Quote from: JJ on April 15, 2011, 09:59:00

What sort of leading question is that?  The question assumes there is a purpose.  Is there?
The answer could be whatever you want it to be.

But science can't categorically say that there is - or isn't - a purpose.  It can't answer the question.  Since many people believe that there is a purpose to why they are here - after all, a lot of mental health seems to come down to 'purpose', not to mention a host of organisations and their 'mission statements' implying that purpose is a innate element of humanity, I would disagree that it is a leading question: rather, its one asked by thousands upon thousands of people every day.

Interesting that you say about a sense of purpose being very important for mental health.  I do agree there.  But I think it's a step too far to assume that therefore there actually is a purpose.   I think the sense of purpose is allied to having a sufficient amount of serotonin in the brain - too little is a reminder that we haven't got the optimum conditions for personal equanimity.  And not that we aren't fulfilling some sort of cosmic purpose.  Every organism - you, and me, and them - fulfils its own purpose from birth to death and some of us do better than others, clearly.

I think we just are.