Meaning of life

The meaning of life is a concept that is difficult to pin down. The seemingly simple question—What is the meaning of life?—hinges on a number of other questions. What is life—a biological state, a consciousness, an examination of the universe as a whole? What gives life meaning—achievements, a sense of purpose, longevity?

The question is complicated by a number of issues and conditions, for example, the diversity of the human experience—for some, a meaningful life may be closely tied to survival, while for others, meaning may be much more abstract. The very changeable nature of life and the world contributes to confusion about meaning.

In asking the question, one presupposes that human life has meaning. If life has meaning, how should humankind react—by seeking meaning through change of oneself, or by changing others or the world? To what extent may one's search for meaning affect others? The question may also take on religious tones—such as a concern for where an individual and humankind fit into the grand scheme of life.

The question of what one means by meaning is also difficult to answer. Something cannot have meaning without intention. Some argue that this means humankind's existence does not have meaning without a being intending it to be meaningful.

Some argue that the search for meaning in life is a search for personal significance. If individual human significance begins with the birth of consciousness, and ends with the evaporation of this consciousness, an individual may be driven to seek meaning as a way to establish permanence beyond one's life.

Early philosophers sought to define life and the state of being. During the twentieth century, philosophy generally shied away from the question. Toward the end of the century, some philosophers turned to clarifying the meaning and intent of the question as well as the concept of meaning.

Background

Ancient philosophers were concerned with being and awareness. They wondered about the origin and qualities of life, and the nature of the self. Many asked if life experiences, such as suffering, had a purpose. A number of events and periods in history altered the course of philosophy. The scientific revolution revealed new discoveries that challenged long-held religious beliefs. The Protestant Reformation opened the floor to questions about faith and self. Explorers returned from distant lands with information about other cultures and philosophies.

Much later, people began specifically questioning the meaning of life. This question arose in philosophical circles during the nineteenth century, when German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard famously explored the issue.

Kierkegaard, who is called the father of existentialism, was interested in exploring the notion of existence. He wrote about the individual's relationship with oneself, which may include self-awareness, self-direction, self-love/hatred, and self-trust/doubt. The meaning of one's existence comes from the relationship with the self, because it influences an individual's choices.

Kierkegaard believed that people had forgotten to even ask the question of what it means to exist because humankind has gained so much knowledge. People are caught up in this abundance of information and unable to concentrate on pondering meaning. During his lifetime, humanity was advancing rapidly in knowledge and reclaiming history through new discoveries about the past. The world was moving more quickly, as transportation and communication systems evolved. The nineteenth century brought the birth of the mass media culture, which only developed even more quickly throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Mass culture, according to Kierkegaard, created a condition he called levelling. It diminishes individual significance, interfering with one's ability to live authentically, to have true experiences; instead, people absorb the ideas and beliefs of the masses. They consume mass media and are consumed by it.

Kierkegaard ultimately concluded that the meaning of life is tied directly to faith. He believed that life has three stages. The lowest stage, the aesthetic, is characterized by sensation and sensuousness. The next stage is ethical. The highest stage is the religious stage, at which one may experience meaningful life. He believed that obedience to God gives life meaning.

Nietzsche believed that the value of life is an individual concern. He wrote that if an individual looks at his or her life and does not discover a reason for one's existence, then the individual should set a goal or purpose for himself or herself. The goal should be difficult to achieve, something demanding and worthy of pursuit. Having established that purpose, he said, the person should pursue it ceaselessly. Yet the individual's meaning lives and dies with that person's life—it is not something tied to any other existence.

Late in the nineteenth century, novelist Leo Tolstoy also reflected on the meaning of life. He was experiencing tremendous success in his life, with good health, strong relationships, fame, and wealth, yet he was troubled by wondering about the meaning of life. Some of his concern was about the endurance of his impact on the world. He believed that nobody could address questions about the meaning of humanity or any vast experience without first confronting questions about the meaning of one's own life. He rejected philosophy for asking and refining such questions without answering them. In the end, like Kierkegaard, he turned to faith.

