Meaning of Life and What it is to be Human
 

This is overly cogitated, but read on.
It may no make sense.
First we must evaluate logic distinct from love and all other intangible factors.
Throughout History:
Philosophic:
The embodiment of love through the meager confines of verbal rhetorical have all been expressed; thus exemplifying the lack of necessity for me to redound. It is the constant restatement of love devotions that keeps us from falling towards the other end of primal discrepancy.

LayMens:
If we don not strive for love, we deny the very essence of what makes us Human. Beasts and animals rely on their primal instincts to guide them to survive, but we have the luxury of love. We can choose to love, or we can choose not too.

The Big Three:
Philosophic:
Within life, three inconsistencies and radical variables arise: Hope, Faith, and Love. It is these illogical applicants that drives men from sanity. They plague, yet they respectively retain the other half, the ying of the yang to what makes us human. Intellect and Love is what essentially proves our humanity. The discrepancy between man, and beast.

LayMens:
The only way to truly be human is to accept the two gifts that are given to us. One is intelect, we must learn, the other is love. They are both Ying and Yang. Also, you cannot add logic to love, faith, or hope, and vice versa.

Concludingly, What is the meaning of life everyone asks? There is no meaning, that is the meaning. Just accept life. 99% of it is personal preference, or what you make of it. There is no right or wrong. It's all what you make of it.

If anyone rebukes, I'll be glad to debate.

Please allow me to probe your mind a little further in order to find out what you are truly striving for. Is this theory an exclamation or anarchy or a mantra of peace? On the basis of anarchy, I guess that I can't really find anything wrong with this theory because any actions of humanity, be it practicing a religion or raping your neighbor's wife, could be viewed as accepting life and making something out of it.

The only flaw I see is if this theory was meant to inspire intellect and love in which case I would have to ask: What happens when someone goes against their mind and heart and harms another person? Wouldn't this go against your post?

I'm simply saying that we need to strive for intelect and love (ect.) solely because they are the things that separate us from the animals. There's a rift in between what we as humans poses and what the animals poses. We can think and undergo extreme emotion where as animals just sink into lust and plain survival.

It's slightly chaotic because in order to see the entirety of life it is essencially necessary to accept the good and bad within us. It is the choices we make that truely define us as good or evil. Everyone has the basic potential, but it is the choice that separates.

If someone were to go against their mind and heart to harm another person, it is simply a choice that person makes that further plunges him into the pool or animals. I'm saying that if we let ourselves fall into crime, sin, call it what you will, we can never truely develope what makes us human.

I hope that helped you out, thank you for your insightful post.

I'll keep it simple

We are here for two things...
Survive & Experience.

those are the basics.

there is no meaning, but what you give yourself.

It all depends on faith and whether we are hear for purpose. Think about it, there are too many coincidences for us to be here. Somethings not right. But when it comes to basic primal aspect, yes we are here to survive and experience. But so are all the other animals, but it is the gifts given to us by whatever accounts that seprarates us. You are very right, there is no meaining to life, that is the meaning because as I said 99% of life is personal preference and what you make of it.

Thanks for posting.

.
it's not about you.
.

Well, I was in elementary school and I found some books a friend's father had of Holocaust pictures from World War II.

At that moment, I discovered what it is to be human.
I haven't seen any reason to change my opinion since then.

Ever since I have had an opinion, my opinion of humans is that we are the most brutal, savage, cruel, vicious, and muderous animal ever to have walked the earth.

My goal has been to not be like that.

That's the meaning of life as far as it matters to me.

I believe that we must embrace all the evil and good within man. Yes the holocaust was a horrible experience in history, but we must also look at the good aspects of man and all the progress we've made, not just all the flaws and errors that we've made. We're human we are bound to make errors, and if need be to progress, it's all part of human process.

Your goal should be to strive not to be inhumane, but the truth is that we are brutal, savage, cruel, vicious, and murderous, but we also bring good to this earth, we love, we live, we hope, we cry, and we die. I guess your view is that of nihilism or cynicism.

