I think this is somewhat unfair, the idea of seeking purpose isn’t stupid and a person who seeks purpose and meaning in the universe shouldn’t be mocked for doing so. This seems to play into the idea that many Christians seem to have that an athiest is without purpose absent a divine hand.
The purpose of life on a biological level is to continue ones bloodline, the purpose of life on an intellectual level might be theoretical immortality (gained by fame or infamy, perhaps creating something great that will far outlast a mortal life). Or it might be to do a great work that will leave the world a better place than when you left it. Any of these things can be called a purpose in life and arguably a purpose of life. Some might even argue that death itself is what gives us purpose (something we will always have to struggle against).
I think finding meaning for existence itself is a great purpose. It is a riddle, you have been allowed to venture and act according to your whims and fancies and also allowed to think and proceed. Generally people go by their whims and fancies. A person who really questions/thinks about providence only finds answer from nature. You can go through History. you will fine umpteen number of instances.
lets take a joke as its meant to be…
lets just laugh it off…
no one’s mocking at the guy whose looking for the purpose of his life and no one’s mocking at the person trying to find the square root of a tomato…
well, i dont know abt the purpose…but i wanna live my life…enjoying & learning everything…i dont wanna miss anything…& i wanna pass my genes to a healthy & fertile female so that i can ensure my offsprings are healthy & will have a better chance of survival…in short, i wanna do all the crazy stuffs & then bang hot chicks!!
Well…. Yes, it is a joke after all, but it also says that what purpose or meaning one accords is very subjective. In fact, there cannot be a fixed question or a fixed answer concerning life. Life is a possibility, that unfolds forever in a million realms, most unknown to us. It is the sort of journey we undertake with a certain degree of hope, and expectation. But only when we come to its end, can we look back and try to grasp what purpose it served, or whether there was any purpose at all. We do not want to prescribe, after all. To each their own.
What some people in these comments seem to have failed to grasp is the difference between seeking your own purpose in life and trying to establish a general »purpose« for mankind as a whole. I believe it’s the latter being the subject of ridicule in this comic, not the former.
March 29th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Good one.
March 30th, 2010 at 3:40 am
I think this is somewhat unfair, the idea of seeking purpose isn’t stupid and a person who seeks purpose and meaning in the universe shouldn’t be mocked for doing so. This seems to play into the idea that many Christians seem to have that an athiest is without purpose absent a divine hand.
The purpose of life on a biological level is to continue ones bloodline, the purpose of life on an intellectual level might be theoretical immortality (gained by fame or infamy, perhaps creating something great that will far outlast a mortal life). Or it might be to do a great work that will leave the world a better place than when you left it. Any of these things can be called a purpose in life and arguably a purpose of life. Some might even argue that death itself is what gives us purpose (something we will always have to struggle against).
But that’s just my view.
March 30th, 2010 at 5:39 am
I think finding meaning for existence itself is a great purpose. It is a riddle, you have been allowed to venture and act according to your whims and fancies and also allowed to think and proceed. Generally people go by their whims and fancies. A person who really questions/thinks about providence only finds answer from nature. You can go through History. you will fine umpteen number of instances.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Joker, Srinivasan, want a tomato/calculator?
March 30th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Meh, I’ll take either.
March 31st, 2010 at 12:50 am
yeah,that’s a stupid question,but really interesting.
March 31st, 2010 at 3:52 pm
How about the Square Root of Negative Garfield?
http://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=9
http://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=93
http://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=305
March 31st, 2010 at 11:08 pm
lets take a joke as its meant to be…
lets just laugh it off…
no one’s mocking at the guy whose looking for the purpose of his life and no one’s mocking at the person trying to find the square root of a tomato…
April 1st, 2010 at 1:52 am
well, i dont know abt the purpose…but i wanna live my life…enjoying & learning everything…i dont wanna miss anything…& i wanna pass my genes to a healthy & fertile female so that i can ensure my offsprings are healthy & will have a better chance of survival…in short, i wanna do all the crazy stuffs & then bang hot chicks!!
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Well…. Yes, it is a joke after all, but it also says that what purpose or meaning one accords is very subjective. In fact, there cannot be a fixed question or a fixed answer concerning life. Life is a possibility, that unfolds forever in a million realms, most unknown to us. It is the sort of journey we undertake with a certain degree of hope, and expectation. But only when we come to its end, can we look back and try to grasp what purpose it served, or whether there was any purpose at all. We do not want to prescribe, after all. To each their own.
April 5th, 2010 at 1:18 am
square root of a tomato is a tomato. 1 tomato*1 tomato = 1 tomato
April 7th, 2010 at 8:05 am
I wonder why Jeffrey Weston thinks that this question is a stupid one.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Well i guess Life is like a game of Snake and Ladder on a multi dimensional board
April 10th, 2010 at 11:41 am
[...] (Image from ApeNotMonkey) [...]
April 17th, 2010 at 1:21 am
What some people in these comments seem to have failed to grasp is the difference between seeking your own purpose in life and trying to establish a general »purpose« for mankind as a whole. I believe it’s the latter being the subject of ridicule in this comic, not the former.
April 29th, 2010 at 9:07 am
Very well put, Als!
June 12th, 2010 at 11:31 am
42!
June 18th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
[...] O sentido da vida Posted on abril 10, 2010 by Rodrigo P. Ghedin via apenotmonkey.com [...]