The greatest objective in life is happiness, peace of mind and tranquility (ataraxia in Greek), along with freedom from fear and anxiety.
The greatest objective in life is happiness, peace of mind and tranquility (ataraxia in Greek), along with freedom from fear and anxiety.
Let’s add another great objective in life: to figure things out. Whether the objects are happiness, peace of mind, tranquility or whatever–they’re reached in bits and over long stretches of time.
The Christians claim that when we go to heaven, we will know everything, as it will be a perfect world. But if we knew everything, life would be exceedingly dull as there would be nothing new to discover. Once the infinite lifetime of a soul in heaven is taken into account, the Christian ideal sounds like a rather absurd affair: one where the absence of struggle necessitates the absence of fulfilment.
Owen, with Disqus in place I should have seen your comment sooner but am glad to have found it, even if late .
I do remember being taught that in heaven we’d know everything etc. but If “heaven” is “perfect” then it can’t be dull. Still, I have long since given up trying to figure out the Ultimate Meaning of all this. In the short run, I’ve concluded that persons who claim to “know” what the post-bio future is like, if any, don’t know whereof they speak.