[sparklite2]

And the only meaning life has is what you bring to it.
The universe is without ‘purpose,’ and certainly doesn’t care if we exist or not.

Existentialism is an unflinching mistress.

[Heartlander]

The universe is without ‘purpose,’ and certainly doesn’t care if we exist or not.

What are the odds of all of this occurring as a cosmic accident?

Cosmic Constants

• Gravitational force constant
  
• Electromagnetic force constant
  
• Strong nuclear force constant
  
• Weak nuclear force constant
  
• Cosmological constant

Initial Conditions and “Brute Facts”

• Initial distribution of mass energy
  
• Ratio of masses for protons and electrons
  
• Velocity of light
  
• Mass excess of neutron over proton
• Principle of quantization
  
• Pauli Exclusion Principle

Solar System Conditions

• Near inner edge of circumstellar habitable zone
  
• Low-eccentricity orbit outside spin-orbit and giant planet resonances
  
• A few, large Jupiter-mass planetary neighbors in large circular orbits
  
• Outside spiral arm of galaxy
  
• Near co-rotation circle of galaxy, in circular orbit around galactic center
  
• Within the galactic habitable zone
  
• Human advancement occurs during the cosmic habitable age

“Local” Planetary Conditions

• Steady plate tectonics with right kind of geological interior
  
• Right amount of water in crust
  
• Sun is the right type star for life
  
• Large moon with right rotation period
  
• Stable atmosphere
  
• Proper concentration of sulfur
• Ability to create fire
  
• Right planetary mass
  
• Unique solar eclipse
  
• Cosmic shield
  
• Information rich biosphere

Human Life

• Origin of life hurdles
  
• DNA has; Functional Information - Encoder - Error Correction - Decoder
• DNA contains multi-layered information that reads both forward and backwards - DNA stores data more efficiently than anything we've created - and a majority of DNA contains metainformation
  
• Complex pieces of molecular machinery in the cell
• Human body
  
• The information enigma
  
• Morality
  
• Consciousness
  
• Free will
  
• Justice
  
• Perception
  
• Human language
  
• Recognizing art in nature
  

To paraphrase the American rabbi and theologian Milton Steinberg (1903-1950), the believer has to account for the existence of unjust suffering; the atheist has to account for the existence of everything else - for the world, life, consciousness, beauty, love, art, music. It would seem the believer has the upper hand.
- Dennis Prager, The Rational Bible: Genesis

Existentialism is an unflinching mistress.

Existentialism is the mistress of postmodernism.

Existentialism is not a "system of thought," because it is a single philosophical belief… The famous story is of a young man who sought out Sartre for advice on whether to take care of his aged mother or go to fight a war of liberation he believed in. This is asking which activity to value more highly. Sartre's reply: "You are free, therefore choose." Clearly there is no system of values in that reply that helps determine which duty is greater.