The Meaning of Life

Lecture 1: Tolstoys Confession

What is the Meaning of Life?

You will hear how some philosophers answer this question You will better understand the question (hopefully!) You will become enlightened with the answer

Which you will write about in the exam!

All readings and lectures for this section are related to 1 question in the exam You should be able to guess the main question Note that you will have to discuss the material from the lectures and readings in your answer

Leo Tolstoy
Or Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Famous Russian author
War and Peace, Anna Karenina etc.

Anarchist, Pacifist, Christian Loved, respected, healthy, very wealthy, famous, politically influential

Tolstoys Confession
When middle-aged, and successful on all accounts, he became plagued by foolish, simple, and childish questions Qns that would lead him to question the purpose of his life and life in general

Tolstoys Questions
E.g. Why. Well, and then?
Qn: Why write this book this? Ans: For fame. Qn: But why should I want fame? Etc.

He realised they were important qns about the meaningfulness of his actions and even of his life Questions that he thought unanswerable Questions that paralysed him
I ought to know why I should do that. So long as I did not know why, I could not do anything. I could not live.

Trapped Between Death and Meaninglessness

Life seems a mean, stupid trick played on us by a mocking observer He had it all, but it was all meaningless
there was nothing in life and never would be. Sooner or later there would come diseases and death and there would be nothing left but stench and worms. All my affairs, no matter what they might be, would sooner or later be forgotten

Infuriated ..Beast

Eastern Story

Tolstoys Moral of the Story

The problem of the meaning of life is that Life is meaningless! And then you die! What a bummer! Note that life is meaningless because we all die and nothing is left of us

Get Over it!

Some say: You cannot understand the meaning of life, do not think, live! But Tolstoy saw every event as bringing him closer to inevitable death
(Including licking honey off leaves and going to parties!)

On Loving Family
they are also human beings they must either live in the lie or see the terrible truth [a]nd the truth is death So, [w]hy should I love them[?]

On Loving Authorship
Looking at life through the mirror of art was once pleasurable But knowing that there was no meaning of life made the mirror useless, superfluous, ridiculous and painful Art cannot help us to escape death

Will Science Help?

I know all which science wants to know, but there is no answer to the question about the meaning of my life What will come of my life?
Nothing

Why does everything that exists exist?

Because it exists

You are a temporal, accidental conglomeration of particles

No
Tolstoy: What is the meaning of my life? Science: You are an accidentally cohering globule of something. The globule is fermenting. This fermentation the globule calls its life. Science: [But] the globule falls to pieces, and all fermentation and all questions will come to an end.

Tolstoy had 4 Options

Of peoples attitudes towards the meaning of life problem: 1) living in ignorance of the problem 2) admitting the problem and trying to maximise their pleasure 3) admitting it and committing suicide 4) admitting it and continuing to live aimlessly

Until He Hung with the Masses (Normal People)

Who didnt fit his classificatory scheme 1) They knew the problem well 2) Their lives were full of suffering, not pleasure 3) Killing themselves is taboo 4) They can explain why they perform every act

Science vs Religion 2
Rational knowledge AKA science did not give any meaning to life
We are just fermenting globules

the meaning which all humanity ascribed to life was based on false knowledge AKA faith in religion
creation in six days, devils and angels, and all that I could not accept so long as I had not lost my senses

Science vs Religion 3
Problem: Faith demands that reason/rationality be abandoned to gain meaning
(the meaning of life)

But we only need meaning if we have exercised reason/rationality

(asked what its all about)

Tolstoys Mistake
He was asking:
What is the extra-temporal, extra-causal, extra-spatial meaning of my life? I.e. What indestructible essence will come from my destructible life? I.e. What meaning has my finite existence in this infinite world?

But gave an answer to the question:

What is the temporal, causal, spatial meaning of my life?

To which, science answered: none

The Flaw of Reason

Rational knowledge only says that the real question of the meaning of life cannot be meaningfully answered
It gives the answer: Life = Life because it cannot reconcile the finite with the infinite (our lives with greater meaning)

So rational knowledge leads to the limited What is the temporal, causal, spatial meaning of my life? question
Which is not what we are really asking!

Faiths Virtue
Despite being irrational and monstrous, faith provides answers that always reconcile the finite with the infinite
Qn: What is the meaning which is not destroyed by death? Ans: The union with infinite God, paradise.

Tolstoys Argument
The finite must be reconciled with the infinite to give meaning to our lives Reason cannot do this Faith can Therefore, we should use faith to answer the question: what is the meaning of life

Tolstoys Position
We need faith to avoid the catch 22 of meaninglessness vs death/suicide He needed faith to become unparalysed by the problem of the meaning of life Faith is the power of life that allows all people to live He thinks that we should have faith & live According to Gods law

Summary of Tolstoy
If you think about it, life is absurd we live a meaningless life and then we die! Only faith can properly answer the question of the meaning of life
By reconciling the finite & infinite

Despite being irrational, faith in religion is the only way to know the meaning of life We must know the meaning of life to go on living

Take Home Lessons

Everyone with big ears should grow a beard to hide them Life is like a well with a dragon at the bottom and mice harassing you while you lick honey of leaves
Well, sort of

Do the rational thing here abandon your rationality!

