IS MY LIFE MEANINGFUL?
Leo Tolstoy
“My
Confession”
Viktor Frankl
Man’s Search for
Meaning
[we didn’t read]
Robert Nozick
“Death”
Thomas Nagel
“The Absurd”
What triggers the
sense of
meaninglessness?
Death &
Impermanence
Death , having no
goals you find
meaningful
The thought that
it will someday
be as if I’d
never existed
Death is just one of the
things that makes us
look at ourselves from
two standpoints: (1)
external, tragicomic,
detached, (2) internal,
serious, engaged. We
are stuck with both,
which makes us find
life “absurd.”
Activity that is
objectively
meaninglessness,
since it produces no
significant, lasting
result. In fact,
everything we do is
objectively
meaningless!
Focusing on
unimportant
activities
(decorating,
winning, making
money, etc.)
How to get rid of
the sense of
meaninglessness
Believe in God,
devote your
life to God
Recognize that
death is blessing
in disguise (we
need deadlines)
Leave traces
(of the right
sort)
Can’t stop finding life
“absurd”, even if you
dedicate yourself to
God, science, and
ethical cause… Neither
standpoint can be
permanently squelched.
We’re always going to
oscillate between them.
(1) Do something
objectively
meaningful, like
Sisyphus building the
temple. Alas, this is
impossible. You’d
just be bored anyway
when you were done.
By focusing on a
transcendent ethical
cause, we can have
lives that are
objectively
meaningful and
sustainably
satisfying.
Choose
meaningful goals
Richard Taylor
“The Meaning of Life”
Peter Singer
How Are We to Live
[we didn’t read]
(2) Enjoy whatever
you do, like Sisyphus
with joy injected into
his veins.
Can you get rid of it
completely?
Yes
Yes
Probably not
No
Yes, if you choose
option (2)
Probably
Objectively, really,
in truth: is my life
meaningful?
Potentially yes,
IF you devote
yourself to God
in the right
way.
Potentially yes,
IF you choose
meaningful goals.
[not covered in
article]
[not covered in article]
No, but “don’t worry,
be happy.” If you
love life, what does it
matter?
Potentially yes, IF
you devote yourself
to ethical causes.