Intro to the
Meaning of Life
PHIL105 – T3, 2011
Lecture 5
Nagel
(1937)
• Human
existence is
absurd
• But let’s face
it with irony
• (not angsty
heroism or
despair)
on the Absurd
‘Absurd’ in the Ordinary
Sense
• A noticeable difference between
what someone intends or claims
and reality
Absurd to Philosophers
• The dramatic difference between:
– Our (internal) perception of the
significance of our lives
– The objective (external) perception of
the significance of our lives
• It’s absurd because, from the
external view, our lives have only
a tiny fraction of the significance
that we feel and act as though it
has
Our Significance from Inside
• Events are only significant if
they are likely to or actually
do significantly affect us
– The universe revolves around us
• We are all like this to some
extent, but some people don’t
realise that this is the same
for other people!
– You may know people like this
Our Significance from the
Outside 1
• We are completely insignificant to
99.9999999999999999% of what exists
– When heat death kills the universe,
our plans seem beyond insignificant
– How big are we? (Not very big)
– How long do we live compared to the
universe? (Not very long)
• Nagel thinks these arguments are
misleading (justifications end OK)
Our Significance from the
Outside 2
• Even if we do have free will, so
many of our ‘choices’ are still the
result of our prior causes
– Why will most of you vote for the
same political party that your
parents do?
– Where did you get your very cool
“individual” ideas from?
Skepticism & the Absurd
• We can’t be sure
that we’re not
dreaming etc.
• And yet we carry
on caring
• It’s like taking a
cheating spouse
back!??!?!
The Human Condition
• Also known as the Human Situation
• From the inside, our significance
is paramount
• From the outside, our significance
is basically none-existent
• The Human Condition is being
aware of the absurd contradiction
between these two points
• Humans are thought to be unique in
their ability to be aware of this
situation
Which Story is True?
• From the inside, our significance
is paramount
• From the outside, our significance
is basically none-existent
• So, which one of these ‘stories’ is
true?
• Probably both
Nagel’s Answer
• If ‘nothing matters’, then
it’s also true that it
doesn’t matter that
nothing matters
• So, don’t despair
• And don’t fight it
• Just go along for the
ride, have a cosmic giggle
when you get a parking
ticket, enjoy the irony
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
Tolstoy’s 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
Tolstoy’s
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”
Tolstoy’s 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!)
The Sweetest Honey…
• “[T]he love of family”
• “and of authorship”
…Isn’t Sweet Enough
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 people’s 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 didn’t 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 it’s all about)
Tolstoy’s 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 really want to know!
Faith’s 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.”
Tolstoy’s 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”
Tolstoy’s 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 God’s 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
Read for Next Time
• Taylor, Richard (2000). The Meaning of
Life, in E.D. Klemke (ed.), The Meaning
of Life, 2nd edition, pp. 167-175. New
York: Oxford University Press.
• Schlick, Moritz (1988). On the Meaning
of Life, in Hanfling, Oswald (ed.), Life
and Meaning, pp. 60-73. New York: Basil
Blackwell.
More on the
Meaning of Life
PHIL105 – T3, 2011
Lecture 6
What Does it all Mean?
• What is the meaning of
life?
• Purpose, point, reason
for, etc?
• Why this and not
something else?
• Why is my existence
meaningful?
• What should I be doing?
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
• It’s 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 doesn’t 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 thing’s
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 – that’s
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 don’t
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 doesn’t 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
• Let’s say you do…
• 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?’
Taylor’s 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 it’s 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
The Moral of
Taylor’s
Story:
• Whatever your
dreams and goals
are – you should
live them as only
you can…
• like this guy
Taylor’s 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 (don’t consider their
significance from the outside)
• So, the meaning each of our lives have
for us, is very significant for us (thank
goodness!)
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
The MoL: Warm up
• Think seriously about
how you would answer
this question:
– What would you tell a
child if you could tell
them just one thing and
they would take it on
board?
• Turn to your neighbour
and tell them what
your answer was
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 Schopenhauer’s 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
Future’s 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
• We’ll need more than the play/work of
artists – we’ll 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 Don’t 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 doesn’t 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 couldn’t 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
• Nagel: How can we deal with the
Absurd?
• 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?
Summary of Answers
• Nagel: Ironically
• Tolstoy: Faith in religion
reveals the meaning and
purpose of life – live according
to God’s 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?
• Irony, faith, plans, play
• If you have ironic faith in and
enjoy your religion and plan to
continue doing so, then you
achieve all 3 of these!
• ‘Ironic faith’ because it’s hard to
know if you have the right religion
• Not clear if ‘ironic faith’ is
enough like ‘faith’ to help Tolstoy
What if Life is Meaningless?
• If you believe that life is ultimately
meaningless, don’t 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