What is your purpose in life? How do you know? Define: Epistemology. Also: Portaportal is giving me problems. Use this site to access philosophical works: file:///Users/admin/Desktop/Philosophy/Philosophy%20Texts%20Online.webarchive
Asking what my purpose on life is like asking how far the universe goes. Its infinite the amount of replies I can give. As of now, although, I'd like to assume my purpose in life is to be a good student and to get good grades to be able to create a road for myself that I can follow. I know this because I'm still a child, its now my time transitioning into an adult to be able to create a path that'll allow me to do well in my future.
People do tend to guide me on my path, and one person who does is my mother. She looks out for me and wants me to be a wonderful student and to get into a wonderful college. For me, its through years of experience and watching the people around me in which I learned what to do with my life and where I should go. I researched as well, and what I mean by this is like my college choice and my career path. I want to be a psychiatrist and I've researched many schools who have psychology majors. There are many things that influence my choice as well. These things are like, I had a friend who was very depressed to the point of self-harm and she felt as though she had no one to talk to and she just didn't know how to get ride of these feelings. Therefore because of her, its one of the reason I want to be a psychiatrist because I want to help people, more so adolescents.
I believe that my purpose in life is to be myself and inspire others to do the same. I only know how to be one person and that's me. Although, I don't think anyone truly knows their purpose in life. Its like asking why you were born or why the sky is blue, it just was and it just is.
Epistemology is, is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge.
Good thoughts. However, you mention that no one knows their purpose in life. Does this mean that people simply live pointless and directionless existences? Or, when a person lives a life of passion, i.e., they do something they love to do, isn't this then the realization of purpose?
I don't think people live pointless lives, but maybe aimless and directionless. Because you never really know what sort of turns your life will take. Even when you're doing something you love you don't exactly know where it's going to take you in your life.
As of now, like Maha, I believe that my purpose in life is to continue being a good student in school by working to the best of my ability always and to push myself a little bit more each time. I know this because again as Maha mentioned, I am also still a child, and by doing this not only will I be preparing myself for the harder work that lies ahead in my future but I will learn that I am capable of doing much more than I thought I could. In the process of pushing myself I will be getting to know myself as my strengths and weaknesses are exposed. I also think that my purpose in life is to be a role model for my younger sisters because if they witness me do well in school it may motivate them to do just as good or maybe even better!
Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that focuses on the nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge.
Great job citing your fellow philosopher Maha. Yes, I think, like Maha, you have identfied the current purpose that your efforts are directed towards, i.e., Being a Good Student. But, what is drivig this purpose? Consider the following quote: "True happiness.. is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose-Helen Keller."
What is driving my purpose of being a good student? I believe that no one truly knows what their true purpose in life is until we undergo a series of experiences, whether bad or good. I believe that after all of our different good experiences in our life I feel that we will come to one out of all the others in which we will find the most fulfillment and at that point in our life we will come to realize that was what we were ultimately destined for. With that being said, since right now in my point in life my only major job is to attend school, I believe that while I am there as if in any other job it is my duty to do my best always and nothing less because school is an experience. We choose whether to make it a good experience or bad one. While at the moment I am learning of hard work and how my hard work will ensure my happiness, in the future it may perhaps ensure my success which drives me to be a good student.
Rationality has always been something I thought about. Since the first lecture (Extremely influential towards me), I had already started to question myself on everything I do or say. Why am I doing this? Why am I feeling this? Why stress this? How is this important? What will this affect the most? Questioning myself on every thought, I waited until I found an answer. I'm trying to open the other side of my brain (right side). I feel as if it has already begun since day one. Normally on certain issues I would drown myself in emotion and stress about the SATs and schoolwork. Why? Because I would find myself being lazy when it was time to study. In the second lecture, you elaborated how on every decision you make, you can decide to retaliate with rationality or emotion. Ever since then, I realized I had to fix my priorities and think it through. What is the point in being lazy? What is procrastination if there is no emotion? I evoked my thoughts and settled in powerful conclusions. Now, in every sequence I try to add a rational equation into my thought process. I slow the situation down and re establish everything in my mind. This is extremely difficult at times but I feel I'm getting closer everyday. With more practice along with Philosophy class, I feel that approaching this ability will add to my critical thinking. Additionally, I would like to add that, with a more rational mind I feel that I will become a less biased person, aiding to my credibility as a person. On a side note, I loved Ishrat's post below. And I would also like to add to something you asked about. Sacrificing your needs for someone else. This adds to my purpose in life, as sacrificing your needs for someone else's desires is found as a duty for a Muslim."Ikram ul Muslimeen". One of the six points found in a strong Muslim. As we should have “Agápe” (as you said in the first lecture “Sacrificial love”) for everyone. Of course, we cannot have the same level of love for everyone, but this type of love is still necessary to have towards everyone. We should always have at least some level of sacrifice. It is something I try to do on a regular basis, as I feel that sacrifice is Bliss. Why do I feel this? I believe the sacrifice will eventually affect the other person's belief on a matter. He will be astonished at how I sacrificed a plate of food which I needed that day because I haven't eaten, for them, when they had already eaten that day. I feel that I have been blessed with too much that I shouldn't do this. This is how I feel good breeds in people. In essence, watching another person's action of good will hopefully influence them positively.
