What is our purpose?

[confused2]

If 10 billion maggots is better than 7 billion maggots then ... I give up.

[Zinjanthropos]

If 10 billion maggots is better than 7 billion maggots then ... I give up.

Then.......You're a fly and life is good.  

[confused2]

7 billion flies can't be wrong.

[Syne]

Let’s say that for example, Syne is smarter than I am.  No-no that’s too unrealistic. 

Let’s say that he’s stronger and has more endurance than me.  He’s able to plow his field better than I am.  His crops yield larger and tastier fruits and vegetables than mine.  Is he not entitled to eat them?  Am I entitled to them?  If so, then I am his master, and he—my slave. 

Hmm…I like it!  Okay.  Let’s go with that. *sarcasm

What if Syne was nice (you’ll have to use your imagination for this)?  

Imagine Syne deciding to be generous and giving me a few of his apples. Yay!  I’m totally happy.  Gee, thanks, Syne, but then C C comes over for her usual cup of joe, and shows me the apples that Syne gave her.  They’re way bigger and juicer than the ones he gave me.  Well, now I’m not so happy.  

Someone has an awfully big ship on their shoulder.

I would suggest that that hinders any purported purpose of life.

[Syne]

Imagine Syne deciding to be generous and giving me a few of his apples. Yay!  I’m totally happy.  Gee, thanks, Syne, but then C C comes over for her usual cup of joe, and shows me the apples that Syne gave her.  They’re way bigger and juicer than the ones he gave me.  Well, now I’m not so happy.  

Just happened across this demonstrated with monkeys.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/meiU6TxysCg

"...so this is basically the Wall Street protests you see here."

Not to mention the modus operandi of leftists now days. Equality of outcome, regardless of opportunity and effort, is the grievance rhetoric that stokes such petty jealousy. Such jealousy that blinds people from the fact that the poorest US citizens (bottom 5%) are still richer than 68% of the world.

---

Individual survival, including quality of life, is not irrelevant to the evolution of the species. Individuals who improve their own quality of life also improve that of their offspring...and often improve their immediate environment as well. These individual improvements add up to a collective improvement in the survival of the species.

So personal goals are important to species survival.

[Secular Sanity]

"...so this is basically the Wall Street protests you see here."

Exactly.  

Thanks, Syne.

[Zinjanthropos]

Just when I start thinking about not getting along and the benefits that may bring to species' survival, you two go and agree on something.

[Secular Sanity]

Just when I start thinking about not getting along and the benefits that may bring to species' survival, you two go and agree on something.

Either that or I just want the biggest juiciest apples.  

[Syne]

Just when I start thinking about not getting along and the benefits that may bring to species' survival, you two go and agree on something.

I think her Christian friends are subconsciously rubbing off on her. That test with monkeys is basically the Parable of the Workers:

For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen...
— Matthew 20:1–16, King James Version

The test just varies the reward where the parable varies the length of the task.

[Zinjanthropos]

Just when I start thinking about not getting along and the benefits that may bring to species' survival, you two go and agree on something.

I think her Christian friends are subconsciously rubbing off on her. That test with monkeys is basically the Parable of the Workers:

The value of piecework, a contract and a union.

Angry workers can point out the inequities of an unfair situation. They may even go to war to achieve equality but when they have disagreements either passive or agressive, does it prove to be actually beneficial to the species? Or is it only the side that wins the dispute who benefits? Does a dispute loser benefit in some way? Our purpose may be to force our will on someone else.

I'm feeling very evolutionary this morning. Made it through another day.