What is the meaning of meaning?

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Why do humans find something's 'meaningful'?
I find myself at the mercy of awe quite frequently. I sometimes go for walks by a local beach and something might catch my eye, like a small eddy of water as the tide recedes and I feel a connection to it.
As an example I might find myself thinking about the ocean and the swirling chaotic systems of fluid dynamics and wave propagation which leads me to think of the complex systems which led to the formation of complex molecules that could take in energy and use it to multiply and adapt to different environments. It may lead me to think of how I am a continuation of these processes and the thoughts I am having are an extension of the systems in the ocean I am observing.
I might see the moon reflected on the oceans surface and think of the swirling chaotic systems of space/time which led to the formation of the particles and molecules which make up the reflection I am seeing and that my contemplation is also a swirling chaotic process.

These thoughts happen almost instantly and are accompanied by a feeling of awe and the sense that what I have seen is important. I sometimes pick up a stone or something that triggered this feeling and bring it home as a symbolic reminder of that feeling.
I was just looking at my collection of symbolic odds n ends that I have on my coffee table
And thinking, what is awe, why do I feel that these objects have meaning and what is the meaning of meaning?

This is something I'm very interested in. I don't think we can step outside of meaning. Meaninglessness is always meaningful.

But: I'm not sure that's a question that can be answered, because any answer already assumes meaning. So I would ask: what kind of answer would be meaningful to you?

I think I would like an answer that explores why we experience these moments of awe and 'meaningfulness'.
it seems to me that at the heart of all scientific, philosophical,theological and artistic enquiry lies a 'meaningful' moment.
I wonder why these moments occur and why they feel nebulously important.
The little collection, bits n pieces of pebbles, weathered glass, shells etc that I have are imbued with meaning that I have attached to them whereas to another persons eyes they may just have ornamental meaning, that is to say, they have no inherent meaning except that which are given to them. I wonder where the 'spark' that inspires questions comes from.
Are those moments of transcendent awe/epiphany/meaningfulness, explainable?

Depicted: Archimedes shouts "Eureka"!

Quoted: "He reportedly proclaimed "Eureka!" when he stepped into a bath and noticed that the water level rose—he suddenly
understood that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged".
"He then realized that the volume of irregular objects could be measured with precision, a previously intractable problem".

So, per a superficial examination, it seems he experienced such awe, because he was able to figure out something that was relevant to him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_(word)

What do you mean?

Stop taunting him.

You're being mean.

it was meant to be a self-evident paradox to get people thinking.

Lol - salamanda - only theists are allowed to ask such questions because they're beyond any hope of rationalist redemption. Either become one or listen to the call of the antitheists to sit down, shut up, and realize such inquiries are your weak terrified-of-death animal mind which is completely and utterly irrational, unscientific, and inappropriate in a day and age where the subjective needs to be stomped out of existence in favor of rationalist enlightenment.

I'm only teasing. Couldn't resist.

What do you mean about him being mean on the meaning of meaning?

Yeah. We knew you weren't trying to be mean mean only funny mean; I mean that's what I thought you meant, and that you weren't really a mean mean man (know what I mean?).

A memorable moment is obviously, one you remember. A moment different enough in it's content or setting that it stands out from the rest can be caused by thousands of personal reasons.

An example might be when I was an infant crawling on the floor and found something different to examine. This by itself was not a "memorable moment"; it would have faded into the background. But this moment was reinforced: Once when crawling again I came across it again, and, months later, when I was walking and understanding more words, I found it and reinforced the earlier memory. Without the reinforcements it might never have been memorable at all. But later information strengthened the neural paths and made them more permanent.

Most memorable moments are more immediate: Traveling to and seeing Niagara Falls for the first time, getting married and having children, etc., etc.

Hopefully yours are all memories you'll cherish and not ones you'd like to forget.

denny

I don't know.

Gotta love those paradoxes! I got jammed up by an incredible paradox just recently. Left me mystified. Sad. Confused.

Averaging out the posts in the thread... what is the mean?

The meaning is hidden within the reason.

Don't mean to be mean, but pondering your question of what "mean" means is no mean feat!

Know what I mean?