PURPOSE

Def : " The reason for which something exists or is made".

A simple word isn't it. Yet, its simplicity is as eluding and perplexing as its profound meaning. What is Purpose?

Though, the answer fairly depends on the subject under consideration, a generic statement such as the given definition can be accepted. But what is so profound about it? To answer this question, we need to bring in another word which is 'almost' close to the word purpose. That is "Function".

What is function? Function is "the action or use for which something is designed or made". Similar aren't they. As subtle as the fine contrast between the meaning of the two may seem, they never cease to intrigue us. Prima facie, the word function talks about a limited set of entities, more of the order of the non-living. It also tends to include such things which are man-made and characterized by their ability to be of use to humans in some form or the other. Function, as it is apparent from the definition, only relies on the post-existential nature of entities in contrast to the word Purpose. It takes the existence of an entity as a given and then proceeds to question the nature of the reason for which it exists other than its own existence