The Meaning of Life

Lecture 2: Taylors Subjective Meaning in Life

This Time: Richard Taylor

More on meaninglessness An account of how to find meaning in your life Brief summary:
the meaning of life is to live in accordance with your nature for humans, that is to use our will to make plans and follow them through

Richard Taylor
Maybe we can better understand this tricky qn (what is the meaning of life) if we consider what a meaningless existence would be Its rude to examine real people so

The Myth of Sisyphus

Sisyphus made a deal with the Gods and then went back on it They punished him by giving him a meaningless chore to do for eternity Nothing ever comes of Sisyphus labours His existence is meaningless
Nothing comes of it

A New Myth of Sisyphus

The Gods changed Sisyphus desires so all he wants is to roll rocks He now gets exactly what he wants for all eternity
Sounds great!

But, this doesnt make his existence any more meaningful

Nothing comes of it

Taylor on Meaningfulness
Meaninglessness is endless pointlessness Meaningfulness is activity with a point, a result, a significant culmination So, which of these best represents all life as we know it?
This includes plants and animals

Is Animal Life Objectively Meaningful?

Glow worms, cicadas and the meaningless cycle of life The only point of any living things life is just life itself

Is Human Life Objectively Meaningful?

Humans also perpetuate the meaningless cycle of life We have goals and plans, but are they ultimately for anything other than surviving & reproducing? Even when our achievements create lasting results
how long will they persist? and will it prevent our children from merely surviving and reproducing?

Whatever!!! My Life is Objectively Meaningful!!!

Sorry buddy thats just absurd! You need to consider the dramatic difference between:
Your (internal) perception of the significance of your life, and The objective (external) perception of the significance of your life

Our Significance from the Inside

We think that all events in the universe are only significant if they are likely to affect us
I.e. The universe revolves around us

We are all like this to some extent, but some people dont realise that this is the same for other people!

Our Significance from the Outside

All of us are completely insignificant to 99.99999999 etc.% of what exists
How big are we? (Not very big) How long do we live compared to the universe? (Not very long) When heat death kills the universe, our plans would seem beyond insignificant to anything left to observe

It is not surprising, then, that men invent ways of denying it

Religious beliefs centre around a departure from this meaningless cycle
Going to heaven Becoming enlightened, etc.

This would be nice! But which, if any, is right? Are there any good reasons to believe in one over another?

What Does What is the Meaning of Life? Mean? 1

What does life mean? (Not interesting)
To us, it means not being dead or lifeless To a God, it means amusement or experiment To a plant, it doesnt mean anything

What is the purpose for life (objective meaning/significance)?

Various religious purposes - e.g. heaven Continuing the cycle of life - e.g. glow worm There is no purpose for life Taylor: But, if there is a purpose for life, then life is meaningless!!

Taylor: A Purpose for Life (Objective Meaning) Makes it Meaningless

If life had an ultimate purpose, then you could achieve it Then, for the rest of the time you would lead a boring meaningless life E.g. Sisyphus Temple

What Do We Want What is the Meaning of Life? to Mean?

So, if Taylor is right, an objective meaning of life leads to either:
Fulfilling it and then being bored Not fulfilling it

Both end in meaninglessness! Taylor: Since an objective meaning of life would be bad, the best way to understand the MoL question is taking it to ask:
How can we make our lives subjectively meaningful?

Taylors Answer:
Simply understand that the MoL is to live in the manner in which it is our nature to live
The glow worm does what is in its nature

For humans, then, the meaning of life is living as we will to live

Making plans and seeing them through

Dissatisfied with this?

Remember, if there were a purpose for life, then life would be boring or meaningless!

So, the best MoL we can hope for comes from within us

Taylors Position on tMoL

So, the meaning of life comes from within us living in accordance with our will is how we can achieve meaning in our lives Our plans are the only significant thing we have only the pursuit of them brings (subjective) meaning to our lives These plans are absurdly insignificant from the outside, but not so from the inside thank goodness!
Without the subjective importance of our own plans, our lives might truly be meaningless

Summary of Taylor
The MoL is the same for all life The meaning of life is to live in accordance with your nature For humans, that is to use our will to make plans and follow them through Life may seem absurd but we should make plans and take them very seriously (dont consider their significance from the outside) So, the meaning each of our lives have for us, is very significant for us (thank goodness!)

