Tom Morris’s chapter titled “What is the Meaning of Life?” discusses several different viewpoints on this question. He discusses particularly three perspectives Nihilism, do-it-yourself-approach, and the theistic belief in search for the best answer. The basic idea behind Nihilism that Morris’s discusses is expressed in the words of Sigmund Freud, “ The moment a man questions the meaning and value of life, he is sick, since objectively neither has existence.” that life has no meaning. According to Morris he states that this is bad philosophy and is represented by poets, rock musicians, and filmmakers that represent this point of view. Morris suggests that it is not nonsense to suppose that life has meaning but for those who practice nihilism …show more content…
This type of philosophy is based on the Endowment Thesis that states “Nothing has meaning unless it is endowed with meaning (purpose, value, or importance) by an intelligent agent” but Morris challenges that thesis by applying it to the overall phenomenon of our lives. He suggests that we can not apply this do birth, suffering, death and other features of his life because he cannot endow something he does not have control over. An extended example he uses is how he could not choose factors that shaped his personality and his life. He speaks of how he could not choose what neighborhood he grew up in. That he has not selection over teachers that would influence him and the people he would meet are beyond his control. He states that in order to live a meaningful life we must endow factors that we have no control over for which he cannot endow is entire existence. However, he believes that no being could have this power to endow events that lack control unless they are a being a religion for which is defined as a …show more content…
He claims that God the creator brought us for a purpose for which has some underlying purpose itself. That raises a question of what is our purpose, so then in fact now we have a source to find meaning in our lives. He even states that many religious philosophers that assure us God veer away from the actual meaning God provides us. However, he inputs various opinions himself just stating that God and his existence is the only way life has a meaning. The do-it-yourself approach seems much more reasonable in the eyes of one whom does not seek purpose in life do to the existence of a God. Events in life like birth are out of one’s control but it’s not about the purpose for your birth. That was that reproductive mechanism in order to keep the species in existence. The meaning to your life is unfolded by what is done with it. This leaves room for our own ridicule on what is deemed purposeful and what has
Richard Taylor, an American philosopher and author of, “The Meaning of Life” believes you can live a meaningful life as long as you realize your will and are completely involved in it and enjoy it, then you are no longer needed and your life was a successful one. “This is surely the way to look at all of life- at one’s own life, and each day and moment it contains; of the life of a nation; of the species; of the life of the world; and of everything that breathes” (Taylor p 27). He proves this through the ancient myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was sentenced by the Gods to spend an eternity rolling a stone repeatedly to the top of a hill and once it reached the top, it would roll right back down once again. Taylor calls Sisyphus’ life as an “endless pointlessness.” Taylor relates human life to Sisyphus’ life. He believes that both of our lives can have meaning. Taylor asks us to look at Sisyphus’ story in a different way. For example, while the Gods sentenced him to rolling this stone up a hill for an eternity, what if they gave him a “strange and irrational impulse” to roll the stone repeatedly. Now, according to Richard Taylor, Sisyphus’ life would now have meaning and if we were to be as invested as Sisyphus in rolling the stone, then our lives have meaning as well.
life, and in it he attempts to explain that which has evaded and mystified even
In Christy Wampole’s “How to Live Without Irony” and Richard Taylor’s “The Meaning of Human Existence” both authors argue how humans ought to live a meaningful life. Wampole tackles the argument in a different way than Taylor but they both have similar positions on the meaning. I agree with both authors in some of the ways that we should dictate our lives to justify meaningfulness but I also believe that meaningfulness can differ from person to person. Life is very precious to us; since humans have had the ability to consciously think, we have always questioning our existence. No other animal on the planet has had the luxury of pondering whether or not their life is meaningful.
Finding a meaning to life and to nature is something all people try to do, but is there really a correct answer? Maybe the purpose to life is actually finding the purpose to life, or it might just be to enjoy living and all the experiences that come with it. Douglas Adams, the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, brings this up in his novel. Throughout the book, the theme nature and its meaning is shown through the knowledge that the main character accumulates.
He believes that life is made for living and that you shouldn’t waste your life away and you have to live life to its fullest because you never know what could happen. He like to install the spirit of adventure in life because what’s life without having some adventure in your life or even just some fun. “Forever and forever when I move. How dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished, not to shine in use! As though to breathe were life. Life piled on life were all too little, and of one to me little remains; but every hour is saved from that eternal silence, something more, a bringer of new things; and vile it were for some three suns to store and hoard myself, and this gray spirit yearning in desire to follow knowledge like a sinking star, beyond the utmost bound of human thought. (Lines
To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life”.- Walter Mitty (Movie).
