Purpose of life
To establish the purpose of life one can identify the denominator which is common to all life and furthering this effort, a common factor essential to all humanity irrespective of gender, status or background. There are two tiers to the purpose of life, firstly, to continue to exist, secondly, and essential to separate us from animals and botanic life, is the pursuit of knowledge.
The first purpose of life is to continue to exist. Evidence for this is found in the body’s perpetual state of awareness as to its need for maintaining basics such as nutrition, allowing for the most basic of functions to continue. As such even in man's most primitive state, the purpose of life was met. As these functions are carried out in nature also, one could further imply that animals and botanic life have purpose. Only in man however does the need to maintain ones existence raise moral questions. For example, in a life or death situation would my consuming essential food and water to continue my existence in place of a pregnant woman who requires sustenance for two lives as opposed to one, be considered immoral? Instinctive patterns of ‘fight or flight’ may further offer support that the avoidance of death is a purpose of life, supported by the most basic cognitive functions.
The second purpose of life and the end which distinguishes man from nature, is the pursuit of knowledge. The pursuit of knowledge is essential for mankind as knowledge is the cornerstone of power and choice, precipitating freedom. It also thereby allows the fulfilling of the first purpose of life in man as knowledge provides strategies for survival. This pursuit is a universal principle and should not be confined to lofty ambitions to reach the corners of the universe or an understanding of the nature of happiness, but is found in daily tasks such as the understanding of ones social values and moral code. Such is its intrinsic link to life that not only is the pursuit of knowledge a purpose of life but a sustainer of it. If man is mind and matter then this is the purpose of life for man, whilst the purpose of all life is simply to continue to be.
If we then reject either tier of the purpose of life in favour of the belief that there is no purpose at all, then this rejection must remain relegated only to the outcome of a philosophical exercise as should this rejection of purpose be held true in reality, then humanity must abandon all attempts at continuing to live.
