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The only porpose of life that I see is to feel good. Some try to achieve it by earning money, some try to achieve it by earning fame and respect, and there are still others who try to achieve it by helping others and doing things which promote humanity. But the motive behind doing anything we do is to ultimately feel good, whether in short term (like maybe consuming alcohol) or in long term (like doing something big and earning fame and respect). But thats all that life has to offer (a good feeling). What difference does it make if we spend our life feeling bad or doing something which does not feel good? Why do we crave happiness so badly? Whats the point?

commando
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user1232138
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  • There are several fairly loaded questions here -- keep in mind great questions ask about very specific problems encountered while studying philosophy. Unpacking your context and motivations might help here: what might you be reading or studying that has made this concern an urgent or important one for you? What might you have found out already? Etc. – Joseph Weissman May 30 '12 at 20:21
  • You should ask these questions from a biological (evolutionary) perspective: what happens creatures only exist if previous creatures engaged in actions that made more of themselves? How do you get them to do this? Maybe you won't get a purpose out of this (maybe you will), but it will be fascinating nonetheless and will better equip you to ask a well-posed question. (You could also read some philosophy--"Nichomachean Ethics" and Aristotle's idea of the good life comes to mind--but given where you're starting from, I think the biological path will prove more enlighening.) – Rex Kerr May 30 '12 at 21:12
  • Closing for the time being pending some development/specification of the concern – Joseph Weissman Jun 01 '12 at 20:01

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Derek Parfit's book Reasons and Persons demonstrates that most theories of self-interest are self-defeating; it therefore makes no sense to say that people act purely out of self-interest, or a desire to "feel good."

Furthermore, I think you'll find that the vast majority of people are not Hedonists, and that the Paradox of Hedonism is well known, and well-studied.

Michael Dorfman
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  • Are you suggesting me that there is a purpose to life other than feeling good? – user1232138 May 31 '12 at 17:29
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    I'm suggesting that many philosophers have posited that there is a purpose to life other than feeling good. We're not here to discuss my philosophy. – Michael Dorfman Jun 01 '12 at 08:15
  • Please tell me any one purpose that any philosopher has suggested which has nothing to do with feeling good cause I can't think one... – user1232138 Jun 01 '12 at 10:53
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    First of all, you're shifting the goalposts; no on has claimed that the purpose to life must have nothing to do with feeling good. Second, if you really can't think of any philosophers who posit a non-Hedonistic purpose of life, you can find a brief overview here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaning_of_life – Michael Dorfman Jun 01 '12 at 13:00
  • You think I wouldn't have read that?? – user1232138 Jun 01 '12 at 14:20
  • Sorry sir am not trying to shift no goalposts. I am just trying to find out if there could be any higher purpose to life other than feeling good. – user1232138 Jun 01 '12 at 14:30
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    There are hundreds of philosophers who have proposed different purposes to life other than feeling good, and I posted a link that listed many. Is that not sufficient? If you want a single purpose, here's one-- the Catholic position is "God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in heaven." Note that in this case, we cannot reduce "happiness" to "feeling good", and in any event, it is deferred; one's purpose in this world is definitively not "feeling good", but to love and serve God. – Michael Dorfman Jun 01 '12 at 14:39
  • Well.. if "happiness" is not "feeling good" for you then I don't think I can argue with you any further. – user1232138 Jun 01 '12 at 14:46
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    @user1232138 please keep in mind this site is not for debate; the community is structured around explanations -- not argumentation – Joseph Weissman Jun 01 '12 at 20:00
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Too long to be a comment - this is really just a set of references.

In Aristotle considers happiness in book X of Nichomachean Ethics. I recommend it because it would provide you with a good background in which to phrase your questions. But it certainly has its critics.

A more 'modern' viewpoint comes from John Stuart Mill, and in his work Utilitarianism in particular. Although Mill is a utilitarian (not a surprise, given his book title), many consider him to be a certain type of hedonist. A running theme in his writing is that the general actions of people should best increase general happiness.

davidlowryduda
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  • Are you suggesting me that there is a purpose to life other than feeling good? – user1232138 May 31 '12 at 17:29
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    @user: No, I am suggesting to you that others have considered this idea before. I think you may find it interesting to see what they thought too. – davidlowryduda May 31 '12 at 22:40
  • Can you suggest me any book which is particularly based on this idea? Or instead of suggesting me a book just tell what purpose it suggests (if you have read it already) so that it saves our time and we can discuss this further... – user1232138 Jun 01 '12 at 10:58
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I think feeling good has to do with over dose of stimuli versus the lack of stimuli. By psycho-physical exercises one can broaden the borders on both side:

  1. to tolerate unsatisfying stimuli
  2. to sense finer grains of stimuli

They both together results feeling good in wider spectrum of life. But not many of us have realized that and we struggle with short term pleasures rather than holistic pleasure. Ultimate problem is that whatever we choose, it is temporal anyway. We suspect it and act accordingly: undetermined. But can you really blame life for being illogical or is it that we don't like the logic of life and rather change it according to our taste?

In sufism they say the purpose of life is obedience / submission to God's will, Kismet. In modern interpretation it means total acceptance of the flow of the reality without back thoughts and wishes. That is the point, purpose and fulfillment of the seeking of happiness and joy. That's all there is.

MarkokraM
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