Hi to old friends and new. I think one of the main reasons for this debate is indeed to find some meaning for life. And I think the meaning of life is to evolve, as is the nature of the universe. We merely follow the rules of the universe. To evolve is to experience, to be sentient. We (fictional soul givers) created single-celled bacteria and algae out of the elements, for the sole purpose of experiencing them evolve into the millions of life forms that have ever graced this planet, in the same way that we were created. Life forms are like the nerve endings of the universe and we all have a role to play. You will evolve, because we meant you to! And you will try to emulate us, by creating artificial life and intelligence that you can gain experiences and knowledge through, which in turn, will try to emulate you, because that’s how you programmed it! And so on and so forth, that’s how it is in the whole universe; it’s just a series of evolutionary events.
Let me give you an insight into what the universe is like: Consider and imagine, the beginning of an organic life form if you will, from the very first moment of conception, to the splitting of the first cells, the development of the cells into bodily organs, blood and bone. Consider and imagine if you can, the chores, interactions and instant communications performed by the various cells. Imagine, first the vigour and then the deterioration in the cells, as the body goes through puberty, then grows old and dies.
Imagine the huge number and many types of bacteria, which shared, aided and fed off this body while it was alive and which is now thriving on the dead cells, the dead body, having transformed, into a live body of bacteria, fungus and algae. Now imagine, that the dead body, which is crawling with bacteria, is full of insect eggs, also containing their own bacteria and also containing their own cells. The eggs mutate, become larvae and begin to feed on the dead cells and live bacteria, developing into healthy insects, which then become part of the food chain themselves, thereby assisting in the survival of the animal they came out from and ensuring their own survival in the process.
Can you imagine the number of complicated, interactive processes that took place during the life and death of this body at molecular level? Could any human be physically aware of any of these processes in action? The answer is no! Can any man-made machine, ever compute the number of processes and give any meaning to them? The answer is no! I’m just trying to emphasise the scale of complexity here...
Can a body survive without certain cells? The answer is yes! And there are also certain cells that are fundamental to the healthy survival of a body, but no cell can survive without a body. No man is an island, no planet is an island and no cell is an island. All cells are subject to processes taking part in every region of the body. Imagine your solar system as a tiny cluster of cells and your galaxy as a minor bodily organ, within a body that is alive and vigorous. The processes taking part in the body are all interrelated, relying on one another for the body to function properly, but the tiny cluster of cells within the bodily organ I mentioned, would only be aware of a tiny bit of the process. And, as the tiny cluster of cells would be akin to your solar system, at molecular level you would be able to see the sun, the planets and moons, at sub-molecular level you would be able to see life forms, at sub-sub-molecular level you would be able to see the cells in the life forms and at sub-sub-sub-molecular level you would be able to enter a new universe. This is what the universe is like, organic, concentric, never ending!
Nothing is static, everything changes and there is a purpose to everything. The truth is, that all intelligent life forms—-including us—-are limited in our knowledge by local constraints determined by our species and purpose. Ponder this: The cells in a finger, can never know the origins of the body, in the same way as cells in a shin bone, can never know of the existence of fingers—all knowledge has limits--.
(Mostly an extract from my fantasy adventure novel -The Guru Cake- by G N Kosta, copyright)
So everybody must find their own reason of existence. The purpose and reason in life seem to be the same anyway.