Religious Philosophies and the Meaning of Life

The meaning of life is to find the meaning of life. Is it not? We all go through each day trying to figure out which road out the infinite amount of paths will lead us in a better direction where happiness is prominent and society is flawless. However, not every single human being is going to fit on that narrow, one-lane highway to success. Bad choices, accidents, fate, family matters, society, temptation, anger, rage, addiction, and loss of hope can all be deciding factors in opting to choose that wrong path to self-destruction. The adverse thing is, once you've traveled so far down the road, you get so discouraged that you feel like you can never turn back or make up for the "lost time."

What is the meaning of life? According to Chris McCandless living free and not conforming to the natural way of life is the meaning to life, as shown in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Similar to Chris McCandless, Ralph Emerson believes that following your dreams and making your own trail is the meaning of life according to his short story “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Emerson. The purpose of man's existence is to avoid conformity and following one's own instincts and ideas.

Susan R. Wolf (born 1952) is a moral philosopher who works extensively on the meaning of human life and is the Edna J. Koury Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Wolf addresses the questions of the meaning of life in hope to distinguish the characteristics and reasoning that gives meaning to life. According to Susan Wolf view about the meaning in life, “I would say that meaningful life are lives of active engagement in projects of worth… two key phrases, ‘active engagement’ and ‘projects of worth’” (Wolf, 205). However, I believe that her proposal leaves out our basic motives and reasoning that’s

If an individual asked many different people from around the world what they thought the meaning of life is, this individual is destined to receive numerous answers that would vary from living a happy life to bringing about happiness to others. However, the most recurrent response would likely be something to the extent of “living a happy, healthy life.” Very few ever accomplish what McCandless achieved, an actual state of happiness and contentedness within one’s life. “ many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind…”(Chris McCandless, Into the Wild) McCandless had the naive idea that if one wants to find serinity within oneself, the individual must have the courage to venture out of one’s habitual lifestyle and mold to unaccustomed experiences. McCandless also infers that finding meaning in your life is not only accomplished by experiencing unorthodox mannerisms but by taking life lessons from these experiences and applying it to better yourself in the future. When ordinary needs have been fulfilled, an individual tends to seek more. Some take up religion or even drugs but others, such as McCandless, strive for personal fulfillment or

As people age, they begin to wonder what is the meaning of life, particularly their own life. It is a natural curiosity and has been thought about for several centuries. Philosophers claim to know, or at least be fairly aware of, what the meaning of life is. Three that come to mind are Rene Descartes, Epictetus, and Plato; these three philosophers have lived through different time periods and differ greatly in theories. Descartes had no true theory but used skepticism to establish his philosophy, Epictetus was a Stoic, and Plato was a Platonist. One, Descartes, lived questioning anything and everything to only be sure of two existences, another, Epictetus, lived perhaps too happily since he believed that everything that occurred in life was a part of God’s plan, but one lived in the middle of these two philosophers. This philosopher was Plato, he was not too skeptical of life nor was he too engulfed in “God’s plan,” instead he was rational about life and searched for the deeper meaning to his own being. For this reason, his theories are far more well thought-out and reasonable than those of Descartes and Epictetus.

What is the meaning of life? This has been a topic that has been greatly debated and discussed for as long as anyone can remember. Many people believe that happiness is the key to life and living a good life. Although achieving happiness can be difficult and it is another topic that no one really has a clear definition of and no one knows how to truly acquire it and can actually differ from person to person. John Steinbeck actually asks a question about happiness and in the story Cannery Row by John Steinbeck there are many different characters who… seem to have quirky personalities. While these characters do seem to live a tough life and don’t seem to have very much as far as money they are actually happy and content with their lives.

I think that the Theistic response to life’s meaning is most likely true. The Theistic response to life’s meaning says that God gives life meaning. There are a lot of good arguments in favor of the Theistic response. I found that Aquinas’s argument really helped me to think this response is more likely true than the other responses. Aquinas says that humans desire to know the first cause of all things and that is God, therefore God is the meaning of life. This explanation really made me realize that I’ve always believed there had to be a God because I have always had the thought that the world can’t originate from nothing, unless there is something greater than us. Aquinas really helped to solidify that belief of mine.

