Richard Taylor The Meaning Of Life

The debate between existentialism and the rest of the world is a fierce, albeit recent one. Before the "dawn of science" and the Age Of Reason, it was universally accepted that there were such things as gods, right and wrong, and heroism. However, with the developing interest in science and the mechanization of the universe near the end of the Renaissance, the need for a God was essentially removed, and humankind was left to reconsider the origin of meaning. John Gardner’s intelligently written Grendel is a commentary on the merits and flaws of both types of worldview: the existentialist "meaning-free" universe, and the heroic universe, where every action is imbued with purpose and power. Indeed, the

It doesn’t seem fair to the philosopher nor does the reader, to ask “what make a meaningful life?,” which is exactly what Taylor asks Ronell on pg. 35 of the texts. The answer, a proposal, not that she presents a problem, but she does attempt to convince the reader that they should have some concern or interest, with her statement, “But the clamor for meaning is something that should be recognized as a symptom and often as a sickness, a sign of weakness. Though it’s something that we are in constant negotiation with—everyone wants something like meaning to back up finite, often impoverished existence.” We should have an interest in the meaning of

Camus explanations of the Myth of Sisyphus, presented the concept of the absurd by outlining the beliefs that an individuals life has worth but only his live in a world that denies such worth to survive. Therefore, the absurdity in the statement, explains the fact of a clash between the orders through which an individuals mind hard for, likewise the lack of order that we as humans find in the world.

John Gardner 's brilliantly composed Grendel is an analysis on the benefits and defects of both sorts of perspective: the existentialist "significance free" universe, and the brave universe, where each activity is pervaded with reason and power. Without a doubt, the book brings up numerous philosophical issues as to the significance of life and also to the way people characterize themselves. Furthermore, Gardner depicts persistent examination, and last endorsement, of existentialist perspectives as one watches that the principle character, Grendel, is an existentialist.

When people invest an abundant amount of time in a task, whether it be trivial and mundane like finishing the laundry, or important and time consuming like attaining a degree, they tend to want to be validated that they are spending their time in a meaningful way. Philosophers are often sought out for their wisdom and to answer the deep and mind-bending questions common people don’t intensely ponder. Though what the meaning of life is seems to be unique to each individual, when a philosopher asserts they have revelated the meaning of life, it is imperative to investigate their claims. In an article entitled Revealed-the meaning of life, philosopher Julian Baggini claims he knows the answer to one of life’s most burning question, what is

The underlying truth behind the existence of humanity is yet to be explained. The field of philosophy concerns itself with trying to offer an astute explanation to understanding the human existence as well as human nature. Yet, there is a blatant irony in humans trying to propose the reasoning behind their own existence. Are humans capable of providing justification of their own existence? Philosophers try to establish a concrete validation of these questions by using concepts of existence, epistemology, and morality. However, not all philosophical schools of thought seamlessly blend together in using these concepts.

There is a key difference between living a meaningless life and a leading a rewarding life with a purpose. In the first case, the goal in life is to work hard to be accepted by the standards of others. As a result, a life will most likely wasted on work that gives no meaning or reward to the person. In the second case, a person can live for their own standards and behave in a way that is enjoyable to themselves. “I too had receiv'd identity by my body, That I was I knew was of my body, and what I should be I knew I should be of my body. . . . About my body for me, and your body for you. . .”

The question I know of you have asked yourself at some point; Does God exist? Well this question opens the door to bigger questions of life: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Do we serve a true purpose? What happens after we die? The question of the existence of god is fundamental, but truly is something that has been misconstrued. Through the duration of this paper I will discuss two arguments on the existence of God, and the premises and versions that follow both of these arguments.

The magazine, Psychology Today, says that as time passes the older adult becomes unhappy in countless ways, Dr. Fredric Neuman states that older people begin to talk about how their time is limited or “up,” and usually defy death with acrimony and levelheadedness. In addition he says that impending death takes some reflection about life and the more awful you feel your life has been the less satisfaction you have about life in general (Neuman, 2013). And when it is all said and done, we die. The meaning and the purpose we found in life was pursued in permanency. However, we know that nothing lasts forever, not the body, not things, not what we have accomplished, and over time, all that we were is forgotten (Neuman, 2013). What we have learned to do is live as long as possible, most of us are happy even through our struggles and many of us know that the meaning of our lives is found not in

It is uniquely human to inquire what exactly it means to exist. At the end of an intensive philosophy course I took this past summer at Vanderbilt, I laughingly admit that I left knowing less than I did before. I took delight in this obscure study because of its unconventional objective- to critically determine and comprehend our own philosophies to abide by. With this, humans must ultimately decide what existence means and how they will interpret fundamental moments that will inevitably occur. The basis formed from such speculation serves as a determinant for the outcome of an individual's life. While philosophy may seem somewhat complex and simple all at once, a deeper investigation into one of its many disciplines must be conducted for one to develop a better grasp. One of my absolute favorite concepts to confuse myself with is the subject of morality. My fellow classmates and I, along with my professor, posed the question “are humans born

Sisyphus is an ancient Greek fable of a God who was punished by other Gods to roll a rock to the top of a hill only to see it roll right back to the bottom for all of eternity. Sisyphus was never able to truly accomplishing anything forced to be tormented for all of time. Taylor used this as an example for the meaninglessness of life because it gave the reader an image in their mind of what a truly meaningless life would be as we can now currently understand it.

What is the purpose of life? Why is mankind the way it is? These are questions that have been lingering in philosophers mind since ancient times. A myriad of philopshers have tried seeking answers to these questions. The theory of existentialism has been a debatable topic for centuries.

Death is not a wonderful event, as it brings a time of grieving. Death is an end to many organic lives, though it isn't necessarily a bad thing, but that does not mean life is insignificant. To Susan Wolf she believes that the meaning of life is the fulfillment in one’s life and Thomas Nagel’s view on death is that it is bad because a person loses their opportunities of the wonderful things in life.

But also in the book it discusses how people do not agree with creating one’s own purpose. They think that if they create their own purpose, then that means that their life meaning is not as meaningful. I do agree with this to some extent but I also think that we know ourselves the best and if we create our own life meaning it can be the most fulfilling. A quote from this chapter is, “What matters is not necessarily what the inventor had in mind, but the uses or purposes the innovation actually has” (p.12). This quote is saying that for example the predetermined meaning of humans is not really important at all. It is what purposes a human can bring about in this world.

Camus, different from the many philosophers we have read so far, at first seems to hold a defeatist attitude with regard to the search for meaning in life. Instead of trying to identify a systematic way in which we can characterize meaningfulness such as narrative values or the Fitting Fulfillment theory, Camus argues that we ought to overcome our fundamental “craving” for meaning. He believes that “we must live within the indifference of the universe, or better within the constant confrontation of our need for meaning with the universe’s steadfast silence” (May ix). Fundamentally, Camus is addressing the meaning of life, while Wolf and Todd May are trying to identify the meaning within life. While Camus and Wold may be talking past each other due to this disparity, Camus can still contribute to our quest for happiness.