The Question of Purpose

This is a post to answer a student’s question of what is purpose.  

Thank you for how well thought out your arguments are.  You quoted something I said and then asked “Why must there be a purpose? Who finds it necessary to have this purpose, is it man, the universe, or a supreme being?” 

These are some great questions.  Let me start by asking some of my own, just to make a point.  What is the purpose of breathing, a heart pumping, drinking clean water, studying, learning, believing etc…? What is the purpose of studying the laws of physics, science, etc…?  What is the purpose of calling anything good or evil, right or wrong?  

If we suggest that the universe created us it is very logical to conclude the universe has purpose.  Why else did the universe create us?  Why does a programmer, program, or an athlete play sports, or a drug addict take the next hit?  In every action there is purpose.  To say the universe had no great purpose does not mean there is no purpose.  Every action has purpose.  So even if we are an accident- a byproduct of some greater purpose, this does not negate purpose all together.  Even in your own argument you suggest other purposes than man being the purpose.  

So, in this hypothetical scenario, the universe creates for whatever purpose, humanity comes on the seen either by pure accident or by specific design.  Either way the universe must take notice because it had its purpose in creating something.  The universe is either totally aware of what mankind will do, therefore leading to purpose beyond man’s opinions.  Or the universe is caught by surprise and therefore learns something about its creative capabilities.  This too has purpose.  

But your next argument will be something like this:  Who says that the universe created with purpose?  How do we know that the universe had to have purpose?  What if the universe is an accident?  

All these questions leads to something bigger than the universe having purpose and either knew what they were doing or by accident created a universe that allowed for life.  This something is either the multiverse god or a more traditional God.  Somewhere down the line something had to have purpose to start things in motion or else nothing would have ever started in motion.  And the same previous logical arguments apply to this other something that started things.

All this appears to be the only logical explanation to things starting.  How could absolute nothing start something without doing something?  At whatever starting point you choose to prefer something had to have purpose in starting.  What caused the first movement in the physical multiverse or universe?  What caused the first thing to come to exist in the multiverse or universe?  Who or whatever caused this to happen in the physical world had to have purpose; Even if the purpose was as pointless as shooting heroin.  All things done have purpose whether they are done intentionally or unintentionally.  

If it is argued that the universe/multiverse is eternal then the universe/multiverse is god; because something eternal had to have started everything.  So as with every foundational concept of beginnings we find an eternal something who is the cause.  Once there is a cause we find that purpose must follow.

Where do we see anything in life that has action without there being purpose?  If we notice something, anything at all it has at least the purpose of being noticed.  There is not an argument that leads to purposelessness. 

Does that make sense?

I can appreciate your desire to not be called religious because religion has had negative connotations.  But if we narrow the religious definition too much we do not include everyone who believes in something.  We could choose to use another word to define these believers.  Let us use the term Snuttlegle.  Every person who believes in something is a Snuttlegle person and once again is not questioning whether a god, Supreme Being exists but which one exists. 

Your last statement of the human brain creating religion and science I have to challenge. How did the human brain create gravity, the laws of physics, math, geography etc…?  I think this may be where you have missed things slightly.  Man or human brains did not create these things, they discovered these things that were already created and used their brains to understand these things.  If that is the case with science it is also very likely the case with God/ Snuttlegles.  Man did not make love, hate, good and evil but discovered these things.

Does that make sense?

Keep thinking!! J