In “Meaning of Life”, Richard Taylor begins with questioning the meaning of life. He mentions this is rather hard to do and decides to define what meaninglessness is in order to understand the exact opposite: meaningfulness. Taylor asks the reader to recall the famous myth of Sisyphus to come about the definition of meaninglessness. He states that Sisyphus was condemned to roll a large boulder up a hill, only to have that boulder roll back down the hill, forcing him to repeat the task forever. Despite all his efforts, his existence amounts to nothing more than endlessly repeating the same task, which itself contributes to no greater goal or purpose. This, Taylor suggests, is the very image of meaninglessness. He defines meaninglessness as the following: “Meaninglessness is essentially endless pointlessness, and meaningfulness is therefore the opposite” (270).
"People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive...." Joseph Campbell made this comment on the search for meaning common to every man's life. His statement implies that what we seem bent on finding is that higher spark for which we would all be willing to live or die; we look for some key equation through which we might tie all of the experiences of our life and feel the satisfaction of action toward a goal, rather than the emptiness which sometimes consumes the activities of our existence. He states, however, that we will never find some great pure meaning behind everything, because there is none. What there is to be found, however, is the life itself. We seek to find meaning so that emptiness will not pervade our every thought, our every deed, with the coldness of reality as the unemotional eye chooses to see it. Without color, without joy, without future, reality untouched by hope is an icy thing to view; we have no desire to see it that way. We forget, however, that the higher meaning might be found in existence itself. The joy of life and the experience of living are what make up true meaning, as the swirl of atoms guided by chaotic chance in which we find our existence has no meaning outside itself.
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.
...he writes, "the purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live."[]
When it comes to the meaning of life for Martin analyzes The Problem of the Meaning of Life vs. The Problems of Life. He distinguishes that there are three different barriers that challenge the meaning of life, which are death, bad times, and philosophical doubts. The problem of the meaning of life is just the life long question of whether or not our lives have any meaning to them. It brings up other speculations such as what is out there beyond my understanding or if there is even a higher power that wants me to serve a certain purpose. Since we are still searching for the answer to The Problem of the Meaning of Life we then try and solve The Problem of Life. The Problem of Life consist of questions about whether or not we are living our life in a way we believe is worth living. Both important questions but Martin is unfortunately stuck since he will never know the answer to The Problem to the Meaning of Life. In Martin’s pursuit to find the answer to The Problem of Life he begins by saying that if one is able to live one’s life so that it is worth living, as possible one will have meaning in one’s life. Martin believed that we could determine meaning in one’s life simply if one is doing something one
The meaning of life is a very confusing question but to be able to answer it you must realize that it differs for everyone. There is never only one real answer. Everyday it can change for each individual. Everyone has their own way of living; they have their own thoughts and beliefs so therefore each persons answer to the meaning of life will be their own private version.
I have always been to asking myself what is meaning of life? or what I supposed to do ? or what I have to achieve? . Meaning of life what 's you have been given? what you have given by different kind of human? Or what I believe or what I do not believe in life .Everybody have Meaning of life it depends between person to person, I found myself when I was young because my parents always talk about experience in their life.Throughout my entire life ,I have wondered about the significance meaning of life that has beneficial for the people, because the life is beginning odds and ending odds .Even though struggle of life, I believe meaning of life are ,regional ,ambition, participate ,achievement ,and happiness .Due to this, I
The abstract idea of life cannot be explained by such simple ideas as being animated, breathing, or speaking. Ordinary machines in this century can perform all of these basic functions. The quandary with defining death is not as abstract and elusive as that of life. The problem of defining life and death has plagued philosophers and the religious bodies for thousands of years for one reason; each philosophy or religion has tried to define the meaning of life and death from only their certain perspective. The seemingly appropriate approach to this problem would be to understand the ideas presented in various philosophies and religions and through this knowledge create a new definition for each idea of life and death. The movie Blade Runner has taken this exact approach in its attempt to finally define life and death in a logical and un-spiritual manner. By taking the position that death is a concrete idea that can be explained, Blade Runner accomplishes the task of interpreting the idea of life in terms death. Through this approach, the meaning of life is redefined to accommodate for the existence of the replicants. Also, as a result of this novel notion of life, it is apparent that humans and replicants never actually live, even though they are alive.
There are several reasons why a person could be feeling that their life is meaningless or has no meaning. According to Victor Frankl these reasons could be existential frustration, existential vacuum, and the meaning of suffering. Frankl breaks down the meaning of existential frustration as so, it can be referred to as existence itself – the specifically mode of being, the meaning of existence, and striving to find concrete meaning in personal existence, which is the will to meaning. Existence itself, in simpler terms is just existing and the human mode itself. The meaning of existence is the question in which we often ask ourselves; Why are we here? When we strive to find concrete meaning in personal existence, we are looking for the personal meaning for existence. Basically what Frankl is saying is that when we are dealing wit the existential frustration we are looking for given meaning that isn’t there. (There is no meaning). On the other hand there is the existential vacuum, which is when you cannot find meaning in your life. Frankl says that the existential vacuum manifests itself mainly in the state of boredom.