What is my purpose in life? I feel that religion and good are the essential purposes in my life. To serve God and to help people. To spread Islam and Benevolence. To bring a positive influence amongst my surroundings and breed optimism into people. I am here to make a change. To motivate, influence, and aide everyone. To drown people in a good and strong aura. I feel Islam holds these keys and it taught me a great deal on how to deliver in all these categories. My purpose will eventually affect another person’s purpose and that person’s purpose will affect another person’s purpose. We are all here to bring a change. I believe mine will be a good one, as I hope to accomplish this in life. I know this because of my morals, my desires, and my actions. I feel if I follow them, failure is not possible. Today we learned that emotion affects our rationality. Overcoming emotions and developing a more calm and rational mind is intriguing. I feel that eventually, with acquiring this ability, I will be another step closer to living my purpose in this world.
Epistemology is the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope.
As of right now, present day, I don't believe I can define my true purpose in life. I believe it's impossible for me to even think about it. The reason I believe so is because my mind is always wavering. By that I mean, I can never stick to a decision, and I always switch. Though I am aware of the fact that this occurs most of the time, I am unfortunately "blessed" (sarcastically used), with being able to do ABSOLUTELY nothing about it. I still wonder, for I am aware, but well, who knows. Maybe one day I'll stick to something, and won't suddenly change it. Let me go more in depth. When I was in eighth grade, I wished to be an Architect. That was my life "dream," but then I had developed a love for music. I started writing lyrics, rap mostly, and that, along with a new found love for the human mind, had become my interests. I am now stuck between psychology, and music. One day I tell myself I will be better of as a psychologist. Another day I will tell myself, pursue other dreams and aim for being a rapper. So for now, I can define my true purpose as finding the answers to my own life, and seeking knowledge, consuming it, and growing with new found wisdom. I hope this answer will suffice.
Simplified, because it has been posted above numerous times: Epistemology is the study of knowledge, and justified belief.
If I was to define purpose, generally, for all people, including myself it would be this: For one to succeed in life, having completed his or her own goals, pushing themselves to their fullest extent. I believe one must have ambition to fulfill, and once that has been complete, so has our purpose. Then we must simply pass it onto the generations that come after us.
By asking us what our purpose in life is, you're asking why we exist. To be frank, I don't believe most people have a purpose in life. Out of the 100+ billion people who have lived on this planet, only a handfull have been able to make a change so great that we can say they had a real purpose in life. You can also never really know your purpose in life, if you have one, until you've pretty much reached the end. Once you see the consequence of your life's decisions, you'll know whether or not you had a purpose.
Epistemology is the search for truth and knowledge.
My purpose in life is something that I have pondered over many years and I have finally come across the reason that keeps me alive; a sense of obligation. I feel it is my duty, as a person that has been given everything, to provide for others. Though I was once a true supporter of Social Darwinism, I felt that I could never find peace doing so. It was until I understood the ideologies of Karl Marx that I had been able to find a "true purpose". So in essence, I wish to find peace within myself.
Epistemology deals with human knowledge, its limitations, and its foundation.
Very interesting thoughts! It seems that you are saying that it is your job to sacrifice to provide for the needs of others? Question: Are you willing to sacrifice your needs-not just your wants-for others? Also,since you quoted Marx, he believed there should be no coercive government structures, and everyone in society should live in abunance without supervision from a ruling class. Can you cite a historical example where this has been realized?
Yes, I do think that putting my needs and wants aside to help others will be necessary. However, in order to feed a thousand, I must be able to feed myself. Micro-financing is a great way to help people sustain themselves.
Many countries have tried to follow socialist ideals, such as Cuba.
There is no intrinsic purpose in life, as that would imply that they are simply found. No one is inherently born with a purpose, as the universe is a force of vast indifference. Purpose therefore has to be contrived. the circumstances surrounding your time on Earth are completely irrelevant and it is what you choose to do with it that defines your purpose. Simply put without being verbose, I believe my purpose in live is essentially to live an altruistic life as best as possible and leave something in my absence that will make the world a better place than it was before I was here.
Epistemology is a derivative of philosophy that quantifies and measures human knowledge
Fascinating views! However, let me ask you. If circumstances are irrelvant to our life, then how are we to understand the affect one's environment has on a person's life?
The circumstances surrounding your life only make up a small part of the equation in living a meaningul life. Being born in a less than desirable environmental should not be an excuse as to why your life is going in a way that you intended. Most of the things in life are out of your control. I feel the manner in which you react to situations in life rather than the situation which are thrust upon you is more important as you have no control over them, and your response to these situastions are what define you. Environment is one of those variables which a person has no control over, which is why I vehemently do not place a great emphasis on enviorment as a strong factor in a persons life. You can't help how you were born,you most likely can't help how you die, and you cant change what cards you were dealt, but that shouldn't make you stagnant in life, and you should do the best you can with the situations you are able to control in your life. The smallest action is worth more than the greatest intent.
