Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Reply to comment

Christina Cunnane's picture

Purpose?

I've been thinking a lot about purpose. I know we're not supposed to say purpose but I think it still applies. I think that maybe although evolution lacks a purpose, the things evolution acts on (species or organisms or whatever) does not. I think that maybe their purpose is just to be a part of evolution. I mean with out the intermediate Homo habilis, maybe we never would have become Homo sapiens. Maybe we needed that stage in evolution to continue. Maybe the purpose of Homo habilis was just to exist, so that other species could come before and after it. And those species could exist for those who come before and after and so on and so forth. Their purpose is just being.

I also find it hard to believe that the oxygen producing bacteria that saturated the atmosphere with oxygen, had no purpose. It's purpose was to expel oxygen. You may say that this was not it's purpose. But then why don't they give off another type of gas? I don't know. Maybe I am confusing usefulness with purpose. I just think that when something has an effect on something else, it had a purpose. I see that evolution is not heading toward a particular thing. It was not designed with a particular purpose in mind but is continually evolving itself. Maybe these things all have purposes (or not) in the light of evolution. If evolution didn't exist, there would be no need for the intermediates and therefore, they served no purpose.

I'm not all sentimental when it comes to meaning and purpose. I'm not religious or anything and I don't think that my life would be meaningless without a purpose. I would just rather think that I have an effect on at least SOMETHING. That maybe one tiny little thing would be different as a result of my existence.

I doubt any of this made sense. It's just what I've been thinking.

Reply

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
8 + 6 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.