[MD] Dawkins a Materialist (is watching?)

[ARLO J BENSINGER JR]

[Steve H]
The purpose of life is to grow.

[Arlo]
Well, it denotes more than "the purpose of life is to live".

I think, however, "purpose" is an after-the-fact illusion. "Life" emerges in the
wake of Quality, expressed through individual patterns forming collectives. The
electron does not seek to "create life", the electron seeks only "betterness"
from its own vantage point. "Life", or "biological patterns" emerge from this,
not as intentional, but as natural.

Now, having said that, I'd say your claim is a valuable metaphor. Because it
doesn't worry about "why" we (man) are here, but it looks at what we should do
given that we are here. As such, the purpose of life is to move towards
betterness. I don't need a "God" to have created me to find value in life, I
find value by what I do, and the degree to which I move towards betterness.

Or maybe in MOQ terms, "the purpose of life is to do Good".

Or perhaps, thinking of the levels, the "purpose" of life (biological patterns)
is to free Quality from the constraints of inorganic patterns. The "purpose" of
society (social patterns) is to free Quality from the constraints of biological
patterns. The "purpose" of Intellect (intellectual patterns) is to free Quality
from the constraints if social patterns.

But this "purpose", I'd remind, only comes after-the-fact. Inorganic patterns do
not intentionally seek out to create biological patterns. Only afterwards,
after the AHA! moment of "this works" (static latching of Dynamic
advancement... evolution), let's keep it" do seek to ascribe speciality to our
existence. Or, of course, you can go the route of believing that a God planned
(designed) the whole thing from the beginning, as has Platt. 

Before platypi existed, say 600 million years ago, was there a design for a
platypus in some "transcendent consciousness"? I say no. Platt would say yes. I
say the platypus is "lucky" to exist. Platt's view is that the platypus is
"special", built with deliberate intent by some God. Furthermore, I'd say the
"purpose" for the platypus is to be a Good platypus. Platt would say its
"purpose" is to stay alive.

Two voices. Nothing more.