But, as philosopher Tom Nagel has argued, this is not the sense of “the meaning of life” people are usually interested in. Suppose an alien species created human life in order to provide them with a future food supply. Then the purpose of human life is to be food for aliens. That would be the meaning of life, if we take

I have a theistic response to the meaning of life question and I always have. I don’t believe that anything I have read or watched could change my ways of thinking. I believe everyone has a different answer to the “meaning of life question” therefore any of the 4 possible responses are true, they are just true for different people. I believe that we were put on this earth by God and are here because he wants us to be here and live out his plan, so this I the response that I think is most likely true. Some people don’t believe in god or an external reality, like Adina Roskies who seems to have a Self-Chosen Commitment response to the “meaning of life question” and believe we create our own meaning. Some people agree with her views and others

Buddhism can be regarded as a strong response of Wolf’s view. The book ‘The Meaning of Life: Buddhist Perspectives on Cause and Effect’ by The Fourteenth Dalai Lama offers a perspective which approaches the problem from a religious point of view. However, he does not focus on the question of the ultimate meaning of human life, rather he gazes at the question of how people seek and maintain meaningful lives. The word ’meaning’ is itself vague, and it has various meanings: motive, intention, indication, cause, effect, explanation, purpose, significance. The Buddhist view admits ‘purpose’ or ‘significance’ as the meaning of meaning. Thus, we can turn the question ‘what is the meaning of life?’ into either the question ‘what is the purpose of life?’ or the question ‘what is the significance of life?’ This meaning poses another question whose purpose it has served. For many religious believers, it is God. The meaning of life is what God intended to signify. However, the Dalai Lama has argued that the purpose of life is to be happy, or in other words happiness is the predominant objective of life. It is an uncontroversial fact that everyone wants happiness and does not want suffering. But the contention lies how one can achieve happiness and avoid suffering. It’s important to discover what will bring happiness because we, the human beings, are simply desire contentment.

In the book What’s It All About? by Julian Baggini discusses philosophy and the meaning of life. This reading was able to bring different perspectives on ideas of the meaning of life that I have thought about before. I was also able to learn about these concerns about life 's meaning or meaninglessness in a philosophical standpoint. Some of the chapters that I found interesting included the chapters titled looking for the blueprint, here to help, and becoming a contender.

What is the meaning of life? Well known Greek philosphers such as Socrates and Plato believed that our purpose in this life was to gain knowledge in preparation for the next life. Other Philosophers such as Epicurus believed that pleasure is the main goal in life. After giving these ideas lots of thought, I have come to my own conclusion that the true meaning of life is far more complex than either of these; far too complex for any human to fully comprehend. In fact these two different philosophies are only part of the grand picture. If it were that easy for men to figure out our lives wouldn't be so messed up now. The meaning of life revolves around many different things. I

“What is the meaning of life?” Jean-Paul Sartre defines life as first accepting our own faults and strengths, to then understand that the world exists regardless of our actions, and it is only when we actively participate and take responsibility for our place in the world do we honestly experience life. In Sartre’s autobiography The Words he explores the

My few years on this planet have been a bit confusing. I have learned of many aspects of life from which one can draw meaning, if indeed such meaning can be drawn. I have also learned that there can be no singular meaning of life to stand for us all, or even any one of us. What I have learned above all is that trying to put words to the meaning of life is a task of absolute absurdity. This is not to be confused with the idea that life has no meaning, for life certainly has meaning. However, there is no single meaning of life to be defined - life is different for us all. Therefore, rather than define life for an entire planet, I shall try to explain what life means as I perceive it, and why it means so.

The consideration of the purpose of life has been ongoing and is never-ending throughout the course of history. The question itself has caused many people to generate many different strong views and opinions based on traditional, ideological backgrounds, and religious outlooks. The deliberation about the meaning of life will never end since there is not one reassuring basic, general answer. Instead, examine the question in another way, like, “What is my purpose in life?” The purpose of life varies from one person to another because of “free will.” While some people believe that for every human, life is called to some divine duty by God, everyone has a different drive that is waiting to be discovered within themselves, and people must set