After facing life’s inevitable hardships – be it loss, failure, or injustice – profound questions arise: What does it all signify? Is there inherent meaning or purpose to existence? What is the meaning of my life amidst this vast universe?
The internet and popular media often offer facile responses. We are told the meaning of life lies in the pursuit of pleasure or happiness, in giving and receiving love, in discovering one’s passion, in achieving greatness, in fulfilling a preordained purpose, or in dedicating oneself to something larger than oneself. However, contemporary philosophers, delving into the depths of meaning in life, argue that these simplistic answers are incomplete, and the questions themselves are often misconstrued. Contrary to past skepticism, they propose that human lives can indeed be meaningful, albeit perhaps not in the conventionally assumed ways.
For much of the 20th century, academic philosophy largely sidestepped the question of life’s meaning. This was despite public perception often associating philosophy directly with this very inquiry. Many philosophers dismissed the question as nonsensical, arguing that ‘meaning’ is properly applied to language and symbols, not to experiences, actions, or entire lives. To them, asking about life’s meaning was akin to questioning the weight of the color blue. Others deemed the question inherently unanswerable, or believed that even if an answer existed, it was beyond human comprehension. Yet, over the last four decades, this pessimistic stance has softened. A growing philosophical movement is rigorously examining: (1) The true essence of the question itself – what are we really asking when we seek life’s meaning? and (2) The potential sources of meaning – what elements can imbue a person’s life with significance? This renewed investigation has also served to dismantle certain pervasive myths that lead many to believe their lives are inherently devoid of meaning.
Is Life’s Meaning a Grand, Cosmic Affair?
A crucial distinction philosophers make is between the meaning of life in general – encompassing the universe or the human species – and meaning within individual lives. Many perceive ‘the meaning of life’ as something external, prompting questions like, ‘What’s the grand scheme?’ or ‘What’s the ultimate point of it all?’ This perspective often leads to the assumption that life’s meaning, if it exists, must be something colossal, overarching, and awe-inspiring. It is envisioned as elusive, mysterious, perhaps unattainable, and only discernible by enlightened individuals or spiritual leaders. However, an alternative viewpoint posits that regardless of any external, cosmic meaning, there is undeniable meaning within – meaning we personally discover or create. This is ‘meaning in life.’ Philosophical inquiries into life’s meaning have largely concentrated on this latter aspect: the qualities and conditions that render an individual life valuable and worth living. Here, meaning is intrinsically linked to value – to what bestows worth or significance. These sources of value are neither enigmatic nor inaccessible.
Confusing these two interpretations of life’s meaning breeds misunderstanding. When individuals declare life as meaningless, they might solely be referring to the absence of a universal, overarching meaning. Conversely, they might also acknowledge meaning within their personal lives. Thus, one can logically believe their own life possesses meaning while simultaneously asserting that ‘life in general is meaningless.’
Does Meaning in Life Boil Down to a Single Element?
The very phrasing of the question, “the meaning of life,” often implies a singular, definitive answer. This notion fuels countless humorous takes: the meaning of life is a fountain, a river, a journey, the number 42, a game of golf, or even a silly dance. However, most philosophers who study meaning reject this monistic view, which is possibly a byproduct of the definite article the in the question itself. A meaningful life, they argue, is not solely about achieving significant goals, nor merely about contributing to something larger than oneself, nor just about fulfilling noble purposes. Instead, meaning in life is pluralistic, composed of multiple interwoven elements. If this perspective holds true, then ‘What is the meaning of life?’ is fundamentally the wrong question to ask.
Philosopher Thaddeus Metz, in his seminal work Meaning in Life: An Analytic Study (2014), proposes a “family resemblance approach.” He suggests that the quest for life’s meaning is essentially an exploration of a cluster of interconnected ideas. According to Metz:
“Specifically, I advance a family resemblance approach, according to which enquiry into life’s meaning is, roughly, about a cluster of ideas that overlap with one another. To ask about meaning, I submit, is to pose questions such as: which ends, beside one’s own pleasure as such, are most worth pursuing for their own sake; how to transcend one’s animal nature; and what in life merits great esteem and admiration?”
Philosophers, like most people, possess an intuitive understanding of these meaningful elements. They identify numerous activities and experiences as sources of meaning, though their views diverge on the relative importance and interrelation of these factors. The commonly cited sources of meaning include loving and nurturing relationships, acts of creativity, the appreciation of beauty, striving for personal excellence, moral goodness, altruism, the pursuit of knowledge, experiences of transcendence, and significant achievements, among many others.
Is Happiness the Same as Meaning in Life?
