“Meaningless! Meaningless!” Lamented Solomon near the end of his life, “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes NIV). Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon discusses the various facets of his life. Wisdom, wealth, fame, youth, each of them were denounced as vanity or utterly senseless. Solomon had spent the earlier half of his life living for God; however, in the second half of his life he fell away from God and pursued idols. In many ways, the condition of Leo Tolstoy in his middle years is identical to that of Solomon in the latter parts of his life. Moreover, Solomon spends 12 chapters arguing that without God life empty. Similarly, Tolstoy concludes in his book My Confessions that, apart from faith, life is pointless. Solomon and Tolstoy’s mirrored views and life choices, both lead them to discover that God, or faith, is what provides meaning to life. Up until 18 years of age, Tolstoy was, “baptized and educated in the Orthodox Christian faith” (Stumpf, Fieser 27). However, once he reached 18, he departed from Christianity. For a number of years after leaving the Christian faith, he valiantly pursued his own passions. Although he desired to be a morally praiseworthy individual, much of his time was spent in a depraved haze. “There was not a crime which I did not commit,” Tolstoy claimed (Stumpf, Fieser 27). As time progressed, Tolstoy’s idols morphed to be more inconspicuous. He no longer acted blatantly amoral but instead pursued comfort his family and himself. Taking a several thousand-year leap into the past, King Solomon led a similar existence. From childhood, he was nurtured to revere God from none other than King David. Despondently, after many years of leading a Godly, upright life, he de... ... middle of paper ... ... not spare any human pleasures, and yet God was still the only thing that they could find fulfillment in. Works Cited "Ecclesiastes 1:2." Holy Bible New International Version. Zondervan, 2012. Print. "Ecclesiastes 12:13." Holy Bible King James Version. Casscom Media, 2006. Print. Houdmann, S. Michael. "Book of Ecclesiastes - Bible Survey." Bible Questions Answered. Got Questions.org. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. Stumpf, Samuel Enoch, and James Fieser. What Is the Aim of Life. 1882. Philosophy: History and Problems. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 27. Print. Stumpf, Samuel Enoch, and James Fieser. What Is the Aim of Life. 1882. Philosophy: History and Problems. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 28-30. Print. Stumpf, Samuel Enoch, and James Fieser. What Is the Aim of Life. 1882. Philosophy: History and Problems. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 32. Print.
1 Roger Ariew & Eric Watkins. Modern Philosophy: An anthology of primary sources. Indianapolis/Cambridge, 1998.
From chasing joy to evading misery, it seems as if the ultimate purpose in life is to achieve happiness. However, the question regarding how to define and acquire happiness has continued to be a disputed topic. Beginning back in 350 BC, Aristotle developed and supported his view on human happiness as the fundamental end goal of human life in Nichomachean Ethics. However, others did not universally agree upon Aristotle’s accounts and ideas about happiness. In around 550 BC, Solon preached his own theory on happiness in The Histories, stating that a person’s happiness cannot be determined until death, testing Aristotle’s beliefs. Solon attempts, but fails, to refute Aristotle’s belief that happiness is an eternal, virtuous state, by arguing instead that happiness is subject to change.
Grant, S., (2007). A defence of Aristotle on the good life. Richmond Journal of Philosophy (16) p. 1-8.
(14) W. James, Some Problems of Philosophy: A beginning of an Introduction to Philosophy (New York: Longmans, Green adn Co., 1924)
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson-
Stumpf, S. E., & Fieser, J. (2008). Philosophy: History and problems. . New York: McGraw-Hill.
Many people wonder: what is the meaning of life? What is the human purpose on this earth? At least one time in our lifetime, we all look at ourselves and wonder if we are living our lives the way we were meant to live them. Sadly, there is not a definite answer to the principles of human life. Every human comes from different backgrounds and different experiences throughout their existence. Each person is different, each with different emotions and reactions to their surroundings. People strive to uncover the secrets to the meaning of life. In reality, humans are given the desire to live the way we want and have a critical thinking mind, unlike animals. In the essay Living like Weasels, Annie Dillard believes we should live more carefree and instinctual as weasels, but what we were given as humans is a gift that no other creature has – free will and choice to shape our own lives.
In the history of early philosophy, there were four prominent views on how to live on...
Now, I can truly say that life today has a value for me only because of this; it does not matter what force has to be put in motion, what results can be obtained. The development of all the germs that are present in the individual conformation of human life, this is what I consider the true goal of man on earth, not precisely happiness. (1)
[1]Altshuler, Roman. “The Meaninglessness of life: Camus vs. Nagel.” The ends of Thought; Journeys to Philosophy’s Third Kingdom. (2011)
Abernathy, George L., and Thomas A. Langford. Introduction to Western Philosophy: Pre-Socratics to Mill. Belmont: Dickenson, 1970.
Aristotle’s thoughts on ethics conclude that all humans must have a purpose in life in order to be happy. I believe that some of the basics of his ideas still hold true today. This essay points out some of those ideas.
Stumpf, S.E and Fieser, J. Philosophy: History and Readings, New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2008.
Nash, Ronald H., (1999). Life‘s ultimate questions: an introduction to philosophy, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530.
- - -. The Wisdom of Life. Trans. T. Bailey Saunders. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 1995.