The Meaning of Life

Lecture 3: Schlicks Meaning in Play

This Time: Moritz Schilck

Plans and goals are a curse The meaning of life is to do things for themselves (not for some future purpose) E.g. Living fully in the moment, like when children play

We, the Seekers

Some have not yet asked themselves if life has a meaning Others have given up the search after finding no meaning in their own life But, we are the seekers, still looking for an answer

Meaning in Goals/Purpose?
Some believe that [meaning] continues to be found where a person has reached his [or her] goals Once the goal is reached, however, after the first flush of triumph has passed away, there follows inevitably a mood of desolation. A void remains which only the painful emergence of new longings can fill

Why Our Goals are Not Enough

The view that meaning can be found where a person has fulfilled their goals/purposes makes our lives only a dull and painful voyage from one satisfaction to the next until we die! In truth, we shall never find an ultimate meaning in existence, if we view it only under the aspect of purpose

Why the Hurry?

Stop someone in a rush on Lambton Quay at 9am Ask them why they are rushing? Keep asking them questions until you find their ultimate purpose Schlick: if they are honest, it will be maintenance of life But why is that important?

Why Maintain Life?

If all purposes lead to the ultimate purpose of preserving life, then we would hope that life has some value But, where is the value in mere existence? The core and ultimate value of life can lie only in such states as exist for their own sake and carry their satisfaction [in] themselves

But, Pleasure from Achieving Goals is Not Enough

Pleasure from achievement of goals is a state that is good in itself But the striving for this pleasure (which is inevitably attached) is not Aiming at this kind of state is to join Schopenhauers dull and painful voyage from one satisfaction to the next until we die!

Schlick: The MoL is Play

to find a meaning in [life] we must seek for activities which carry their own purpose and value within them, independently of any goals
I.e. activities that are not work

play is the name for free, purposeless action, [play] carries its purpose within itself the meaning of existence is revealed only in play

Err What about War n Stuff?

Surely we need work to prevent the suffering of the less fortunate and ourselves!? Schlick: Play can also be work

Schlick: Creative Play The Futures Life Philosophy

In the future we will need to play creatively in order to survive Creative play is play that produces something good or useful Well need more than the play/work of artists well need people to play farmers and parents and doctors

Stop all Evil Work

Evil work (no e.g. given) is mechanical, brutalizing, degrading and it produce[s] only trash and empty luxury

So, Live the Life of Animals!?!

They sure seem to live in the moment! Schlick: they feel pleasure & pain, but they lack our superior consciousness

Schlick: We are supremely self-conscious being[s]

[Our] joy in the moment will not be blind and bestial, but bathed in the clearest light of consciousness.

We Dont Have Our Heads in the Sand!

Of course we see possible consequences of our actions but no specific goal stands there as an end to be necessarily attained Of course we set little goals in order to play, but they are fine

Live the Life of Youth

the meaning of [life] is concentrated and collected into a few short hours of deep, serene joy, into hours of play these hours crowd thickest in youth Youth doesnt care about purposes Youth really refers to anyone enthusiastic about activities for their own sake

Summary of Schlick
There is no reason to think that the meaning of life only comes after you are dead or when you get older Goals/purposes/work only lead to boredom and frustration tMoL is Play/the spirit of youth Play is activities done for their own sake for the joy they bring The spirit of youth is enthusiasm about activities for their own sake

How to Answer the Question

Be clear about what you are asking! Try to give a single answer that all people (& maybe animals) can use. tMoL is what each of us chooses it to be could be a bad answer
This would mean we couldnt be wrong about the meaningfulness of our lives E.g. A depressed man could claim that tMoL is to be depressed, making his life meaningful! E.g. Or a Nobel-winning all-round nice gal might think that her life was meaningless necessarily making it so!

Summary of Questions
Tolstoy: How can my finite (destructible) existence be meaningful in this infinite universe? Taylor: How can we make our lives subjectively meaningful? Schlick: What gives our lives meaning or value? You should argue for a best interpretation of the question (what is the meaning of life?)
Which interpretation is most important? Can they all be satisfyingly answered?

Summary of Answers
Tolstoy: Faith in religion reveals the meaning and purpose of life live according to Gods law Taylor: Live in accordance with your nature - use your will to make plans that are significant to you Schlick: Be like a youth and play enthusiastically do things for their own sake

A Religious Clean Sweep?

Faith, Plans, Play If you have faith in and enjoy your religion and plan to continue doing so, then you achieve all 3 of these! But how do you know that you have the right one?
The real god will be mad if you dont!

Does it matter if you have the right one?

What if Life is Meaningless?

If you believe that life is ultimately meaningless, dont do anything rash Watch a child play, see how they can find joy in nearly anything The fact that your experiences feel real to you is enough to give your life significance & meaning to you at least And the same is true of others as well So, make some plans, do something fun, or do something for someone else and then see if life feels meaningless