Thank you for your post.

If you can lay on your deathbed (bottom of lake, shallow ditch, burning car, whatever) and say to yourself, "That was a pretty good time", then you have not only discovered the meaning of life, you have fullfilled it.

Fireshiru1, not at all.
People who know me know me as a positive person with a totally positive view of living.

I just don't need to deny the truth in order to create a positive life. In fact, for me, any other way would be delusional.

lol if you think about it we are just fish in God's aquarium.

ask Brad Pitt he seems to know
no, im not gay or obsessed with him, its just that he's made a discovery that i think humans will come around to understand maybe in about 100 years. just watch his films

Brad Pitt always plays a philosophical character, he's pretty cool. My take on life and what it means to be human... well, I know that someone is going to browse through this thread, read my post, and become angry or offended (the likliest case), or simply disagree, so here it goes anyway: the purpose of everything is for it to do exactly what it is doing right now. In other words, if a gun is killing someone right now, it was meant for that purpose and that purpose alone, at that instant. If a fork is being used to eat a potato salad, then that is the only purpose that the fork could possibly have ever served... at that moment. Everything that is, simply is. Whatever happens, it was meant to happen, regardless of how tragic these events may sometimes be. I know that someone who has recently had something bad happen in their life is going to get on my ass about this just because it doesn't help them feel any better, and they're going to inform a moderator/adminstrator and have my post edited/removed, but before you do, just think about what I said, it might actually help you cope with whatever it is that happened. The meaning of life is to live, and what it means to be human is everything that you do, and nothing else. "What does it mean to be human" does not have a "one size fits all" answer, it is simply the product of one's own actions that defines that individual's purpose as a human being.

To crush your enemies, have them driven before you and hear the lamentation of the women..............hold on, I'm sorry, thats whats BEST in life....nevermind

This question can only truly be answered by the infertile.

Why do we humans exist?
 

Okay think about this long and hard. Why are we humans here? What purpose do we serve? In my view, the human species is nothing but a virus, using up the earth's resources to eventually? move on to ravage another planet and so on. We do not serve any great purpose, nor do we contribute to the day to day running of earth. Hell, Earth would be a much better place if we were still squatting in our caves, scared shitless of our own shadows. If we were put here by some omnipotent being, the question again is....why? Are we nothing but a source of amusement? This is where i believe in evoloution - we were an accident, we were never meant to get this smart. With knowledge comes power. With power comes arrogance. Arrogance eventually leads to disaster. We are bringing about our own doom, and yet we refuse to do anything about it as a whole. Space exploration is still in its infancy because the nations of the world will not pool some of their resources into one space agency. Humans are greedy and arrogant. And there is still the question - why are we here?

i've thought about this for a long time and nothing has struck home. if you believe in christianity then why would god make men after making angels. angels have free will and can love god or leave him so why us?

if you believe in a perfect god why would he create anything? doesn't perfection mean that you don't need anything else. and if we were always a part of the perfect plan then we weren't created just gestating.

i don't know about a virus. but def. a product of the weird world of evolution.

Why are humans here? What purpose do we serve?

No reason. No purpose. Welcome to the real world.

Do you wake up wondering why the sky is blue, or dirt dirty, or why a lemon tastes sour? Some things just *are*, regardless of reason.

If you really desperately need a reason for your existance: to procreate and survive as a species. That's why.

pretty much agree with the other posters. We're just another speices who want to survive and procreate, as Dragonlich siad.

to survive & experience

we are another sample to test.

Re: Why do we humans exist?
 

