the meaning of life

The other evening Russ and I were bantering about nothing in particular. I was sitting at the computer, so I asked him what he wanted me to google. “Oh, the meaning of life” he said jokingly. So I googled it. And sure enough Wikipedia had an entry–I love Wikipedia: The meaning of life constitutes a philosophical question concerning the purpose and significance of human existence or biological life in general.

Then there followed an amazing array of isms and their respective takes on the meaning of life (mol):

Platonism, Aristotelianism, Cynicism, Cyrenaicism, Epicureanism, Stoicism, Classical liberalism, Kantianism, Utilitarianism, Marxism, Nihilism, Pragmatism, Existentialism, Absurdism (I’m not making these up), Secular humanism, Logical positivism, Postmodernism, Naturalistic pantheism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity ism, Islam ism, Bahai’I Faith ism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Confucianism! Plus the meaning of life in popular culture: The Highhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, The Simpsons, The Matrix and more.

You are probably all dying to know what the meaning of life is according to The Simpsons. But alas, apparently in this episode, just as the audience is about to find out, the credits start to roll and the end music plays over the explanation from God; the viewer never finds out. Sigh.

But if you want to know what different peoples have thought through the centuries, here are a few random, interesting, cribbed (very narrow) summaries:

Platonism. The meaning of life is in attaining the highest form of knowledge, which is the Idea (Form) of the Good from which all good and just things derive utility and value. Human beings are duty-bound to pursue the good.

Aristotelianism. Aristotle argued that ethical knowledge is not certain knowledge, but is general knowledge. Because it is not a theoretical discipline, a person had to study and practice in order to become ‘good,’ thus if the person were to become virtuous, he could not simply study what virtue is, he had to be virtuous, via virtuous activities. The good has rightly been defined as the object of all endeavor: Everything is done with a goal, and that goal is ‘good.’

Cynicism states that the purpose of life is living a life of Virtue that agrees with nature. Happiness depends upon being self-sufficient and master of one’s mental attitude; suffering is consequence of false judgments of value, which cause negative emotions and a concomitant vicious character. The Cynical life rejects conventional desires for wealth, power, health, and fame, by being free of the possessions acquired in pursuing the conventional.

Epicureanism states that the greatest good is in seeking modest pleasures, to attain tranquility and freedom from fear via knowledge, friendship, and virtuous, temperate living.

Marxism says the meaning of life is to serve one another, in peace and with integrity as equal and just beings.

Existentialism says that each man and woman creates the essence (meaning) of his and her life; life is not determined by a supernatural god or an earthly authority, one is free. As such, one’s ethical prime directives are action, freedom, and decision. In seeking meaning to life, the existentialist looks to where people find meaning in life, in course of which using only reason as a source of meaning is insufficient; the insufficiency of reason gives rise to the emotions of anxiety and dread felt in facing one’s radical freedom, and the concomitant awareness of death.

Humanism affirms our ability, and responsibility, to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity. Humanists promote enlightened self interest and the common good for all people. The happiness of the individual person is inextricably linked to the well-being of humanity, as a whole, in part, because we are social animals, who find meaning in personal relations, and because cultural progress benefits everybody living in the culture.

Buddhism believes that life is suffering or frustration. Which does not mean that there is no pleasure in life, but this pleasure does not cause everlasting happiness. The suffering is caused by attachment to objects material or non-material which in turn causes one to be born again and again in the cycle of existence. The Buddhist does not speak about “the meaning of life” or “the purpose of life," but about the potential of human life to end suffering through detaching oneself from cravings and conceptual attachments. Nirvana means freedom from both suffering and rebirth.

Taoism symbolizes the unity of opposites between yin and yang.

The Taoists cosmogeny emphasizes the need for all sentient beings and all man to return to the primordial or to rejoin with the Oneness of the Universe by way of self cultivation and self realization. The meaning in life is to realize the temporal nature of the existence. Only introspection can then help us to find our innermost reasons for living...the simple answer is here within ourselves.

Jainism promotes self discipline above all else. Through following the ascetic teachings of Jina, one can achieve enlightenment (perfect knowledge). Happiness is the result of self-conquest and freedom from external objects. Jains believe all souls are equal because they all possess the potential of being liberated and attaining Moksha. The Jain view of karma is that every action, every word, every thought produces not only a visible but an invisible transcendental effect on the soul.

The Baha’i Faith views humans as intrinsically spiritual beings. Our lives in this material world provide extended opportunities to grow and to develop divine qualities and virtues, and the prophets were sent by God to facilitate this.

Logical positivism say that a person’s life has meaning (for himself and others) in relation to the life events resulting from his achievements, legacy, family, et cetera, But, to say that life itself has meaning, is a misuse of language, since any note of significance, or of consequence, is relevant only to the living, so rendering the statement erroneous.

Postmodernist thought sees human nature as constructed by language, or by structures and institutions of human society. Anything resembling a ‘meaning of life,’ in postmodernist terms, can only be understood within a social and linguistic framework. In other words we do not know what we know with certainty; we only know what we know relative to the tradition within which our knowledge is articulated. There is no firm place to stand outside of our traditions that would provide us with the possibility of purely objective discernment. I achieve a certainty only within and with respect to the traditions and communities of which I am a part.

Sikhism. The term “sikh” means student, which denotes that followers will lead their lives forever learning. Salvation can be obtained by following various spiritual paths, so Sikhs do not have a monopoly on salvation: “The Lord dwells in every heart, and every heart has its own way to reach Him.” Sikhs believe that all people are equally important before God. Sikhs balance their moral and spiritual values with the quest for knowledge, and they aim to promote a life of peace and quality but also of positive action.

Well I doubt you’re still with me, but if you are, I will also give a definition from Viktor E. Frankl Man’s Search for Meaning. I started reading this little book a month or two ago just because I ran onto while I was cleaning. I had read it in college and have often thought about some of Frankl’s profound and moving examples from his experiences as a prisoner at Auschwitz. Particularly his insight of “the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” I had put it down for a few days, but then picked it up randomly shortly after the googling-of-the-meaning-of-life episode. I hadn’t really put the two together or even thought about the fact that Frankl’s book is a treatise on the meaning of life—duh–it’s in the title. But when I picked it up again, I read this:

“We had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly.

“According to logotherapy [Frankl’s theory], the striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man. That is why I speak of a will to meaning.”

“Man is never driven to moral behavior; in each instance he decides to behave morally. Man does not do so in order to satisfy a moral drive and to have a good conscience; he does so for the sake of a cause to which he commits himself, or for a person whom he loves, or for the sake of his God.”

Anyway all these ideas and beliefs about life make for fruitful meditations. So many profound and overlapping views—I was quite taken with Cynicism, Taoism, and Marxism, among others. Oh and I forgot to mention Wikipedia’s take on Christianity:

Christianity Life's purpose in Christianity is to seek divine salvation through the grace of God and intercession of Christ. I thought that line, without a good deal of unpacking (which should be said about all of the above), was a bit anemic, and preferred this line from the Westminster Confession, further down in the reference: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever.

Well there you have a few musings on the mol.

PS: The caption for that three-paneled pic above is: Hans Memling's The Last Judgment, which depicts St Michael the Archangel weighing souls and driving the Damned towards Hell. Kinda cool, huh? (I still have not figured out to arrange things on a post!)