What is my purpose in life? Well, I think the purpose in life is to find the purpose in it. Every person has a purpose or purposes for living. It is even possible that there might be no purpose found. Some people might not find a purpose at all or lose their purpose. For now, like George said, I don't believe I have found my purpose in life yet but I think it is possible to be found. I believe that every subject including mathematics, science, English, philosophy etc. and the normal aspects of society can be utilized to realized to realize the purpose or purposes. Not only can long-term purposes be realized but short term purposes also. I am stuck with many ideas but I don't have any definite ideas on what exactly my purpose is as of yet. When I refer to "purpose" here, it is only my definition. The word purpose just like God holds several meanings for various individuals. I am only stating the purposes that center around me. After all, purpose is decided by people and their environment.
To continue, epistemology is, according to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the study of knowledge, and justification of beliefs. Epistemology also deals with creation and other controversial or opinionated areas. Basically, it involves the rational thought of man and what defines :)
Insightful thoughts. Do you believe one's purpose has to be specific, i.e., Lawyer, or can it be centered generally on a particular value, i.e., happiness?
Does one's purpose have to be specific? Not necessarily. Does one's purpose need to be centered around particular values? Not necessarily. It can be both. You may have to choose one when it comes to making decisions. For the purpose of living, I have to realize what my purpose(s) are. The mind will eventually will ache for a purpose and if it doesn't, then that is your purpose. I believe purpose comes with the concept of survival and wealth. If YOU WANT TO SURVIVE IN A FUNCTIONING AND STABLE MANNER ACCORDING TO THE UNWRITTEN AND WRITTEN RULES OF SOCIETY OR FOR YOURSELF IN WHICH YOU WILL LAST AS A RATIONAL BEING, you must find your purpose(s) Surviving doesn't just mean eating food and living in a house. Surviving also is connected to the mind and especially involved with emotions. To survive, you must make the proper decisions towards your purpose(s). These purposes can be circumstantial and or be life changing.
Many a night years ago I would sit on my windowsill and gaze outside at the dark blue night sky and the houses melting into each other down the block and ponder my purpose for this life and the purpose of life in general. I would sit there in the dark for hours on end as the moon made its way across the heavens contemplating the complexity of purpose and I’d come no closer to an answer, but instead wind up where I first began. I decided that I’d discover my purpose for this lifetime one day, and now as an older and more mature mind whose eyes have begun to see more clearly, I believe I have figured out my purpose.
I believe an individual’s purpose can be discovered when they begin to look at and analyze the kind of person they are at heart and examine their natural talent and the effect they have on their surroundings be it other humans, animals, plants, etc. I also believe that each person, each unique entity, is born with a purpose that they forget through the process of reincarnation, growing up, and environmental influences that damage their sixth sense and subconscious mind. I do not believe that our purposes are assigned to us by The Creator or an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent supernatural entity, so in that sense I do not believe in the idea of predestination. Instead, we as unique souls (The soul is our essence in its truest and most condensed form that is tethered to our physical bodies to experience all that the physical plane has to offer until physical death) choose the lives we live in an attempt to learn certain lessons that will aid us in our individual evolution as spiritual, emotional, and physical beings. There are certain things that we ordained to happen, but it is in our physical states that we decide the course of our lives.
I understand my personal philosophies and beliefs consist of spiritual concepts, one being reincarnation, but I do not follow nor adhere to any organized religion.
In any case, the kind of person I truly am at heart is one who is loving, kind, sweet, compassionate, sensitive, warm, and energetic. For those who don’t know me this may come as a surprise because of my usual external behavior. Understanding the type of person I am and looking at how, for as long as I can remember, I’ve always had an interest in and propensity for spirituality and natural/herbal healing, I have come to believe that my purpose for this lifetime is to aid the souls I meet in a way that is healing and restorative, as well as help them to awaken spiritually as we all approach the coming Age Of Aquarius on the Winter Solstice of this year. Signs of the coming age have manifested, some being advances in technology (especially ones in communication), rebellions, revolutions.
We do not have a single purpose in life, but multiple. Another purpose I’ve come to realize is I must work on the imperfections and flaws of my sun sign, Sagittarius. Yes, I just brought astrology into this. The planets and stars do have pull and influence on us humans as we are composed of star matter, and the celestial bodies overhead at the time of our birth influences us for the duration of our earthly lives. I, for example, have set the intention to build more tact and eloquence when it comes to my honesty, which can be brutally blunt at times, and stepping back to weigh all my options and outcomes in a situation so I make a balanced decision instead of rushing head first in an emotional passion.
Epistemology is the study of knowledge and/or understanding. Much of the field focusses on analyzing the nature of knowledge and how it relates to notions such as truth, belief, and justification, and prompts: 1) What is knowledge? 2) How is knowledge acquired? And 3) How well can you know something?