. . . . . . . . . you say it like its a bad thing!

no no no... you aren't thinking about this in the right terms at all. You based your question on the implicet asumption that good and bad exist, which isn't really true at all in the cosmic sence. Good and Bad are concepts used to express the social acceptibility of an action, they are not real. To say that what humans are doing is to the earth today is bad, or, as your put it "Hell, Earth would be a much better place if we were still squatting in our caves, scared shitless of our own shadows.", is to make a moral judgement.
The real problem is that you are not considering humans a natural event: i.e. we are actually products and parts of our environment, and mammals besides. Just because we have inteligence that no other creature has, we have been able to strongarm our way into a dominant position, but we are still part of the system. To put it another way: if there was some earth-like planet out there where insect's DNA could mutate and adapt faster and lead them to dominate all other speces in terms of strength and survivability, that system would also colapse as the insects then bread out of control, exasusted their food supply (which overlaps the food supply of other animals as well), and left their planet a lifeless husk. So, distrying ones planet is a possibility for any speces that can get and maintain an advantage over other lifeforms, inteligence or sellf-awareness dont even come into it.

We are products of nature, anything we do is therefore natural. It might be "bad" in the sence that its undesireable, but it is totally natual for a planet to exist without life.


As for why we are here........ um....
just another evolutionary thing, i think. Though, when you really really look at the physiscs that our universe is based upon, it seems allmost perfectly designed to cultivate life somewhere...
After all, the universe has allmost no curvature, just enough gravity to form stars and planets but not enough to colapse it right away, just the right frezing point for water such that oceans wont freze over, things like that. If there is a god, i think he just setup the inital conditions, i dont think he would actually form anything by hand.

woah, i thnk i got a bit off topic there.

Why should there be a "why"? It's kind of sad that people don't see the beauty in the randomness of our existence. It's every bit as beautiful as a divine plan, but possibly a bit more frightening to concieve of.

Re: Why do we humans exist?
 

To quote George Carlin: "PLASTIC".

:D

Why do we humans exist?


We don't, you're the only one. Goodnight.

Why Does Mold Exist?

It goes forth trying to improve and replicate itself and adapt to its environment creating efficient breeding grounds, shielding itself from 'bad' things trying desperately to fit in. To impress the other mold spores that mating with it will enrich their lives and produce excellent offspring that can go to mold Harvard or be the first mold to survive a 20% chlorine solution in the corner of a bathroom ceiling. Or to nurture young molds to a point where they can appreciate their existence and continue their great species.

Haha. :D

to enjoy. that is why.

Dragonlich gave the complete answer in his first paragraph.
The second paragraph was a concession - and unnecessary.

Cosmic accident.

suchness.

Sure sure, but I think a lot of the previous posts are all based in a very pseudo-scientific manner which argues that evolution explains everything, there is no meaning, no god, no good, no bad, and that really devalues the possibility of human meaning. On some level, such posts are right, but they deflect from the real question which is: what meaning CAN human life have?

For example, I think that one of the most important things that humans can do is create beauty in the form of art, architecture, literature, poetry, or film. This appreciation of what we see around us and ability to recognize the world around us, our separation from it OR inclusion within it, provides us with a(n albeitly self-created) purpose.

Ah! Well thats a different question altogether! The question that was originally proposed implied an inherrent reason. An objective universal purpose. A "meaning" of life.

To answer YOUR question, I'd say that a persons purpose in life is whatever he/she makes it.

why not

To keep the universe from diluting into whatever is outside of our dimensial 'zone' through our collective will. Seriously though, I don't think that it really matters regardless of what it is. Life is what we have, no one gets out alive, so why bother spend time pondering things such as that?

i hardly think a purpose is required. i'd like to agree with whoever it was (don't feel like looking up and checking) who mentioned the nature of morals and of moral judgements of existence in general. the fact of the matter is that humans aren't any different than anything else, we aren't any different, in practical terms than the mold spores everyone seems to be mentioning.

and remember that diseases are a necessary part of any ecosystem. so what if humans are earth's disease. everything has an achille's heal. otherwise, nothing would work properly. it would throw out the concept of survival of the fittest. though i have my own thoughts on that and its relationship to humanity. someone can start a "what makes us human?" thread and i'll comment there.

the "why" isn't nearly as important as the "how"

as put by jlickx with his wonderful analogy and Omagus pretty much answers the "why" well, at least to me. Ask "how" are we here.