In direct contrast to the philosophers, many experts looked at the work of naturalist Charles Darwin and developed theories focused on evolutionary answers to the meaning of life. Some concluded that the meaning of life is based in biology and psychology. Darwin wrote that the nature of life is achieving genetic survival. Species evolved by surviving and procreating, to pass along their genetic material to the next generation. Humans have a greater awareness than other species and are motivated by other desires and interests. If Darwin's theories are correct, then human evolution is strongly influenced by human goals, and these goals contribute to human survival and reproduction. In general, the goals of individual humans are not specifically focused on adaptation and survival. For example, some may wish to have large families with many children, but others desire to remain childless. Another aspect of the theory, evolutionary cosmology, supposes that life in the universe is interdependent; evolutionary meaning may lie simply in the delicate balance that allowed humans and other life-forms to exist in the first place, and continues to allow it to exist and develop. Proponents of these ideas allow that an intelligent life-form may play a part in manipulating the universe and the development of life.

Twentieth-Century Thought

Martin Heidegger initially stated that authenticity is the hallmark of a meaningful life. A life of authenticity is one chosen by the individual in accordance with a plan. Later, he had a different perspective. He felt that humankind was responsible for serving as guardians of the world, and this duty gives life meaning.

French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre also addressed the meaning of life. He believed that humans pursue goals to give life meaning, but an objective assessment of these goals will find them absurd and meaningless. This is in part true because other people, pursuing their own goals, will interfere in an individual's attempt to find meaning in this pursuit.

Albert Camus also believed in the absurdity of human life. He believed it was meaningless and senseless. He felt that humankind's efforts were always at odds with the world, which offers no sense and no unity. Humankind seeks a greater meaning, for example a god, but cannot understand it. He also believed that humans seek enduring impact but have no hope of achieving any lasting influence. Death is the end for all. Yet Camus believed that to continue forward, to keep living rather than give up when confronted by life's obstructions, is the way of freedom.

Overview

Philosophers have noted that the question—What is the meaning of life?—is often asked by people at a low point or crisis. Sometimes people pose such questions due to fears that something bad may change the course of their very good life, or when they find themselves questioning the values they have upheld. The quest is often part of an existential crisis.

People asking about the meaning of life often see the question itself in different ways. The meaning of life to some people may refer to the essence of oneself. People often believe that if they understand this core truth, they will find in it the meaning of life. Others see the meaning of life as a goal or objective. Life, they believe, has meaning in its pursuit of this aim. They may see this as a universal goal, or one set by an individual. Some people ask how people fit in the greater scheme of the universe, and wonder if individuals and their actions have any value. Some further ask if life has meaning if individuals' actions exist beyond the individuals themselves—must one have a lasting influence on the world for one's life to have meaning? Many wonder if the meaning of life is a guidance system, a set of rules for how to live. For some people, contemplating the meaning of life is seeking to determine if life is worth living.

Questions related to religion and the meaning of life are complex. If one's life has meaning only as part of a bigger plan, then the bigger plan's meaning must play a part in an even bigger plan, and so on. If these plans all lead to an afterlife, an existence beyond human life, in which lies life's meaning, then humanity can never know what the meaning of life is because humankind cannot understand the afterlife. If this is the case, questioning the meaning of life may be meaningless. A believer may choose a course of life that he or she trusts has meaning, possibly to find fulfillment, but no evidence compels this or indicates that an individual will find meaning.

Many philosophers have addressed the concept of meaningfulness. The four main modern views are supernaturalism, objective naturalism, subjective naturalism, and nihilism.

According to supernaturalism, a meaningful life may be achieved through the existence of God. One must have the correct beliefs and follow the correct practices to succeed. Some believe the meaning of life is tied to the immortal soul, which ensures that one endures beyond death.

Objective naturalism rejects the need for a supernatural connection to obtain meaningfulness. This view is concerned with the physical world alone. Desire for meaning is insufficient, because meaning relies on the conditions of one's experiences in the natural world, independent of what one wants.

Subjective naturalism holds that meaningfulness is an individual concept. It is achieved by striving toward the goals one has set for oneself or through some important accomplishment. In some views, intense care about or love for something is enough to give life meaning. Others question this idea, however. They counter that violent individuals might claim to find personal fulfilment in the pain they inflict upon others, which puts the idea of meaningfulness in doubt. If an individual pursuit of meaning is focused on achieving goals of no value, this again runs counter to the idea of meaningfulness. Like objective naturalism, subjective naturalism rejects the necessity of a god in meaningfulness.

Nihilism, or pessimistic naturalism, denies the possibility of a meaningful life. This view holds that nothing has value. It argues that a meaningful life requires the existence of a supernatural element (God), but since this supernatural element does not exist, nothing is of real value.

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