Ok, I thought I would make a thread which anyone with at least some degree of common sense (please check whether you are a member of this category before posting here) could participate in.

What do you think is our purpose (in philosophical or moral terms)?

I imagine there will be two or three discussions of various levels of commitment going on at once on this thread. If you don't want to mess with super ridiculously long confusing posts arguing against you then please don't try to argue against people who make long posts. In fact just mention that it is only your opinion and you have no interest in the minutia of true moral legitimacy.

If you want to discus the nature of the true legitimacy of the concept of morals then please leave the guys addressed in the previous paragraph alone.

This thread might be a terrible idea, but I needed a distraction from feminism (see other thread) to discuss. I am going to try not to commit my viewpoint because although as a logical individual I am completely certain of my opinion, as a human being I can't comprehend, believe or accept it.

I'll let this quote based on your question, from Jiddu Krishnamurti, in the book Beyond Violence, pp 106-107:

Personally, I feel that our purpose as human beings is to accomplish our personal goals. Most of the time what we do will not affect the world on a grand scale, and much less the universe. So it's pointless to reach for those heights because they will simply end in the most common inevitable failure. Our existence is based purely on perspective, thus the bigger we look, the more we want to achieve which bring about bigger failure. Our existence is our purpose which is our desire and vice versa; what we want to do is what we are meant to do.

This is like a copy and paste of a portion of my philosophy exam :L I like this topic, please don't kill this thread. I won't start anything up about morals because I want to see what other people have to say.

Jodus your quote is just Nihilism + loads of symbolic sounding shit to try to distract people from the fact that it is Nihilism. At least try to explain the quote as it can be interpreted in more than one way subjectively.

I just wanna know what you think about that. Well, I didn't even know the "Nihilism" word, hm... Trying to avoid mainstream things because yea, I don't know if you even read it and understood it.

'our'

if by our you mean the general public, then i'm sorry to tell you that over half of the population contributes nothing to the planet and will ultimately make no splash in this world. as for purpose, it's all in perspective, then again, purpose is just a word fabricated by the human race to give meaning to what cannot be elucidated. i'm pretty sure the only purpose for humanity as a whole is to eat, sleep, shit, piss, and die, [use up resources] just like all other mammals. we sure do a great job in flaunting our importance as the apex beings though.

simply put, not really.

Being realistic here:

The real purpose of human existence is to reproduce, produce, consume and die when all this has been done successfully. Perpetuating our species as far as possible.

The rest is invented, making every possible life purpose a very individual thing and difficult to understand in a concrete way.

Now not being realistic and completely forgetting the fact that life purposes are completely individual things and depend on cultural, social or religious factors to be defined:

What is the purpose of this life?

"You enjoy it, enjoy it as much as possible!" cry in chorus members of the "club of hedonists", consisting not only of convicted materialists (founders), but also the increasingly fervent supporters - and numerous - the increasingly ecumenical - and thriving - theology of prosperity.

"What a simplistic and unfounded thinking!" bounce the outraged representatives of scientific communities, which form the most intransigent group. "The mission of the human species is solely leverage progress, develop reasoning and uncover all the secrets of the universe!"

"Poor blind! Why? You are on earth to disentangle your souls!" recite in unison, like a mantra, the spokesmen of the many mystical and occult trends and leaders of not less numerous doctrines that requires blind faith. The members of this vast group, that of all, is the one that best embodies the vanity and presumption, differ from each other group only in the method to obtain enlightenment. While one part wants to find this by "uncovering the hidden", the other gets it just sticking to the guidelines imposed by a particular religion.

Except for a few differences, these three basic groups accommodate the beliefs of most of humanity in relation to this crucial question of the meaning of life.

Let's leave aside for now the shallowness of the first group and the fantasy of the third. Let's check out what the second group members have to say.

Scientists... Once again it's for them to turn the eyes of a significant portion of the population that still moves inside in search of a clear answer and that, nevertheless, is not manipulated by superstitions nor handcuffed "dogmas ".

"Progress! Progress at all costs!" In this axiom comes down to severe exhortation of life that drives us science.

This response could even be considered the right one, if it were possible to understand the real progress of humanity and not just the increase of material living conditions. If, with the same ardor used in the development of technology was also sought the improvement of the spirit. If people finally looked at themselves as spiritual beings and not as programmed machines just to run bodily and mental functions. But not everyone is like that (me, by the way).

Because: What worth spending a lifetime exclusively on accumulation and exploitation of the conveniences of modern life - credits to the science achievements - neither of which can free the human creature of anguish and feeling of emptiness that assail you? Muffled screams of his cloistered spirit? All cyber wonders, the "great space achievements", the latest "technical miracles", the latest generation of antidepressants, none of this gives the present-day human being even the shadow of a glimpse of happiness.

These things are not useless, but are not sufficient for the development of a spiritual being. Can not suffice. At best they provide a little pleasure more intense than a sneeze, far from the true joy and happiness infinitely distant.

Happiness, in fact, is now one word more and more difficult to define. How to talk about something that no longer exists? With his unhealthy penchant for merely earthly, with its intellective blinders, with its tragic illusion of power and self-sufficiency, the whole humanity gave up his happiness. Worse, fought tirelessly for her to be radically extinct!

And there are those who insist stubbornly in rediscover it in scientific products...

Relying on the idolized science, the pursuit of happiness that everyone has the right, as recommended by the UN in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will remain just that:

An eternal and hopeless search. Or as the members of the "scientific group" would say, a perpetual motion.

Well, Islam, and probably a few other religions, believe that we were created by God for some purposes. Now, should I go on about it or am I not in the category of people with what you believe is "common sense"? Since I mentioned "God".
Either way I don't mind.

The hard truth is that we are born to reproduce, then die.