This is an easy quesiton. Humans are the product of evolution. It seems as though you mean what is the purpose of 'life, living, etc'. Well, that depends on a number of things. If you're religious, your purpose is to live up to die. If you are non-religious, it your inner purpose could vary. For me, the purpose of my life is to experience intresting things, challange myself (physicly and mentally), and explore the worlds cultures.

As I said, we are just the product of evolution. We are on top because of 'survival of the fittest'. The only hard question is how the UNIVERSE was created. Something has to come from something, and it makes sense up until the begining -- how nothing because the infinite zone that is the universe.

If we managed to understand the creation of the universe, the rest is elementary. Evolution isn't anything special, it's jsut the exploitation of natural error. During growth and devision, mutations occour. The advanced species of today are the product of billions of years worth of mutation.

not to be taken seriously, but maybe it is

God was bored.

DR_DEATH:
You're operating under the baseless assumption that we had to have a purpose.

You people always with your simple "one size fits all" answers to everything. Don't you ever get tired of that? You believe one thing, then you try to shove it down everyone's throats. I am asking you to kindly not post if such is your inclination. This question, with just about any other philosophical question, does not have an answer with only one size, face, form, color, smell, texture, or anything. The answer to this question cannot be experienced in only one way.

The definitions of purpose that we are looking at are:

1.) The object toward which one strives or for which something exists; an aim or a goal: “And ever those, who would enjoyment gain/Must find it in the purpose they pursue” (Sarah Josepha Hale).

2.) A result or effect that is intended or desired; an intention.
-(http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=purpose)

The first definition itself is a clear indication that each individual human being has a different purpose, based soley on definition. Imagine that! This automatically means that every biased answer that has been posted thus far is wrong :thumbsup: This, of course, is only one way to tackle this issue.

The second definition states that purpose is intention. This can mean that if there is such a thing as God, then he has a plan for us all. If you don't buy into faith, then this definition of purpose simply alludes back to the first definition.

Another take that I personally have on this issue is that purpose is so dynamic that attempting to classify purpose is the same thing as trying to find an electron's location and velocity at the same time. As far as I know, this isn't possible (I apologize to all the quantum physicists/gurus out there. Please condone my ignorance and simply correct me without flamming, thanks :)) For one tiny instance of time, a fork may be serving the purpose of feeding someone. For another tiny instance of time, it may be serving the purpose of stabbing someone in the fact. For yet another tiny instance of time it may be serving the purpose of assisting in the cutting of a piece of meat. The way I see it, purpose is relative and circumstantial. If you are yelling at someone right now, that currently is your purpose. If you are loafing around right now, then that is your purpose at that given moment. Every millisecond of your life you are serving a purpose. It may not be the same purpose at the previous millisecond of your life, but still a purpose. This, of course, is my biased answer, but please note that I'm not trying to shove this belief down anyone's throat :thumbsup: I'm simply stating that which I have observed.

Well, I think the answer lies in Fermi's Paradox somewhere. Simply put, all things being equal, the entire galaxy should have been colonized several times over, given exponential expansion. There should be evidence of intelligent life *everywhere.* Yet we have detected absolutely nothing intelligent beyond the boundaries of this planet. Nor any sign of life at all, even. How can this be? It is simply not possible. You should be able to close your eyes and point to somewhere in the sky and find an artificial structure, evidence of large-scale warfare, etc. But there's nothing. Yet, given the number of stars and planets, it's just not possible that we're the only intelligent life ever in the galaxy. Something more fundamental is at work here.

