On the question of mankind's 'purpose,' it is clear that as a biological species that perpetuates itself through reproduction, that that is its purpose.
twocows said:
As much as I think each of us individually is more than our instincts, it's simple logic that those with a tendency to reproduce more are going to have more offspring to carry on that tendency. We're adapted to reproduce as much as possible and that's exactly what the bulk of us do.
It's our "genetic purpose," it's what we have adapted to do, but I think people are more than their genetics. Even if we tend to be good at that, we're more than just machines made to screw; we have higher thought processes and the ability to use them to pursue whatever end we want. I, myself, have the desire to reproduce, but it's not my primary goal in life by a longshot.
The implication appears to be that pursuing our particular interests, outside of reproduction, allows us to escape the notion of being 'machines.' This is not so. Our desires for things and our pursuit of them is just another way of describing the maximization of one's utility; if you want world peace, and your actions are made with the notion that they are in pursuit of world peace, you are still acting on utility maximization. This is no different from the behaviors of a machine.
And why try to escape the notion of utility maximization? That's what we are--machines which seek to maximize utility--why deny this?
Shining Raichu said:
The sad thing is, that nobody is remembered forever. At some point, everybody and everything becomes obselete - you are only remembered for as long as it takes for everybody with a memory of you to die as well. The few people that do achieve eternal memory, the Shakespeares and Marilyn Monroes and whatnot, did a lot more than just work to continue the species. So if your interest is immortality, then just continuing on the species isn't enough to achieve it.
William Shakespeare and QuilavaKing both will ultimately be dead someday, and this is not where their similarities end. When this human species dies out, when this planet ages and the ruins of human civilization vanish, or indeed when the sun explodes and the planet is engulfed in its fires, there will go all record of human life ever existing on this planet. There will be no recognition of their accomplishments, their talents, their 'whatever'--the greatest king will be no more known than the lowest serf!
You may argue that there would indeed exist artifacts of our presence--just look at the space probes! But read on, for their struggle to exist in the universe is just as doomed as our own.
You may attempt to escape humanity's doom for a while--generations of humans growing up in space colonies seeking out other planets to live on, planets with similar fates awaiting them. Even if you were to eliminate the uncertainty in perpetuating the human species in space, escaping the fires of the many dying stars, have you escaped the ultimate fate of the universe? You surely do not escape it. Short of inter-universe travel, the human race is doomed to die.
Remember, you're talking about rather unintelligent creatures who are prone to err, and their struggle to perpetuate their existence in a universe unkind to their cause. The outlook is not good. Indeed, it appears futile. All you have is hope, and may you soon be disabused of such a notion!