What is the Meaning of Life?

1. What is the Meaning of Life? Feraco Search for Human Potential 13 December 2010

3. A Constant Work in Progress • “I often wonder if I'll ever finish all I've started, and the answer I have found is no! No, I will never finish all that I have started because life is about doing – the process – not the result…My life’s a constant work in progress, and I wouldn't have it any other way.” Set Your Goals, “Work in Progress” • Something left unstated during our death lecture – albeit something that most are already aware of – is the fact that time marches on without you once you pass away • Your children will age, your spouse will die, and new generations you’ll never meet will rise and fall

4. A New Interactionism • The dualists – the interactionists, anyway – insist that there’s an interactive relationship between our bodies and our souls • I propose that a similarly dualistic relationship exists between our attitudes towards death and life • People who are truly terrified about life after death – say, those who are convinced they’re going to do something during life that they’ll pay for in death – probably aren’t going to live as boldly (or recklessly, to be fair) as those who aren’t

5. Good Things, Odd Reasons • I have also mentioned that we often do good things for odd reasons – in order to avoid a negative consequence, for example, rather than out of a genuine sense of goodness • Don’t behave cruelly, or the guilt will haunt you • Some of you only do your homework because you recognize the consequences of giving away points

6. Beyond Self-Perpetuation • Is that the purpose of life? • Eighty years of avoiding negative consequences long enough to make it to the next day? • Eighty years of “resume-building”? • I may be young and fairly inexperienced, with a whole lot left to learn, but I’m reluctant to believe that the ultimate meaning of my life is so narrow • So that’s my starting point: We’ll build on survival • What is the meaning of life beyond self-perpetuation?

7. Not Naturally Evil…But What? • I tend to take a lighter view of humanity than many of you; I don’t believe that we’re naturally evil • If I believed humans were naturally evil, what would “human potential” even mean? • I think that we do good things for a lot of weird reasons – but that we do good things for the right reasons as well • I don’t think creatures of evil could even conceive of some of our treasured concepts – love, preservation, loyalty, curiosity • What I wonder, then, is whether these admirable qualities give us a clue about what the ultimate meaning of life actually is – assuming one exists, of course

8. Is There Meaning? • What are we considering when we set out to study the “meaning” of life? • For one thing, we have to take an honest look at the possibility that life is meaningless – that not only were the monists right about human existence (with regards to the afterlife, not with regards to the “everything-is-made-out-of-the-same-stuff” business), but that there’s not even any meaning to the existence you’re currently enjoying

9. In All of the Universe • By doing so, however, we confront a variation on an old theme: How do you prove something that’s this abstract doesn’t exist? • It’s like saying “There’s never been – and will never be – a creature who can survive in the vacuum of outer space.” • Really? Never? In all of the universe? • How can I possibly prove that with any degree of verifiability? • We also need to examine whether something else confers purpose onto us – or whether the meaning of our own lives is within the realm of our control

10. Nihilism and Teleology • It’s worth noting that this is a teleological question (remember them?) • After all, teleological operating philosophy doesn’t just assign one purpose to life – it assigns multiple ones in the form of goals • Teleologists can believe in an external force that confers meaning on people, and they can believe that we create our own meanings • You can also talk about nihilists – those who believe life is fundamentally, unchangeably meaningless, and that nothing we do, say, or think matters (or ever has mattered) • They’re the flip side of teleology – no goal is meaningful at all

11. The Calling • The idea of a person “finding his calling” can work both ways • It can mean he needs time to figure out what he’s supposed to do (external) • It can mean he needs time to figure out what he’s good at, or what we want to do – and whether those things can be meaningful enough to sustain him (internal) • Think of how often college kids change their majors! • Think of how often professionals switch lines of work! • Again, this can seem arbitrary – but it can also seem like a logical process • It all depends on whether you believe “purpose” is static

12. Back to Nihilists • Nihilists want you to accept that life is fundamentally meaningless • They argue that there’s no great scheme, no grand purpose, to you or anything else • Nihilists say everything is arbitrary • We are random and alone, have always been and always will be • There are no universal moral values that humans should hold

13. Without Purpose • While faith isn’t necessary for morality, purpose seems to be – for morality, in many cases, seems to be about upholding one’s ability to fulfill his/her purpose, or to avoid harming others in their quest to do the same • Without purpose, without meaning – what’s the point of a moral system? What are we even trying to protect?

14. Done With Nihilists • There’s really nothing more to say about nihilism – either you buy into the idea that there’s no meaning to life (think monism stripped of purpose) or you don’t • We can’t really spend too much time on it, other than to wonder about the hypothetical consequences if nihilism is correct • After all, we talked about how morality would be impacted by either an affirmative or dissuasive knowledge of what awaits us beyond death • It could make morality easier – or people would still be tempted to push the limits and see what they can get away with • What would happen if we knew that nothing really mattered?

15. Conceivable Meanings • If purpose and meaning are conferred upon us, what are some conceivable meanings? • Perhaps to generously provide for others • Perhaps to search for answers and questions • Perhaps to teach and guide those around us • Perhaps to improve and evolve, physically and emotionally • Perhaps to carry on in our predecessors’ footsteps, or to protect our heritage • Perhaps to find peace and serenity • Any others?

16. Chaos!!! • We’ve joked/observed throughout the unit that humans seem to gravitate towards chaos – that we complicate things unnecessarily, that we love questioning • However, that same tendency towards chaos might be what keeps us from stagnating – might even be what makes life worth living after all • The very chaos that nihilists cite as reason to believe that none of this matters could very well be the reason everything does

17. The Star and Philosophy • We began this semester by talking about the five points of a single star: enlightenment, independence, identity, security, and love • None of our existential questions is about one of these points…and yet, at the same, all of them are • Isn’t the question about choice really about independence and identity? • Isn’t the question about morality really about identity and (mutual) security? • Isn’t the question about happiness really about independence and identity? • Isn’t the question about the soul really about love and identity? • Isn’t the question about death really about love, identity, and security? • And isn’t this question – about the meaning of life – really about the whole thing?

18. The Star and the Cube • Life seems to be a wonderful, endlessly fascinating puzzle, like Wall-E’s Rubik’s Cube – full of trade-offs and mysteries to be solved, happiness to be won, and new frontiers to cross • Our stories this semester dare to ask the questions we need to ask ourselves along the way • If our dreams came true…would we be worthy? Would we be ready? • If humanity is meant to improve, how can we get better without losing who we are? • I appreciate progress, treasure it, learn from it…but never settle for it • If we’re going to build a better world, we can’t cheat when challenged by the cube • So solve a puzzle, and start another…because life means more than 42