The meaning of life will continuously be an apparent question for individuals. Once people find their reason to live, a human life is worth living; ultimately it is better for it to be lived than not lived (Matheson, Lecture 1). However, human beings have reason to believe in transcendent meaning of life. Fundamentally, transcendent meaning of life is life grounded outside of life, such as the supernatural or nonphysical. The meaning of life is vital for the reason being it allows human beings to appreciate life, even during the hardships. Recognizing possibilities as to what makes human life worthwhile can help those appreciate the value of life even more (Matheson, Lecture 1). American philosopher and professor, Louis Paul Pojman, contemplates the reason to believing in transcendent meaning of life is religion.
In Pojman’s essay, “Religion Gives Meaning to Life,” he presents eight premises of what theism would make true. Pojman’s deems religion provides life meaning; whereas a secular life is not significant to the way individuals view the world. He argues that autonomy is freedom with no restrictions and religion gives meaning and purpose to life, even though there are sacrifices to our freedom. Pojman suggests a number of conditions that something must meet in order to count as what we might call a "meaning maker" for life (Matheson, Lecture 5). One of these conditions is premises three, individuals comprehend and know that God loves and cares for us; this love that we have from God offers humans the motivation needed to live a morally good life (Pojman, Louis P. "Religion Gives Meaning to Life.” The Meaning of Life). Ultimately, people live morally good lives since God is known to love all children, which influences those t...
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...od, but he sees that people’s belief in God provides individuals with a much greater belief in their own importance. Also, by following the teachings of religion, which is mostly about loving your fellow man, society as a whole benefits thanks to the good deeds performed by believers. This is regardless of whether they are doing the good deeds to enhance their own redemption at the time of death or as an unselfish act to only please God.
The alternative, a world of only secularism, would most likely result in a colder, more selfish world than the one we currently live in.
Works Cited
Klemke, E. D., & Cahn, S. M. (1981). Religion Gives Meaning to Life. The Meaning of life (Third Edition ed., pp. 27-30). New York: Oxford University Press.
Matheson, D. (Director) (2014, January 7). The Meaning of Life. PHIL 1200. Lecture conducted from Carleton University, Ottawa.
the great minds of our times: the meaning of life. He is able to somewhat
“Religion Gives Meaning to Life” outlines how life is given meaning through theistic religion in Louis Pojman’s opinion. In this short reading, autonomy is described as in the meaning of freedom or self-governing and argues how it is necessary for ideal existence. By being honest and faithful with ourselves shows how we can increase our autonomy. “I think most of us would be willing to give up a few autonotoms for an enormous increase in happiness” (553) shows our willingness to practice good purpose.
"People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive...." Joseph Campbell made this comment on the search for meaning common to every man's life. His statement implies that what we seem bent on finding is that higher spark for which we would all be willing to live or die; we look for some key equation through which we might tie all of the experiences of our life and feel the satisfaction of action toward a goal, rather than the emptiness which sometimes consumes the activities of our existence. He states, however, that we will never find some great pure meaning behind everything, because there is none. What there is to be found, however, is the life itself. We seek to find meaning so that emptiness will not pervade our every thought, our every deed, with the coldness of reality as the unemotional eye chooses to see it. Without color, without joy, without future, reality untouched by hope is an icy thing to view; we have no desire to see it that way. We forget, however, that the higher meaning might be found in existence itself. The joy of life and the experience of living are what make up true meaning, as the swirl of atoms guided by chaotic chance in which we find our existence has no meaning outside itself.
Richard Madsen, William Sullivan, Ann Swidler and Steven Tipton, eds. Meaning and Modernity: Religion, Polity and Self. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA. 2002.
Throughout time, the definition of what is considered to be “religion” has been proven to be quite a challenge. This is primarily due to the fact that religions continuously evolve over time as well as an individual’s perception and understanding about what religion seems to be. Despite this ongoing process of modifications when attempting to characterize and define religion, what is certainly constant is the fact that religion plays a great role in influencing societies and individuals historically (McGuire 5). In order for an individual to well integrate oneself into society and build a daily life, religious practices is essential to this process. By analyzing the effects of religion and religious practices on communities and individuals, it will become apparent that religious practices are quite more important than religion itself and its institutions when it comes to helping one adjust into society and life.
...ng my opinion using Frankl can argue “For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment.” He warns us to not turn meaning into an illusion.
It might be thought that the first task in considering the question of the `Meaning of Life' is to define the key terms: `Life' and `Meaning'. However, the meanings of `Meaning' are many; and `Life' itself could be seen as not so much a separate entity, but rather, the totality of those meanings to which I have alluded. Anyway, I shall take `Life' in this context to mean HUMAN life, and the meaning of this life as, specifically, the condition of our existence so far as we bring this into question.
Religion is defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Throughout time, religion has been debated to the point where many have philosophers have claimed it as a crutch for individuals in times of depression or despair. However, the purpose of religion has been argued numerous times and now the age old question remains whether or not religion is a want or a need. This question has been debated, and it is clear where philosophers such as Kierkegaard, James and Nietzsche stand, in regards to such prominent men as Marx, Skinner and Freud. Both sides pose salient arguments and each present strong points. Based on each argument presented, religion is therefore both a want and a need under certain conditions.
Brannigan, Jack. The Purpose of Life & the General Theory of Ethics. Nebraska, USA: iUniverse, 2005.
...ers of life are what make it so unique for each person. In this way, one could say that this is a part of one’s spirituality and one’s ongoing search for the meaning in life.
Religion is an organized collection of beliefs and cultural systems that entail the worship of a supernatural and metaphysical being. “Religion just like other belief systems, when held onto so much, can stop one from making significant progress in life”. Together with religion come traditions that provide the people with ways to tackle life’s complexities. A subscription to the school of thought of great scholars
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
Many people wonder: what is the meaning of life? What is the human purpose on this earth? At least one time in our lifetime, we all look at ourselves and wonder if we are living our lives the way we were meant to live them. Sadly, there is not a definite answer to the principles of human life. Every human comes from different backgrounds and different experiences throughout their existence.
“Life has no meaning a priori. Life itself is nothing until it is lived, it is we who give it meaning, and value is nothing more than the meaning we give it” (Satre 51).
What is the meaning of life? What is the point of living if we all eventually die? Philosophers have come up with many different theories regarding this subject. However, there remains a lack of any agreed upon theory for the meaning of life. Thomas Nagel and Harry Frankfurt are two philosophers who have offered their opinions on this issue. In his book called What Does it All Mean?, Nagel distinguishes between meaning within a life and the meaning of life as a whole. The differences between the two create a discrepancy that does not provide a clear conclusion which attributes meaning to our lives. On the other hand, in his book called The Reasons of Love, Frankfurt argues that love is the key to a meaningful life. He describes the idea of self-love, the purest form of love that commits us to finding meaning in our lives. This paper discusses Nagel’s distinction between the two types of meaningfulness, Frankfurt’s analysis of the love-meaning connection, and my argument that Frankfurt’s point of view addresses Nagel’s meaning within a life but not meaning of life as a whole. Then, the paper concludes with my belief that the search for the meaning of life is the meaning of life itself.