The Argument for Purpose

Is there purpose in the universe? Does the cosmos itself have a purpose? Does life have a purpose? These are all questions proposed by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig, presented as evidence of God’s existence. The point of the argument is also to assert that without a God who created us to have fellowship with, we can have no real purpose, and that any purpose we give ourselves is ultimately meaningless. However all I can say to that is “Hard luck”. Professor Dawkins, in a debate with Craig pointed out quite rightly that Craig’s arguments for purpose are simply an appeal to emotion. It isn’t a nice thought that we are all here ultimately for no reason. It isn’t comfortable to entertain the notion that in the grand scheme of the universe our lives don’t measure to the blink of an eye and have no transcendent meaning. Craig admits that he appeals to emotion, but defends his arguments by stating that these are the deepest existential questions. My argument, in line with that of Dawkins, is that if there is no real purpose to life, tough, not liking it doesn’t make it any less true. I believe that purpose is an illusion. The opposition might put forth the rebuttal that if purpose is an illusion then why bother and that the naturalistic worldview is unlivable (as Craig states). To me, it doesn’t matter if the purpose I give my life is simply an illusion, it is an illusion that is beneficial to my survival and influences positively on the lives of other people. The sense of purpose perhaps developed as an evolutionary advantage, as a being with a sense of purpose may be more likely to value life and therefore protect it, propagating the species in the process. Just because purpose may be an illusion or psychological mental construction does not lessen the value that it has in our lives. We all experience the feeling of purpose in the same way and thus can objectively say that purpose, albeit illusory, is a beneficial factor of mankind. And if ultimately there is no real purpose to life, as is likely the case, then there is even more reason to give one’s own life a purpose and to live as though it were real. In the end, although our purposes are constructs of the mind, the effect and influence they hold over our lives and the lives of others are very real.