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/sci/ - Science & Math

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[ERROR] No.3701689 [Reply] [Original]

Pragmatically, can it be said that life is a quest for endorphin?

>> No.3701695

well put.

>> No.3701699

sure

>> No.3701710

>>3701689

No.
Life is logical consequence of infinitely complex system called the universe.

>> No.3701719

It's you're a monkey, life is just a quest for bananas.

>> No.3701727

>>3701689
just because people desire happiness does not mean it's the purpose of life

>> No.3701742

If by 'endorphin' you mean endorphins, then no. If by 'endorphin' you mean the wider class of monoamins, then also no. They are a means of stimulating behavior beneficial to fitness. Not an goal in itself.

>> No.3701747

>>3701719

No quest, you are the monkey.
And then life was a banana.

>> No.3701748

>>3701710
Well sorry, I sort of oversimplified the statement, allow me to retry.

Can it be said that while life and existence can be argued with very strong evidence to be mere consequence of certain physical laws and chemical properties, can it be said that our purpose and quest in life or, in general terms, the reason why we keep living, is a constant effort for the next endorphin fix?

>> No.3701758

By the way, having your endorphine levels drop drastically (from feeling like you're the happiest person ever to being in such a depression that you can hardly talk, move or eat) over an extremely short period of time (1-2 days) is really painful. Trust me, I went through this recently, shit was bad and my greatest fear right now is reliving that.

>> No.3701764

>>3701742
>monoamins
monoamines*

So much for me being a smartypants.

>> No.3701766

>>3701742
substitute that by "chemical brain fix that makes you feel cozy and happy"

>> No.3701777

>>3701766
In that case, feeling cozy and happy is a means of stimulating behavior beneficial to fitness. Not an goal in itself.

>> No.3701806

>>3701777
But in behavioral terms, you do the activities that make you fit because of the subsequent chemical fix, because the fitness in itself may keep you alive but it does not make you happy.

It's like saying you work to make society better. You work to get money and survive, and if it was possible to get money without working, you would.

On a more contextual example, drugs give very hefty chemical discharges and many people do them despite the fact that they trash your body fitness.

>> No.3701814

determinism
/thread

you jelly of my meta winnin?

>> No.3701821
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[ERROR]

>>3701814
minor meta fail on my part

>> No.3701849

>>3701806
>But in behavioral terms, you do the activities that make you fit because of the subsequent chemical fix
Actually, it's the other way around. We get the chemical fix, as you call it, because it increases fitness (Just to be clear, I'm talking about fitness in the evolutionary sense, not physical fitness.)
>It's like saying you work to make society better. You work to get money and survive, and if it was possible to get money without working, you would.
That's begging the question a little bit.
>On a more contextual example, drugs give very hefty chemical discharges and many people do them despite the fact that they trash your body fitness.
Sure, there are examples in which individuals (be they humans or animals) will pursue stimulation at the cost of health. I can't argue with that. I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that without any pharmacological or forced (e.g. septal stimulation) pleasurable neurotransmitter release, the proximal cause of their behavior to strive for this fix is the feeling, but the ultimate cause would be the evolutionary advantage that comes with the behavior which elicits the fix. The latter would in my opinion be the goal. Not the fix itself.

>> No.3701864

>>3701821
>>3701814
>science thread
>with biological arguments
>makes philosophical argument
>what

>> No.3701872

>>3701814
Prove that the universe is deterministic. Oh wait.

>> No.3701885

>>3701849
I was assuming you were talking about fitness as in eating or fucking. What I meant in my hypothesis was that we eat, fuck, work and study ultimately to get the chemical brain reward at the end of it, and when it passes we move on to spending energy towards getting the fix again.

In your terms, you are most probably right. It can be argued that the fix and the fitness go together, but it's mostly evident that the fix is a way that evolution "found" to keep species going, which again agrees with my hypothesis that the said fix is what moves us and keeps our species from mass suicide.

>> No.3701895

OP, if somebody close to you died, and you could take a pill that would eliminate all grief so you don't care at all that they're dead. would you take it?

Why not? Life is just about endorphins right?

>> No.3701903

>>3701895
What is this I don't even
Missing the point much?
4/10 for almost making me write a more elaborate reply.

>> No.3701934

Here is what you did. What is life. Answer to be a living body. What is the most important part of human body? Answer: BrainWhat is the most important part of the brain? Answer endorphins.

Can I ask the question is life just the quest for the stimulation of the recptors which intake endorphins?

>> No.3701947

>>3701934
While my first premise was very poorly worded, in the thread the concept was advanced and clarified. Please refer to that.

>> No.3701980

>>3701864
cause and effect is a premise of science which leads to determinism. ie science => determinism.

OP's question, 'Pragmatically, can it be said that life is a quest for endorphin?'

answer: Pretty much.
goals are largely driven by endorphin seeking traits. making an assumption goals in one way or another are what people live for
goal: dont die
goal: reproduce
goal: follow the teachings of mormanism

People deterministicly pursue endorphins along with other other deterministicly caused effects. (like any behavior which doesnt fall under the category of endorphin seeking if there are any.)

>> No.3701986

There is no purpose as most people think.

If you replace endorphin to : any chemical reactions that result in you being more happy, safe, content, good, and all those positive feelings.
Then yes.

Its simple really, take a look around you, what do you do everyday, and what your goals are.
Its all that.

>> No.3702038

>>3701895
There's only one person I care about and it's the only reason because of which I haven't yet suicided, so I probably wouldn't take any endorphine or similar pills in case that person dies and would simply kill myself.
P.S. Not OP.

>> No.3702172

>>3702038
man youre cool

>> No.3702200

Life is a quest for relief from despair

>> No.3702230
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[ERROR]

The only thing to be said is that life is.