Some good reading:

http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/...say/essay.html
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?art...mber=1&catID=2
http://home.tiac.net/~cri/1998/alien.html
http://faughnan.com/setifail.html
http://www.transhumanism.ndtilda.co.uk/Fermi.htm

Nobody really knows what the heck is going on. I think the answer lies outside metaphysics, philosphy or religion. I don't know if we'll ever know. All I do know is that there is definitely a missing variable in the human equation.

So what really happens if we just keep surviving? To what goal do we want to survive as a speices for anyways?

Do we one day transcend the current boundaries and restart in a brand new one? Or do we actually not have a comsic purpose and just excist a finite time and fade away?

I can't think of an answer that isn't more than a little fantastic. I've thought something along the lines of your question--that the Universe is an incubator, and intelligent species successful enough to thrive on an interstallar scale either trascend or are brought to transcendence--or we are inside a pocket that makes intelligent life invisible to us, and perhaps makes us invisible to them as well. Arthur C. Clarke once said that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, so anything is possible, no matter how unlikely. And with that missing puzzle piece of the paradox I mentioned, even Occam's Razor can't really reduce the problem to Earth as the sole container of intelligent life in all the history of the Universe.

(For the uninitiated, the Razor is popularly described as "All things being equal, the simpler solution is the more likely of the two," although it's a bit more complicated than that in practice.)

have any of you seen the EcoSphere they sell it at Brookstone, it's a glass sphere with shrimp and an algae plant and water and some pebbles, it sits on your desk and u can see it grow everyday. it is a self contained ecosystem. they are cool, when i grow up and have a big desk i'm gonna get one. I think im gonna get the really big one, it's like um earth sized.....

It's not very rational to say that the answer lies outside of metaphysics, because metaphysics essentially encompasses everything... I think. :thumbsup:

We humans may be the way the universe becomes aware of itself. We are not just humans in the sense that cats are cats. We seem to alone possess the self-awareness that includes all that is know to us.

How can you tell that a cat is not self aware?

The typical test of self-awareness would be: place a mirror in front of the creature, and see if it reacts differently to the image than it would to a picture of another member of the species. Dolphins are seen as self-aware because they can recognize themselves in this way; some species of apes can do the same. Cats can't - they can't make the connection between an image and a creature; but that can be caused by the fact that they need vision *and* smell to identify someone...

I believe the solar system, not just earth , exist for man. We are the pinnacle of matter and life. Strangely this is echoed in the creation story. Religions capture truths poetically. Likewise religious morality does mirror Stoic morality.

....people are 'better' than animals cause we think we are....

we are here for one simple purpose, to live. We exist because somehow our genentic make up was superior to others so we evolved into what we are now. We were created by either chance or some higher power depending upon what you believe. Our purpose, like every other living thing, is to ensure the survival of our species and to improve upon our way of life. Because of our higher intelligence over other creatures we have been able create much more than other animals.
If bears were the animals with the superior intelligence I'm sure they would be asking the same question.
However, intelligence causes us to over analyze many things and in our quest to learn more about the everything around us we fail to realize that our simple purpose is simply to live.

I dont entirely agree . . . . Its more a question of stupidity than awareness. Many stupid people (myself included!) have at one time or another gotten a fright from there own reflection.

You may not have found a cat clever enough to recognise itself in the mirror . . but it is 'self aware' when it cleans itself is it not? More than some humans I suspect!

Life
 

whats the meaning of life?

There is no meaning of life. You are alive. Live with it. Live life.

The meaning of life, the universe and everything is... 42

Actually, with the inflation and all, it would be around 46.

i say 47, feels right

WRONG!
That's the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything!

if you believe in evolution then you shouldnt wonder why/if something was meant to be, but understand that it is because it continues to be.
i.e., it survives, so it will survive.

the more time you spend wondering about the meaning of your life, the less meaning your life will have.
or something :D

I could be all depressing about it and say that the meaning of life it to pass on your genes to the next generation or I could be a little nicer and say the meaning of life is to improve life for others or I could be even nicer and say the meaning of life is to have fun and enjoy living. Personally, I think it is a combination of all of the above.

usually i like to sum it up as:
the purpose of your life is to serve as an example to another.

