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There is a scientific theory out that has yet to be proven, but addresses the actual purpose of life. https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-thermodynamics-theory

There is a scientific theory out that has yet to be proven, but addresses the actual purpose of life. https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-thermodynamics-theory-of-the-origin-of-life-20140122/ https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-thermodynamics-theory-o... TL;DR (with my philosophical interpretations included) - his claim is that life occurs as a natural process to help dissipate concentrations of energy. This occurs because the universe is on a never-ending march toward higher entropy and life is a tool to help it achieve that goal - the goal being maximum entropy and the effective end of the universe as we know it, a situation where all matter is in its most stable state and no energy can be obtained from anything anymore. So we are here to help the universe and all life die.

contras1970 9y ago
life cannot exist without (outside / away from) energy gradients. is the purpose of life to speed up destruction of its environment? even if the answer is yes which i disagree with, it's only an approximative answer: it's immediately followed by "ok but why is it so?" imo, life has as much purpose as stars have: none. it's the wrong question to ask. life is simply there, just like stars are there. it "materializes" when-and-where there are the right conditions (a narrow spectrum of energy gradients), just like stars do (the spectra are extremely far apart, of course).
mannykannot 9y ago
To be clear, all of the teleological claims here are your own philosophical interpretations; they do not appear to be in the paper discussed in the link you have given. If we accept your interpretation, then I think we must conclude that the purpose of life is to hasten its own extinction, by accelerating dissipative processes.