm shy. some think i'm a girl while others think i'm a guy.

8. Are there any role models, idols, leaders, teachings or quotations that you live your life by or aspire to live by?
not really

 

[Captain Gh3y]

_{the title of this thread sounds like a school of liberal arts' course name}

[rambling]

1. Why do you believe you exist?

Is that, 'what is the purpose I believe I exist for', or is it, 'what reason do I have for believing that I do actually exist?' They're two horribly different questions, you know.
I believe I exist to be pedantic about the use of the English language on forums. I believe that I exist because if I didn't exist, I couldn't be doing the above, which I suppose is just deferring to Descartes in a bastardising kind of way.

2. What is the purpose to your existence?

To laugh. Maybe to dance. Nietzsche knew the importance of that.

3. What is your passion?

Learning stuff.

4. What are your life goals?

To know everything possible, without phd-esque detail, about the universe, how it works and all that has happened in the past. Also to secure a comfortable existence for myself [and a regular supply of whiskey and goon], by means of "work" so as not to be a burden on my family or greater society, most of whom don't care too much for these types of questions anyway.

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?

Not at all, because I don't think I'm particularly important or interesting. I don't agree with Damage that they're meaningless, though. I mean, it's just the existence and workings of other things seem more worthwile thinking about. More of a scientist than a philosopher I guess.

6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?

like this guy? No really, I don't think so. You'd have to look at the biology and such of what makes us who we are in the first place, eg. nature vs nurture etc. Then if you knew that you could consider whether our 'nature', if you like, can be consciously and deliberately changed by ourselves. Maybe it can't. Then you have people like, say criminals who become deeply religious, or people who lose their family and are displaced overseas by war, (for example) who change a hell of a lot. But maybe they don't fundamentally change.

7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else? How and how long?

Only on the internet, and only for humour's sake. In real life it'd be almost impossible, for me at least. Maybe a good actor could do it, if they really wanted to.

8. Are there any role models, idols, leaders, teachings or quotations that you live your life by or aspire to live by?

I greatly admire the various European scientists of the rennaisance - modern era, eg. Newton, Liebniz etc, obviously you've got Jesus in there too, for obvious reasons, and also this guy, which is a bit strange, but oh well.

A question of my own: Several people (okay, two people) said they wanted to be the best they could be. Would you be that disappointed if at the age of 111 you were being spoonfed gruel on your nursing home bed, and had never reached your perceived absolute potential best?

And what if you did be your best, but it was never that good? Like, I know that no matter how good I am at what I like to do (academic type things) there's going to be some hardcore Asian kid down in Sydney (ok that's kinda racist, but it's a compliment) who's like 100x better than me without trying. Would that bother you so much?

Finally, is this thread under the category of news, current affairs, or politics?

[/rambling]

 

[ur_inner_child]

1. Why do you believe you exist?

Understanding that you want to understand other people, the first thing that came to my head was the fact that I am able to influence and affect surroundings including people around me, but that is assuming they exist too. (quotes bill hicks) :


"all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration... that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves"

I don't truly believe in that but I don't know. I like it, I like the idea. It talks about a connection between everything, not an original idea, but I love it. I can't be bothered talking in depth about it right now though. Definatley will come back to this when I have time.

2. What is the purpose to your existence?

To give meaning to other people's existance, that way we all survive.

3. What is your passion?

To change the world, even in the smallest degree. No matter what religion or belief, the fact that I can benefit someone's life such as being there for them when they need it, or offering advice, that sort of idea makes me wake up in the morning...

4. What are your life goals?

To break the cycle of abuse and give my children an awesome upbringing - not too free and not too strict... understanding, open, full of love

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?

I did for a good amount of time. Now I just go with it and don't think about it too much.

6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?

Well yes, as long as I put the effort in. I am who I want to be so I don't know if I want to change, but as my aspirations or surroundings change, so will I.

7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else? How and how long?

Yes. I think we all have that ability to put on a mask, even if its a slight tangent of the true you, for as long as you want...

8. Are there any role models, idols, leaders, teachings or quotations that you live your life by or aspire to live by?

Not entirely. I selectively gather the ideas I find value or depth in and take it on board. Whether it be Christianity, something from Aristotle, or Bill Hicks, or something from a show I watched. So I guess the real answer is no, and that I live by experiencing things around me.

 

[ur_inner_child]

Since when did you listen to Bill Hicks?

What made you think otherwise?

I find him utterly clever, witty and beyond this time.

RIP Bill Hicks..

 

[Generator]

Brogan... Never mind.

Edit: Actually, no. This is the NCAP forum, not the non-school forum. Treat it seriously, please.

The above applies to everyone, by the way.

 

[Generator]

It may have been more interesting, yes, but that isn't to say that it was 'better' than such posts when you consider the fact that transcendent was clearly looking for a serious attempt from all who take the time to answer the questions.

Edit: You have had your say, and I have had mine. This exchange ends with this post.

 

[_dhj_]

ZOMG LIFE IS POINTLESS

wow that's deep....

 

[Just Click It]

1. Why do you believe you exist?

To ponder the above question over and over and never be satisfied with any answer I may stuble on/think up.

2. What is the purpose to your existence?

Biologically, to have sex. Personally, to give myself to the world.

3. What is your passion?

Animal rights and Cello.

4. What are your life goals?

(unattainable in my lifetime) to get rid of all animal suffering at the hands of humanity. So I suppose... help that motion along while I'm alive.

5. How often do you think about your purpose in life, your existence?

Every fucking day.

6. Do you believe that you are able to change who you fundamentally are?

Yes. E.g. look at the nazi propaganda against the Jews. Good race turned evil by a simple message of hate

7. Do you believe that you are able to persuade people to believe that you are someone else? How and how long?

k.

8. Are there any role models, idols, leaders, teachings or quotations that you live your life by or aspire to live by?

My role models are my omniverous dad and mum. Otherwise, I go by my own intuitition... moulded in a western society =(