The meaning of life is whatever you want it to be, which is to say, nothing.

"Life is a search for the truth; and there is no truth."
-Chinese Proverb

the meaning of life is ..............................?

to be satisfied with how you've spent your time here

To answer that question, put it in a framework. Was life created, or accidental. If it was created, it was, in theory, created for some purpose. This would be the meaning of life. If it is accidental, there is no inherent meaning. You provide meaning for yourself.

the meaning is... ... ...whatever you make your life mean.

Re: Life
 

First define "meaning." Then define "life." Then talk to me.

If your question translates into "Why are we here?" I'd say that question is up to us to answer.

A line from a teleplay that's always stayed with me. In Kurt Vonnegut's "Between Time and Timbuktu," astronaut Stony Stevenson has a conversation with God; Stony tells God that he feels as insignificant as mud. God answers, "If you want to feel the least bit significant, think about all the mud that never got a chance to sit up and look around."

Amen

IF life is a game
 

what is the object?

are there rules?

how do we know who won?

Maybe it's a game of solitaire, and you get to make up the rules. There's no real winning, only the game and the pleasure of playing it. Or maybe you only know if you won when you cross the finish line.

I think the biggest myth we live with is that there is somewhere to get to in life. Like if you have enough money, success, happiness, you will have "won." I think each of us is here for a different purpose, and it's up to us to discover/invent what that purpose is.

I think you will have won if you can say that you've enjoyed your life. Sure my life has had some interesting twists and turns, but all in all, I can say I've enjoyed it.
The rules to the game of life are, as lurkette said, made up as you go along.

what is the object? no one knows

are there rules? no one knows

how do we know who won? no one knows

the life of the game is SORRY, where you have to step on other people to win.

I'd like to think of it more as charades, while we're all just trying to understand each other with our limited means of communication.

Absolutely.
People often pose the question: "What's the meaning of it all?"

That question of course contains one implicit unfounded assumption. What makes you so sure that there is such a meaning?

Life is what you make of it. Don't take it too seriously though...you're not getting out of it alive.

The game at life....Id really like to kno what the rules are as well...After all how can you cheat if you dont kno the rules?

If life is a game, I want the wheelbarrow. :D

I think life is just one test after another. Pain and struggle heaped upon pain and struggle. Nothing you can't handle, just enough to make you realize that you are stronger than you thought. Occasionally you find love, or a beautiful view, or a beautiful idea. The way i see it, life rewards the brave, the persistent, and the lucky.

ahhh. time for one of my favorite quote

"yeah, but people just suck at life cuz they don't know the cheat codes."

If Life is a Game, These Are the Rules by Cherie Carter Scott based on the 10 Rules of being human. It's a small book. I usually carry it around with me in one of my pockets or bags. It's chock full of good stuff on every page. Sometimes when I'm most puzzled I will just open the book and read the passage that my thumb is on. It usually is just what I need at that moment.

10 Rules of being Human

• YOU WILL RECEIVE A BODY. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period of this time around.
  
• YOU WILL LEARN LESSONS. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.
  
• THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, ONLY LESSONS. Growth is a process of trial and error: Experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works."
  
• A LESSON IS REPEATED UNTIL LEARNED. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.
  
• LEARNING LESSONS DOES NOT END. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.
  
• "THERE" IS NO BETTER THAN "HERE." When your "there" has become a "here," you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
  
• OTHERS ARE MERELY MIRRORS OF YOU. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.
  
• WHAT YOU MAKE OF YOUR LIFE IS UP TO YOU. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
  
• YOUR ANSWERS LIE INSIDE YOU. The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
  
• YOU WILL FORGET ALL THIS.

Right on Cynthetiq -- that is exactly what I think the game of life is all about. As for winners -- we all have the ability to win!

