I think this statement nails it: &quot;we are imprisoned within our own cosmos of meaning. We cannot imagine a universe without meaning. We are not talking necessarily about some grand cosmic meaning, or a divine meaning bestowed by God, or even a lasting, eternal meaning. &quot;<p>&quot;Special&quot; is a human construct. If something is special, it&#x27;s because we say it is. Life has no relevance to anything beyond that which we ascribe to it.<p>Unless, of course, you believe that life was designed according to some kind of grand design. But even that presupposes that we mortals have a chance of understanding an intelligence that can shape reality. I&#x27;m sceptical any human interpretation of &#x27;special&#x27; in that context is useful.<p>Reality just <i>is</i>. It has no moral weight.