Interesting thoughts. Thank you for sharing these personal views. And it is ok to bring in the spiritual. I wonder, when a person has a definitive idea of what they think is true, what authority or sources ought people use to determine if what one thinks is true is actually true? Remember the dichotomy that exists between the emotional and the rational.
Interesting musing, Mr. B. Truth is something that is unique to an individual so there's no reliable reference to cross-check with. For example, a US history textbook does not detail all the events that transpired during wartime or the true nature of the founding fathers, and history has been rewritten so many times by the powers that be it makes one wonder what is really true anymore. During times of war, the story is told by the victor; the story is told by those who have power.
Also, rationality is valid to an extent because there are things in this world that cannot be explained or studied, but the possibility of their existence cannot be fully discredited. Sometimes a person has to go with what feels right instead of what they think is right.
I'm really sorry this is late Dr.B. I had a little misunderstanding. Didnt mean to start off on a bad foot. Won't happen again, promise.
1. Finding your purpose in life is a two step process. In order to find your purpose in life, you first need to be able to answer the question "What makes you special?" Although i am only 16, I have a very old soul. I have trained myself over the years to think and act the way that I do. I have met a lot of different people and have been through quite a lot to give me the ability to say to everyone today confidently that I DO know what sets me different from others. The only quality in myself that I feel that has absolutely no fallacy is my ability to talk and connect with anyone without really knowing them at all.
Having that ability puts me in a place where I feel like I have a lot to offer to the world. My purpose in life is to communicate my wisdom to others. The best way to accomplish that is to become a teacher for the later generation. (I tried to answer this question in the simplest way possible)
2. Epistemology is a branch in philosophy that studies knowledge. It basically tries to distinguish 'true' knowledge from 'false' knowledge.
Every persons purpose in life is unique, just as their own personal attributes. Finding purpose in your life comes from within yourself. It causes you to self reflect as your subconscious mind wants you to keep improving. In that sense, figuring out what makes you special helps you determine your purpose in life.
It’s difficult to find a word that can ultimately sum up a person’s purpose in life. There are many factors that a person may face and conflict with when attempting to find their “reason.” Some may believe their purpose is to accomplish a desired career or to spread the fate of some religion. Others may believe it is to live a life of luxury. I think my purpose in life is to work with what I am given with to better myself as a student, as well as a daughter, friend, sister and relative. I want my purpose in life to help people by accomplishing goals that allows them to remember me for things I may have done or said. It can range from something amazing like helping find the cure for cancer to just speaking words of encouragement to a friend that leaves them with something to reflect on. Just to have someone feel thankful for your presence is more than enough.
Epistemology is a branch in philosophy that dissects the reasons and methods of obtaining knowledge.
What I think the purpose of my life as of now is what I am told it is. What I mean by that is I haven't lived or experienced enough to know my purpose. Like you said no matter how educated a person is they become wiser as they grow older. As of right now I depend on my mother's wisdom and experiences for guidence. My purpose according to her is staying on the right path (religiously/Worldly matters), getting a good education, hopefully having a loving family of my own one day, and helping my child to find his/her purpose in life, like my mom is helping me find mine. These are just goals not really a "purpose" in my life, but I think I will find out my purpose when time comes.
Epistemology is the area of philosophy in which you try to find out what knowlegde actually is and how it can be obtained.
Like I said i am still unsure of my purpose, but my goals definitely changed over the years. When i was younger i was told that being a dentist is what i should go for. Thats what i wanted to do until i came to highschool and explored more fields i can go into. Now i am not attracted to the idea of being a dentist at all. I want to go into technology or business now. I guess just like goals, a persons purpose in life can change to.
To be honest I couldn't tell you what my purpose in life is. It's kind of like asking me if I know how much infinity is. I believe that my purpose in life and what I do in life is in some way, shape, or form related. Right now I'm in my final year in highschool so I guess in the educational aspect of my life my purpose would have to be to graduate on time. When I'm not in school I have this weird obessesion with sports, if any sport is on television I would have to put it on. Especially baseball, that is definitely my favorite sport to watch and participate in is baseball. I am extremely competitive and I hate losing. So after writing this I guess my purpose in life for right now is to succeed in everything that I am currently involved in. Epistemology is the area of philosophy in which you try to find out what knowledge actually is and how it can be obtained.
I believe that my purpose in life is to love my life and live it. Anotheir ay inspire others to do the same. I only know how to live my life and no other way . Although, I don't think anyone truly knows their purpose in life.
Asking what my purpose on life is like asking how far the universe goes. Its infinite the amount of replies I can give. As of now, although, I'd like to assume my purpose in life is to be a good student and to get good grades to be able to create a road for myself that I can follow. I know this because I'm still a child, its now my time transitioning into an adult to be able to create a path that'll allow me to do well in my future.
ReplyDeleteEpistemology is, the theory of knowledge.
Great comments. However, who or what is guiding you? What source do you look to in order for you to know what to do and where you should go?
