Reasons
Due to the recent spate of commentary that says there is not necessarily a reason for everything I have this response:
While there may be no order to the universe, or our place within it, perhaps our role is to find meaning. To seek for reasons, and to find them in otherwise meaningless situations, is a uniquely human trait. It may be that there are not reasons to all things, but in seeking reason, in seeing it in our own lives, we are given a kind of momentum, a force of conviction that might allow us to do what we can in the world, and endure things we might otherwise not. I choose to believe in reason for these reasons.
Comments
I think trying to find reason in everything can be artificial. I think making lemonade when life hands you lemons can be very helpful. Maybe not everything happens for a reason, but it's true that you can try to make reason from it.
Posted by: hilary | April 27, 2005 12:20 PM
Trying to find reason in chaos is the basis of religion. Your human lives are no more meaningful than that of an ant.
"But where do all the dead calculators go?"
Posted by: Kriton | April 27, 2005 10:53 PM
I wouldn't say there's no reason for anything; our drive to find reasons for things has led to what little we understand about ourselves and our universe, which is no small accomplishment. It's also led to doomsday cults, global wars, and, as Kriton points out, many rather silly religions. Sometimes there are reasons, sometimes shit just happens. But I'm feeling fatalistic today.
Posted by: Tony | May 3, 2005 09:33 AM