Meaningful Life

The Puzzling Elegance of Meaningful Life

One of the most sought out goals of existence, is to live a life that has meaning. The problem is, philosophers, scientists and many others have not been able to crack the code to the secret formula of a meaningful life. The existential question that is, “What is needed for a meaningful life?” is a profound and complex inquiry that has sparked an immense amount of debate, particularly within the last 30 years (Metz, 2007). It is a question in which has many layers and requires careful dissection to be able to fully analyze the proposition at hand. Over the years, many analytic philosophers have ignored trying to answer this long-standing question. Some claim that there is no answer, and therefore not

According to the idea of Objective Naturalism, a meaningful life is deemed possible, but it does not require the presence of a supernatural realm for such a thing to exist (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, n.d.). Instead of a spiritual reality, a purely physical world is sufficient enough for meaning to prevail. Subjective Naturalism also supports the idea that a meaningful life is possible, but as to what gives life meaning, it differs from Objective Naturalism. Subjective Naturalism suggests that meaning in life varies from person to person (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, n.d.). It can be found in achieving self-established goals or through accomplishments that one finds to be important. It is believed that meaning is found through caring deeply for others, but it is unclear as to how the smaller things in life fall into play. What if someone were to find meaning in reading the phone book? I challenge this by questioning whether there is a level of degree that needs to be involved before something can become meaningful. Why would it matter how grand the action? If there are simple things in life that grab people’s attention and allow them to find meaning, who is to say that it is not valid? Another question at debate is, what if someone finds meaning in torturing others? Despite the obvious moral objections, it is important to remember that the question at hand focuses more on the things in which give meaning to life, not what is wrong and what is right. According to Subjective Naturalism, meaning is found in things people find important, but there are no set restrictions as to what those things must