DeletePeople do tend to guide me on my path, and one person who does is my mother. She looks out for me and wants me to be a wonderful student and to get into a wonderful college. For me, its through years of experience and watching the people around me in which I learned what to do with my life and where I should go. I researched as well, and what I mean by this is like my college choice and my career path. I want to be a psychiatrist and I've researched many schools who have psychology majors. There are many things that influence my choice as well. These things are like, I had a friend who was very depressed to the point of self-harm and she felt as though she had no one to talk to and she just didn't know how to get ride of these feelings. Therefore because of her, its one of the reason I want to be a psychiatrist because I want to help people, more so adolescents.
DeleteI believe that my purpose in life is to be myself and inspire others to do the same. I only know how to be one person and that's me. Although, I don't think anyone truly knows their purpose in life. Its like asking why you were born or why the sky is blue, it just was and it just is.
ReplyDeleteEpistemology is, is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge.
Good thoughts. However, you mention that no one knows their purpose in life. Does this mean that people simply live pointless and directionless existences? Or, when a person lives a life of passion, i.e., they do something they love to do, isn't this then the realization of purpose?
DeleteI don't think people live pointless lives, but maybe aimless and directionless. Because you never really know what sort of turns your life will take. Even when you're doing something you love you don't exactly know where it's going to take you in your life.
DeleteAs of now, like Maha, I believe that my purpose in life is to continue being a good student in school by working to the best of my ability always and to push myself a little bit more each time. I know this because again as Maha mentioned, I am also still a child, and by doing this not only will I be preparing myself for the harder work that lies ahead in my future but I will learn that I am capable of doing much more than I thought I could. In the process of pushing myself I will be getting to know myself as my strengths and weaknesses are exposed. I also think that my purpose in life is to be a role model for my younger sisters because if they witness me do well in school it may motivate them to do just as good or maybe even better!
ReplyDeleteEpistemology is a branch of philosophy that focuses on the nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge.
Great job citing your fellow philosopher Maha. Yes, I think, like Maha, you have identfied the current purpose that your efforts are directed towards, i.e., Being a Good Student. But, what is drivig this purpose? Consider the following quote: "True happiness.. is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose-Helen Keller."
DeleteWhat is driving my purpose of being a good student? I believe that no one truly knows what their true purpose in life is until we undergo a series of experiences, whether bad or good. I believe that after all of our different good experiences in our life I feel that we will come to one out of all the others in which we will find the most fulfillment and at that point in our life we will come to realize that was what we were ultimately destined for. With that being said, since right now in my point in life my only major job is to attend school, I believe that while I am there as if in any other job it is my duty to do my best always and nothing less because school is an experience. We choose whether to make it a good experience or bad one. While at the moment I am learning of hard work and how my hard work will ensure my happiness, in the future it may perhaps ensure my success which drives me to be a good student.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIktider, what happened?
DeleteGreat thoughts from your post below. I liked how you cited ideas from today's lecture. How do you think you will acquire a more rational mind?
DeleteRationality has always been something I thought about. Since the first lecture (Extremely influential towards me), I had already started to question myself on everything I do or say. Why am I doing this? Why am I feeling this? Why stress this? How is this important? What will this affect the most? Questioning myself on every thought, I waited until I found an answer. I'm trying to open the other side of my brain (right side). I feel as if it has already begun since day one. Normally on certain issues I would drown myself in emotion and stress about the SATs and schoolwork. Why? Because I would find myself being lazy when it was time to study. In the second lecture, you elaborated how on every decision you make, you can decide to retaliate with rationality or emotion. Ever since then, I realized I had to fix my priorities and think it through. What is the point in being lazy? What is procrastination if there is no emotion? I evoked my thoughts and settled in powerful conclusions. Now, in every sequence I try to add a rational equation into my thought process. I slow the situation down and re establish everything in my mind. This is extremely difficult at times but I feel I'm getting closer everyday. With more practice along with Philosophy class, I feel that approaching this ability will add to my critical thinking. Additionally, I would like to add that, with a more rational mind I feel that I will become a less biased person, aiding to my credibility as a person. On a side note, I loved Ishrat's post below. And I would also like to add to something you asked about. Sacrificing your needs for someone else. This adds to my purpose in life, as sacrificing your needs for someone else's desires is found as a duty for a Muslim."Ikram ul Muslimeen". One of the six points found in a strong Muslim. As we should have “Agápe” (as you said in the first lecture “Sacrificial love”) for everyone. Of course, we cannot have the same level of love for everyone, but this type of love is still necessary to have towards everyone. We should always have at least some level of sacrifice. It is something I try to do on a regular basis, as I feel that sacrifice is Bliss. Why do I feel this? I believe the sacrifice will eventually affect the other person's belief on a matter. He will be astonished at how I sacrificed a plate of food which I needed that day because I haven't eaten, for them, when they had already eaten that day. I feel that I have been blessed with too much that I shouldn't do this. This is how I feel good breeds in people. In essence, watching another person's action of good will hopefully influence them positively.
