• Question: What is the meaning of life, according to a scientist?

    Asked by Supriya to Jackie, Michele, Oliver, Vicky, Yelong on 9 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Yelong Wei

      Yelong Wei answered on 9 Mar 2015:


      I think as a scientist, we need to try to find something new and helpful for our life, and try to get more public involved in science.

    • Photo: Oliver Brown

      Oliver Brown answered on 9 Mar 2015:


      ‘Lunch’. Or y’know whatever you’d like it to be.

      Actually, I don’t think this is really something that ‘science’ could or should have an opinion on, it’s a philosophical issue.

      Personally, I’m an absurdist, which means I don’t believe that life has any intrinsic meaning or purpose. Things just sort of happen! Of course, it’s perfectly valid knowing that to assign your own meaning to life at any given time. So it could just be ‘lunch’, or if I’m feeling less hungry it could be ‘to complete my research to the best of my ability, contributing to our knowledge of the world around us, and hopefully helping to build a better world for those who will inherit it from me’. That bit’s quite important to me actually, I think we’ve taken a short-sighted and slightly selfish view for too long and from now on we should consider it our job to leave the world in a slightly better state than we found it!

      Of course, I also don’t think anyone should be constrained by my idea of the meaning of life!

    • Photo: Jaclyn Bell

      Jaclyn Bell answered on 10 Mar 2015:


      This is a tough one, and more of a philosophical questions than one a scientist can put a definite answer to… I agree with Ollie in that the meaning of life is whatever you want it to be. For me I think the best thing to do is just take life as it comes and as long as you and the people around you are happy, healthy and enjoying life then you don’t need to worry 🙂

    • Photo: Vicky Bayliss

      Vicky Bayliss answered on 10 Mar 2015:


      Well, I guess the only scientific answer is survival of the species…

      but I think that’s a fairly rubbish answer in real terms, I would like to think there is more point to my life than survival. So on a personal level I’m going with Jaclyn – health and happiness seems as good an aim as any.

    • Photo: Michele Faucci Giannelli

      Michele Faucci Giannelli answered on 16 Mar 2015:


      What is life? Born, grow, procreate, die. Repeat with an overlap for the next generation.

      Life is a very complex thing and the evolution has further complicated things since more complex being have more complex needs which result in a more interesting life. This had its apex with humans that, once had the free time to think, started asking themselves these questions.
      Is there more to what I wrote at the beginning? I am not sure, I hope so but I cannot prove it. Certainly with our evolved brain we can start making our lives more meaningful and try to improve ourself, our environment, our family and our specie. We also probably do this so that one day, that to all this improvement, a better answer can be given. Being a scientist for be is a way to contribute to all the above points and try to leave the World a better place.

Comments