If life is a game, I couldn't tell you for a fact what the rules are. But I know what the prize is: memories. They're really the only thing that you get to keep all your life. And good memories -- even painful ones, if they teach -- are priceless. Strive to make the best memories you can, every day.

Life is a game.

Victory conditions include happiness, minimal regrets, being able to sleep with a clear conscience, satisfaction.

I consider myself to be winning simply because I can face each day, I can go to sleep not dreading the sunrise.

Then again, I also see life as a Team Sport, and my team (wife, kids, family) deserves more credit than I for the victory.

bermuDa - beautifully put.

Charades sounds about right to me.

Life a game? duh who wins? the one who changes society more noticably

Life a game?
If I were to look at it, I would say it's several games.
The game you play and the rules to that game depend on your belief (the game you choose to play).
As far as who wins, once again, depending on what game you play will determine who gets to win.

Are you happy? if you are then you are winning the game. No rules, no cheating, just life. Don't try to understand it because you can only lose the joy of discovery.


I'm happy..... I guess I won!

I don't know if it's a game, with so many different answers, and questions that should be answered right off. What kind of game doesn't come with a manual of any kind? Well, I always get picked last anyway, so I'll just hang back and watch :p.

The Meaning of Life
 

I believe the meaning of life is to reproduce, so the species can continue to populate the planet forever (well until the sun/earth explodes). Think about it...sex is on a guys mind all day long, it drives u to do stupid things, it feels so good, it is many people's main goal in life to get laid when they are young etc etc

What do you believe the meaning of life to be?

the old equation gave an answer of 42.

The new equation has a result that is a little less rational, the sq rt of 3.

slimshaydee - so anyone who can't reproduce, or doesn't want to, has an essentially meaningless life and should top themselves?

;)

42 is the correct answer, but no one's found the right question yet!

I'll let you know the answer once I finish reading Venus in a Half Shell.

What species? We control a lot of species from reproducing - even destroyed some as well. So you must be speaking of humans. Uncontrolled reproduction leads to over population, which you surely can't say is a good thing. Personally , I don't see humankind lasting until the sun/earth explode.
It's on the mind of all types of guys and girls - good intentions and bad. These stupid things that you speak of include a pedophile. You say that it's many peoples main goal in life to get laid when they are young - true, it is. But how much value do I take some 14 year old? Not much. I'd rather talk to someone who has had the experience of being in love over someone who just wants to get laid.
My belief is we should better ourselves as people.

To me life is the continual pursuit of knowledge.

what happens to this knowledge when one dies? Not all of it is put into books and stuff. So is this a wasted life?

This is something that is present because of the way we think.
We think in terms of things having a "meaning" to us.
But that's a totally circular situation.

Things don't come with labels or meanings attached.
We make them up ourselves and impose them on things.

The knowledge one gains is used to shape the conditions that we exist in. Some people contribute to a change for the better while others tend to gravitate to de-evolution. In one way or another everyone, whether meaning to or not, has an affect on things to come. The effect of the majority is not spectacular and in most instances will never be publically noticed. These effects will in turn alter the conditions of those proceeding them.

You have establish a valid point there, but what does this mean for animals, does this mean that every animal life is worthless?

So you are saying that animals do not learn?
I'm sure that a banana was not the first meal of the first group of gorillas. They inevitable tried eating different things and then one came upon the banana and enjoyed it. He might have then brought some to the rest of the pack or they witnessed him eating it and saw that it was favorable. (both of these are hypothetical) My point is that gorillas where then able to remember that the banana was a good food to eat and as they produced offspring this knowledge was passed down to them. Not all knowledge has to be learned verbally or textually. I used the gorilla only as an example but this would apply to all animals. Knowledge coupled with evolution is what allows them to survive. Whether it be selection of food sources or a hospitable place to live most animals use the knowledge of the known that they are able to acquire from those before them. If there is an unknown then experimentation will inevitably take place giving that creature further knowledge that can then be passed on.