DeleteWhat is my purpose in life? I feel that religion and good are the essential purposes in my life. To serve God and to help people. To spread Islam and Benevolence. To bring a positive influence amongst my surroundings and breed optimism into people. I am here to make a change. To motivate, influence, and aide everyone. To drown people in a good and strong aura. I feel Islam holds these keys and it taught me a great deal on how to deliver in all these categories. My purpose will eventually affect another person’s purpose and that person’s purpose will affect another person’s purpose. We are all here to bring a change. I believe mine will be a good one, as I hope to accomplish this in life. I know this because of my morals, my desires, and my actions. I feel if I follow them, failure is not possible. Today we learned that emotion affects our rationality. Overcoming emotions and developing a more calm and rational mind is intriguing. I feel that eventually, with acquiring this ability, I will be another step closer to living my purpose in this world.
ReplyDeleteEpistemology is the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope.
As of right now, present day, I don't believe I can define my true purpose in life. I believe it's impossible for me to even think about it. The reason I believe so is because my mind is always wavering. By that I mean, I can never stick to a decision, and I always switch. Though I am aware of the fact that this occurs most of the time, I am unfortunately "blessed" (sarcastically used), with being able to do ABSOLUTELY nothing about it. I still wonder, for I am aware, but well, who knows. Maybe one day I'll stick to something, and won't suddenly change it. Let me go more in depth. When I was in eighth grade, I wished to be an Architect. That was my life "dream," but then I had developed a love for music. I started writing lyrics, rap mostly, and that, along with a new found love for the human mind, had become my interests. I am now stuck between psychology, and music. One day I tell myself I will be better of as a psychologist. Another day I will tell myself, pursue other dreams and aim for being a rapper. So for now, I can define my true purpose as finding the answers to my own life, and seeking knowledge, consuming it, and growing with new found wisdom. I hope this answer will suffice.
DeleteSimplified, because it has been posted above numerous times: Epistemology is the study of knowledge, and justified belief.
Great Job George! Your are very reflective. But let me ask you. What is your personal definition of purpose?
DeleteIf I was to define purpose, generally, for all people, including myself it would be this: For one to succeed in life, having completed his or her own goals, pushing themselves to their fullest extent. I believe one must have ambition to fulfill, and once that has been complete, so has our purpose. Then we must simply pass it onto the generations that come after us.
DeleteBy asking us what our purpose in life is, you're asking why we exist. To be frank, I don't believe most people have a purpose in life. Out of the 100+ billion people who have lived on this planet, only a handfull have been able to make a change so great that we can say they had a real purpose in life. You can also never really know your purpose in life, if you have one, until you've pretty much reached the end. Once you see the consequence of your life's decisions, you'll know whether or not you had a purpose.
ReplyDeleteEpistemology is the search for truth and knowledge.
Excellent Brian. Interesting ideas. So, do you believe out of the 6 billion people in the world-most are living vain or meaningless existences?
DeleteFor the most part, yes. I know others might disagree, but for me this is a sad truth.
DeleteMy purpose in life is something that I have pondered over many years and I have finally come across the reason that keeps me alive; a sense of obligation. I feel it is my duty, as a person that has been given everything, to provide for others. Though I was once a true supporter of Social Darwinism, I felt that I could never find peace doing so. It was until I understood the ideologies of Karl Marx that I had been able to find a "true purpose". So in essence, I wish to find peace within myself.
ReplyDeleteEpistemology deals with human knowledge, its limitations, and its foundation.
Very interesting thoughts! It seems that you are saying that it is your job to sacrifice to provide for the needs of others? Question: Are you willing to sacrifice your needs-not just your wants-for others? Also,since you quoted Marx, he believed there should be no coercive government structures, and everyone in society should live in abunance without supervision from a ruling class. Can you cite a historical example where this has been realized?
DeleteYes, I do think that putting my needs and wants aside to help others will be necessary. However, in order to feed a thousand, I must be able to feed myself. Micro-financing is a great way to help people sustain themselves.
DeleteMany countries have tried to follow socialist ideals, such as Cuba.
There is no intrinsic purpose in life, as that would imply that they are simply found. No one is inherently born with a purpose, as the universe is a force of vast indifference. Purpose therefore has to be contrived. the circumstances surrounding your time on Earth are completely irrelevant and it is what you choose to do with it that defines your purpose. Simply put without being verbose, I believe my purpose in live is essentially to live an altruistic life as best as possible and leave something in my absence that will make the world a better place than it was before I was here.
ReplyDeleteEpistemology is a derivative of philosophy that quantifies and measures human knowledge
Fascinating views! However, let me ask you. If circumstances are irrelvant to our life, then how are we to understand the affect one's environment has on a person's life?