Popular culture often conflates meaningfulness with happiness, but experts in the study of meaning generally consider this a mistake. While a meaningful life likely contributes to overall happiness, the two are distinct. Consider someone perpetually happy due to continuous drug use; few would describe such an existence as meaningful. Conversely, individuals leading meaningful lives may experience considerable unhappiness due to the demanding or perilous nature of their meaningful pursuits. As John Martin Fischer notes in Death, Mortality, and Meaning in Life (2019):
“Meaningfulness is not the same as happiness, although we would expect a connection between them. If one’s life is meaningful, then probably the individual would be happy. But we can certainly imagine people with meaningful lives – scientists, artists, poets, philosophers, and so on – who struggle in their fields and are thus not very happy (if they are happy at all). Or we can consider people whose careers are deeply engaging and meaningful, but whose personal lives are troubled and who are thus not very happy… One can have a very happy life that is only somewhat meaningful, and a very meaningful life that is not very happy.”
Is Meaningfulness Entirely Subjective and Personal?
Some scholars adopt a subjectivist stance on meaning, asserting that meaning in life is solely determined by individual desires and choices. According to this view, a life is meaningful if an individual attains their deepest desires or strives for what they personally deem exceptionally important. Subjectivism posits that there are no objective standards for meaningfulness. As the popular internet meme suggests, meaning in life is ‘whatever you want it to be.’ However, most philosophers studying meaning disagree with this entirely subjective perspective. They argue that meaning in life possesses an objective dimension, existing at least partially independent of personal beliefs, attitudes, and desires. They contend that numerous activities and conditions – creating art, saving lives, making scientific discoveries, and countless other endeavors – are objectively meaningful. If this is true, then simply believing something to be meaningful does not automatically make it so. The most compelling argument against subjective views of meaning lies in the recognition of inherently valuable things that contribute to a meaningful life, regardless of whether they are subjectively desired, pursued, or believed to be meaningful.
Must a Meaningful Life Have a Predetermined Purpose?
Many people grapple with questions like, ‘What is my life’s purpose?’ or ‘What am I meant to do?’ When unable to find a definitive answer, they may despairingly conclude that their lives lack meaning. But is this conclusion justified? While having a significant sense of purpose can undoubtedly be a powerful source of meaning, many philosophers argue that, firstly, a life devoid of an overarching purpose can still be deeply meaningful, and secondly, any purpose present need not originate from an external source.
Specific experiences and activities can be inherently meaningful, even without serving a grand purpose or being directed towards an external goal. Many things, such as acquiring knowledge, acting morally, and appreciating beauty, possess intrinsic value and are therefore meaningful in themselves – not merely as means to an end. They are valuable for what they are, not for what they achieve. Not every meaningful action requires a predefined goal, purpose, or end.
Does Meaning Demand Perfection?
Why do so many individuals perceive their lives as meaningless? According to philosopher Iddo Landau in his book Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World (2017), a major obstacle is often an unsustainable pursuit he terms perfectionism:
“According to this presupposition, meaningful lives must include some perfection or excellence or some rare and difficult achievements, and lives that do not show this characteristic cannot be seen as meaningful. Meaningful lives, then, must transcend the common and the mundane… What marks perfectionists is that they fail to see the worth that inheres also in the nonperfect; they despise and reject it….Perfectionists believe that if our city is not the most beautiful in the world, it is disgustingly ugly; that if one is not Einstein one is a fool; and that if a person does not write as Shakespeare did, she had better just give up writing altogether… Thus, perfectionists are so busy with the search for the perfect that they neglect to see and find satisfaction in the good. And since it is rare, and sometimes impossible, to reach the perfect, perfectionists, who do not want to have anything to do with the good that is less than perfect, find satisfaction in nothing, continuing their desperate quest for the perfect.”
Landau argues that we must reject perfectionism in our search for meaning. We generally reject it in most other aspects of life. We don’t typically dismiss a slightly flawed but beautiful painting as worthless, or consider ourselves failures for not being as wise as Aristotle, or deem ourselves utter failures for not winning a Nobel Prize. If we reject perfectionism in evaluating art, knowledge, and achievement, we should similarly reject it when judging the meaning of our lives.
Reflecting on his own youth, Landau recounts falling into the perfectionist trap, experiencing misery from pursuing the impossible and overlooking the accessible goodness surrounding him. A later medical scare served as a turning point, offering a ‘posthumous’ perspective. From this vantage, he recognized his life as rich with meaning derived from family, friends, helping others, intellectual pursuits, cherished memories, and simple pleasures. These meaningful aspects of life were ordinary and imperfect, yet profoundly sufficient.
The question of life’s meaning is vast and complex, inviting ongoing exploration and diverse viewpoints. However, a prevailing consensus among those who delve into this subject is that meaning is abundant and accessible in everyday life. The path to a meaningful life is often more straightforward and closer than many might believe.
© Lewis Vaughn 2021
Lewis Vaughn is the author of several philosophy textbooks, including Philosophy Here and Now; Doing Ethics: Moral Reasoning, Theory, and Contemporary Issues; The Power of Critical Thinking; and Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases. He is also the coauthor with Theodore Schick of the science/critical thinking text How to Think about Weird Things.
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