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We have only evolved beyond all other species if you judge our evolution by human values. And we value the kinds of things that we do. I suppose a self-aware termite might think that being able to build towering, self-aerating hives out of dirt without sullying oneself with tools is the apex of evolution, and the purpose of life is to serve the queen.
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for some reason i can't really agree with this. i remember you mentioning something similar before and i felt the same then. i believe because we're at the top of the food chain, we are above all other animals. our intelligence ensures that. but you could argue that we're only at the top of the food chain because of human values, the food chain itself is just another human creation, does that mean it means nothing? are we just blinding ourselves with human beliefs? i understand that human values wouldn't mean anything to an animal because they are an alien mind, but does that really mean that everything we know means nothing in comparison? i don't believe that, but as a human i guess it's hard to comprehend.
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Something I don't get is why being created by a higher power could possibly give us purpose or meaning. You still have to do all the work of figuring out life for yourself. Serving the purpose of another is a poor substitute for that, and being created for that reason makes you no better than a slave or tool. To me that's more meaningless and hopeless even than nihilism, and it is a fate that can never be escaped. I am always disturbed by those who gleefully embrace that state, and by the teachings that command us all to do the same. I'll take a coldly infinite and pointless universe over a cosmic shackle any day.
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i completely agree with this. personally i don't believe we were created by a higher power, i think we either evolved from something that no longer exists or we were 'placed' here. planted and left to grow. not necessarily by aliens or a supreme being, possibly naturally and by accident, or maybe by humans somewhere out in space. maybe we've existed in the universe longer than we think, and maybe we were 'planted' to ensure the survival of our race. i'm not so keen on Darwin's theory of evolution. i think the missing link is a big indicator that it's wrong, but that's just me.
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As for why being created by a higher power could give someone purpose or meaning: The act of having been created is not what gives meaning. It's the idea that the meaning of life has been revealed (if obscurely) through revelation, so humans don't need to think about it. But that wasn't what I was getting at in my original post. I was making the point that asking the question of the meaning of life is meaningless unless you already accept the concept of a higher power. And yet people who don't believe in a god ask that question every day.
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good point. so we're here because we were in the right place at the right time, if you like. our spark of life was all down to chance. then again i still hold onto the theory that we were planted here. that doesn't mean you're wrong, it just means that through the chaos and random chance we grew.
so the meaning of life is chaos and there is no higher power. next question is "where did we come from?"