DeleteThe circumstances surrounding your life only make up a small part of the equation in living a meaningul life. Being born in a less than desirable environmental should not be an excuse as to why your life is going in a way that you intended. Most of the things in life are out of your control. I feel the manner in which you react to situations in life rather than the situation which are thrust upon you is more important as you have no control over them, and your response to these situastions are what define you. Environment is one of those variables which a person has no control over, which is why I vehemently do not place a great emphasis on enviorment as a strong factor in a persons life. You can't help how you were born,you most likely can't help how you die, and you cant change what cards you were dealt, but that shouldn't make you stagnant in life, and you should do the best you can with the situations you are able to control in your life. The smallest action is worth more than the greatest intent.
DeleteWhat is my purpose in life? Well, I think the purpose in life is to find the purpose in it. Every person has a purpose or purposes for living. It is even possible that there might be no purpose found. Some people might not find a purpose at all or lose their purpose. For now, like George said, I don't believe I have found my purpose in life yet but I think it is possible to be found. I believe that every subject including mathematics, science, English, philosophy etc. and the normal aspects of society can be utilized to realized to realize the purpose or purposes. Not only can long-term purposes be realized but short term purposes also. I am stuck with many ideas but I don't have any definite ideas on what exactly my purpose is as of yet. When I refer to "purpose" here, it is only my definition. The word purpose just like God holds several meanings for various individuals. I am only stating the purposes that center around me. After all, purpose is decided by people and their environment.
ReplyDeleteTo continue, epistemology is, according to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the study of knowledge, and justification of beliefs. Epistemology also deals with creation and other controversial or opinionated areas. Basically, it involves the rational thought of man and what defines :)
Insightful thoughts. Do you believe one's purpose has to be specific, i.e., Lawyer, or can it be centered generally on a particular value, i.e., happiness?
DeleteDoes one's purpose have to be specific? Not necessarily. Does one's purpose need to be centered around particular values? Not necessarily. It can be both. You may have to choose one when it comes to making decisions. For the purpose of living, I have to realize what my purpose(s) are. The mind will eventually will ache for a purpose and if it doesn't, then that is your purpose. I believe purpose comes with the concept of survival and wealth. If YOU WANT TO SURVIVE IN A FUNCTIONING AND STABLE MANNER ACCORDING TO THE UNWRITTEN AND WRITTEN RULES OF SOCIETY OR FOR YOURSELF IN WHICH YOU WILL LAST AS A RATIONAL BEING, you must find your purpose(s) Surviving doesn't just mean eating food and living in a house. Surviving also is connected to the mind and especially involved with emotions. To survive, you must make the proper decisions towards your purpose(s). These purposes can be circumstantial and or be life changing.
DeleteMany a night years ago I would sit on my windowsill and gaze outside at the dark blue night sky and the houses melting into each other down the block and ponder my purpose for this life and the purpose of life in general. I would sit there in the dark for hours on end as the moon made its way across the heavens contemplating the complexity of purpose and I’d come no closer to an answer, but instead wind up where I first began. I decided that I’d discover my purpose for this lifetime one day, and now as an older and more mature mind whose eyes have begun to see more clearly, I believe I have figured out my purpose.
ReplyDeleteI believe an individual’s purpose can be discovered when they begin to look at and analyze the kind of person they are at heart and examine their natural talent and the effect they have on their surroundings be it other humans, animals, plants, etc. I also believe that each person, each unique entity, is born with a purpose that they forget through the process of reincarnation, growing up, and environmental influences that damage their sixth sense and subconscious mind. I do not believe that our purposes are assigned to us by The Creator or an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent supernatural entity, so in that sense I do not believe in the idea of predestination. Instead, we as unique souls (The soul is our essence in its truest and most condensed form that is tethered to our physical bodies to experience all that the physical plane has to offer until physical death) choose the lives we live in an attempt to learn certain lessons that will aid us in our individual evolution as spiritual, emotional, and physical beings. There are certain things that we ordained to happen, but it is in our physical states that we decide the course of our lives.
I understand my personal philosophies and beliefs consist of spiritual concepts, one being reincarnation, but I do not follow nor adhere to any organized religion.
In any case, the kind of person I truly am at heart is one who is loving, kind, sweet, compassionate, sensitive, warm, and energetic. For those who don’t know me this may come as a surprise because of my usual external behavior. Understanding the type of person I am and looking at how, for as long as I can remember, I’ve always had an interest in and propensity for spirituality and natural/herbal healing, I have come to believe that my purpose for this lifetime is to aid the souls I meet in a way that is healing and restorative, as well as help them to awaken spiritually as we all approach the coming Age Of Aquarius on the Winter Solstice of this year. Signs of the coming age have manifested, some being advances in technology (especially ones in communication), rebellions, revolutions.
We do not have a single purpose in life, but multiple. Another purpose I’ve come to realize is I must work on the imperfections and flaws of my sun sign, Sagittarius. Yes, I just brought astrology into this. The planets and stars do have pull and influence on us humans as we are composed of star matter, and the celestial bodies overhead at the time of our birth influences us for the duration of our earthly lives. I, for example, have set the intention to build more tact and eloquence when it comes to my honesty, which can be brutally blunt at times, and stepping back to weigh all my options and outcomes in a situation so I make a balanced decision instead of rushing head first in an emotional passion.
