Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Real Meaning Of LIfe - Research Paper

Real Meaning Of LIfe


The primary focus of this essay is on adaptationism and the theory of evolution, which, of course, challenges fundamental religious beliefs. In fact, perhaps as a substitute for religion, some have adopted a distortion of Darwinism to explain the "purpose" of life: one depiction of human existence is that we're actually survival machines programmed to perpetuate our genes, according to "selfish gene" pursuits. From this POV, the purpose of life is survival for the sake of continued reproduction- each life then is a carrier, a brief repository of gene pool elements.
Because of this belief, some Darwinists seek to find adaptationist explanations for all aspects of the human physique and ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

of course, with the implication that the "non-fit" don't "deserve" to live. Nazism (blatant power fantasy) was an outgrowth of Social Darwinism with the implication that "natural order" dictates that human society should be patterned on this; that the "unfit", "weak and inferior" should be actively "weeded" out by society. However, it's a fallacy to infer morality from natural law. After all, the law of gravity doesn't mean human society should strive to promote falling down.
This essay has been another attempt to dispel these simplistic notions. Natural selection alone doesn't explain all aspects of ourselves: mere statistics (of distribution and variation) alone prevents that as previously explained. Adaptationism is a major factor, of course, but not all traits are the result of direct adaptations- and this is increasingly true with greater complexity. Where does one draw the line between direct adaptation, random drift and peripheral serendipity (unintended ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.


Already a member? Login

current behavior modes may've developed and why they persist. However, it doesn't directly explain WHY we are as we are. Saying that men seek power and status for sex and are violent to fight over women; and that women seek high status males; or that genes seek to maximize reproductive fitness is a useful model (stereotype)- a teleological explanation- but it's certainly not the "meaning of life".

The primary focus of natural selection has always been on the "winners" (life); but I think evolution can be extended to encompass non-life as well. In semiconductor physics, electrical current can be defined either as negative charge moving, say, in one direction or as positive charge moving ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library.
Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports,
and research papers in 2 minutes or less.


CITE THIS PAGE:

Real Meaning Of LIfe. (2007, July 30). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Real-Meaning-Of-LIfe/68790
"Real Meaning Of LIfe." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 30 Jul. 2007. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Real-Meaning-Of-LIfe/68790>
"Real Meaning Of LIfe." Essayworld.com. July 30, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Real-Meaning-Of-LIfe/68790.
"Real Meaning Of LIfe." Essayworld.com. July 30, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Real-Meaning-Of-LIfe/68790.
JOIN NOW
Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays


PAPER DETAILS
Added: 7/30/2007 12:46:10 AM
Category: Miscellaneous
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 3523
Pages: 13

Save | Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS
Save and find your favorite essays easier

SIMILAR ESSAYS
» Who Has Seen The Wind: Meaning ...
» Brian's Search For The Meaning ...
» Brian's Search For The Meaning ...
» The Meaning Of Life To Differen...
» Plan or Chance?: The Meaning o...
» Art And Its Meaning
» "The Truman Show": The Meaning ...
» Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado: ...
» The Gift Of The Magi
» Crying Of Lot 49
Copyright | Cancel | Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Essayworld. All rights reserved