1. The Meaning of Life

2. What is the Question?

3. What is the Question?
(From 9:47)

4. What is the Question?
To find out what the question is we need to look at the answers given
To find out whether the answers make sense we need to test them against the questions asked
We gradually adjust question and answer in a process similar to reflective equilibrium

5. What is the Question?
We’ll skip that process and go straight to the main options that have been proposed
What is the Significance of Life – or of one’s life (or what should it be.)
What is the Purpose of Life – or of one’s life (or what should it be.)

6. What is the Significance?
Is Man’s Life Significant?

7. What is the Significance?
Does Man’s Life Signify Anything?

8. What is the Significance?
Does Man’s Life Signify Anything?

9. What is the Significance?
Does Man’s Life Signify Anything?

10. What is the Purpose? Does Life have some End at which it aims?
Could God’s purpose determine our purpose?
God has a plan,
We are subordinate to God and part of His creation,
Therefore we must participate in His plan

11. What is the Purpose? Does Life have some End at which it aims?
Suppose God’s purpose determines our purpose
How ought we then to behave?
Natural Law
What ought we then to value?
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies …

12. What is the Purpose? Does Life have some End at which it aims?
Could God’s purpose determine our purpose?
The Euthyphro problem
We don’t accept that whatever God could want is valuable
The Skeptical problem
We don’t accept that the presence or absence of something we can’t know about will affect our values

13. What is the Purpose? Does Life have some End at which it aims?
Could we determine our own purposes?
Our life as lived determines our purpose
How much better the world is because of these people
But we need some principle

14. What is the Purpose? Does Life have some End at which it aims?
Could we determine our own purposes?
Simply declare a meaning and live it
This is what Sartre proposed
But not every declarable purpose is going to be meaningful

15. Nihilism
Life has no meaning
But we have to live as if it does
This is absurd
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity,

16. The Absurd Camus. Le Mythe de Sisyphe Despair and suicide?
No. Cowardice
Seek supernatural solutions?
No. Intellectual cowardice
Embrace the Absurdity