Life is absurd 2

I probably shouldnt have left the previous post hanging for so long as it is. It gives the impression that I have more of a compelling argument for the idea that Life is absurd than I can really lay claim to. In any case, my personal conclusion at the end of this all is not terribly pessimistic anyway, so don't start honing your knives already.

The previous post was more like an introduction and an overview of the entire thread I will be talking about. And the important thing now is to see exactly how absurd life is.

On the surface, it doesnt really seem absurd at all. Look at so many people still leading their lives perfectly fine: no one kneels over from wondering about life, certainly no one have any problem with the notion of living. But perhaps it would be more apparent if we ask more questions about what we do.

For starters: why do we eat? Obviously, the reason is because we hunger. To continue living on for another day, we eat. the same goes for breathing and drinking water, to continue living. Well, the second question now is why do we want to live another day? Presumably some people have a good idea what they are going to do tomorrow, and the day after, maybe even the week after too.

Now we ask again: why do you need to do that which you want to do? I can, for a convenient example, tell you what I want to do by the end of this workyear: I want to graduate from NUS. But whats the point of that? So that I can get a job with a degree? whats the point of getting a job? so that I can earn money to lead a better lifestyle? why do I want to lead a better lifestyle?

That last question is probably where most of us will stop confounded at. Some may go on to say they want to lead a better lifestyle because they feel happier that way. But there really isnt much more space to go beyond that answer. Who, for example, could answer the further question "Why do you want to feel happier?"

Psychologists may be able to do so, drawing on the pleasure centers of the brain as an ultimate explanation why humans generally tend to gravitate towards making themselves happy. But that doesnt sound to me a satisfying answer at all. If we resort to this answer, then all we are saying is that humans are pleasure seeking creatures who don't have any significant purposes in life. All we have are little purposes all ended in trying to satisfy our pleasure centers in our brains.

That brings me to the important bit. So Life is just about satisfying our pleasure centers? All this work to make life happen on this tiny planet called Earth, is just so that the lifeforms would have certain configurations of neurons fire off in certain patterns?

And in case you think there might be a greater purpose that you have been called to Life for, let us think about this scenario which a philosopher proposed. Suppose one day someone came to you and declare that he discovered the True Purpose in life. Suppose that what he said is indeed true and proven beyond any doubts. Suppose he says: "we are all made as food for this higher being. That is our true and ultimate Purpose in life."

Well, that just takes the biscuit doesnt it? Would you yell and scream for joy that you have found the true purpose in life, and feel overjoyed and overwhelmingly satisfied that you have fulfilled your true purpose in life when this higher being reaches out and pop you in its mouth? Would you identify with this Purpose at all? Does it matter a whit what this purpose is (remember it is really what you are given life for)?

So we either have a Purpose which we might not identify with, or we have next to no purpose other than stimulating our neurons to fire off in certain patterns. To a computer observing our antics on the surface of Earth, all this Lively activity is nothing more than a rather complex movement of chemicals and particles, sparking off one reaction after another in a continuous chain. The initial products are some chemicals. The final products are, too, merely some other chemicals. Life is but a colorful name for that complex chemical reaction which goal is to produce a new set of chemicals from the initial reactants.

And who cares about what really goes on in the meantime. Well, we do, some people think. We care about what really goes on in the meantime. But notice that just meant we are interested in overseeing which particular patterns we would like the neurons to fire off in. Why should we care at all, if not simply for the fact that we are physically wired to care without a good reason?