Epistemology is the study of knowledge and/or understanding. Much of the field focusses on analyzing the nature of knowledge and how it relates to notions such as truth, belief, and justification, and prompts: 1) What is knowledge? 2) How is knowledge acquired? And 3) How well can you know something?
Interesting thoughts. Thank you for sharing these personal views. And it is ok to bring in the spiritual. I wonder, when a person has a definitive idea of what they think is true, what authority or sources ought people use to determine if what one thinks is true is actually true? Remember the dichotomy that exists between the emotional and the rational.
DeleteInteresting musing, Mr. B. Truth is something that is unique to an individual so there's no reliable reference to cross-check with. For example, a US history textbook does not detail all the events that transpired during wartime or the true nature of the founding fathers, and history has been rewritten so many times by the powers that be it makes one wonder what is really true anymore. During times of war, the story is told by the victor; the story is told by those who have power.
DeleteAlso, rationality is valid to an extent because there are things in this world that cannot be explained or studied, but the possibility of their existence cannot be fully discredited. Sometimes a person has to go with what feels right instead of what they think is right.
I'm really sorry this is late Dr.B. I had a little misunderstanding. Didnt mean to start off on a bad foot. Won't happen again, promise.
ReplyDelete1. Finding your purpose in life is a two step process. In order to find your purpose in life, you first need to be able to answer the question "What makes you special?" Although i am only 16, I have a very old soul. I have trained myself over the years to think and act the way that I do. I have met a lot of different people and have been through quite a lot to give me the ability to say to everyone today confidently that I DO know what sets me different from others. The only quality in myself that I feel that has absolutely no fallacy is my ability to talk and connect with anyone without really knowing them at all.
Having that ability puts me in a place where I feel like I have a lot to offer to the world. My purpose in life is to communicate my wisdom to others. The best way to accomplish that is to become a teacher for the later generation.
(I tried to answer this question in the simplest way possible)
2. Epistemology is a branch in philosophy that studies knowledge. It basically tries to distinguish 'true' knowledge from 'false' knowledge.
Why do you use this idea of being special as a way of determining one's purpose?
DeleteEvery persons purpose in life is unique, just as their own personal attributes. Finding purpose in your life comes from within yourself. It causes you to self reflect as your subconscious mind wants you to keep improving. In that sense, figuring out what makes you special helps you determine your purpose in life.
DeleteIt’s difficult to find a word that can ultimately sum up a person’s purpose in life. There are many factors that a person may face and conflict with when attempting to find their “reason.” Some may believe their purpose is to accomplish a desired career or to spread the fate of some religion. Others may believe it is to live a life of luxury. I think my purpose in life is to work with what I am given with to better myself as a student, as well as a daughter, friend, sister and relative. I want my purpose in life to help people by accomplishing goals that allows them to remember me for things I may have done or said. It can range from something amazing like helping find the cure for cancer to just speaking words of encouragement to a friend that leaves them with something to reflect on. Just to have someone feel thankful for your presence is more than enough.
ReplyDeleteEpistemology is a branch in philosophy that dissects the reasons and methods of obtaining knowledge.
What I think the purpose of my life as of now is what I am told it is. What I mean by that is I haven't lived or experienced enough to know my purpose. Like you said no matter how educated a person is they become wiser as they grow older. As of right now I depend on my mother's wisdom and experiences for guidence. My purpose according to her is staying on the right path (religiously/Worldly matters), getting a good education, hopefully having a loving family of my own one day, and helping my child to find his/her purpose in life, like my mom is helping me find mine. These are just goals not really a "purpose" in my life, but I think I will find out my purpose when time comes.
DeleteEpistemology is the area of philosophy in which you try to find out what knowlegde actually is and how it can be obtained.
Has your purpose in life changed over the years? What does this tell you about identifying one's purpose?
DeleteLike I said i am still unsure of my purpose, but my goals definitely changed over the years. When i was younger i was told that being a dentist is what i should go for. Thats what i wanted to do until i came to highschool and explored more fields i can go into. Now i am not attracted to the idea of being a dentist at all. I want to go into technology or business now. I guess just like goals, a persons purpose in life can change to.
DeleteTo be honest I couldn't tell you what my purpose in life is. It's kind of like asking me if I know how much infinity is. I believe that my purpose in life and what I do in life is in some way, shape, or form related. Right now I'm in my final year in highschool so I guess in the educational aspect of my life my purpose would have to be to graduate on time. When I'm not in school I have this weird obessesion with sports, if any sport is on television I would have to put it on. Especially baseball, that is definitely my favorite sport to watch and participate in is baseball. I am extremely competitive and I hate losing. So after writing this I guess my purpose in life for right now is to succeed in everything that I am currently involved in. Epistemology is the area of philosophy in which you try to find out what knowledge actually is and how it can be obtained.
ReplyDeleteI believe that my purpose in life is to love my life and live it. Anotheir ay inspire others to do the same. I only know how to live my life and no other way . Although, I don't think anyone truly knows their purpose in life.
ReplyDelete