The meaning of life: absurdity and response
Is there a point to it all? Philosophers have given answers ranging from cosmic purpose to cheerful rebellion.
Three broad answers
Supernaturalist views say life has meaning through a relationship with God or a spiritual order that gives it purpose. Objective naturalist views hold that some activities, like love, creativity, and pursuit of knowledge, are meaningful in themselves. Subjectivist views say a life is meaningful when the person cares deeply about what they do. Many people combine elements of all three.
Camus and the absurd
Albert Camus described the absurd as the clash between our hunger for meaning and a universe that offers no answer. He rejected both despair and escape into comforting beliefs. Instead he pictured Sisyphus, condemned to roll a boulder uphill forever, and concluded that we must imagine Sisyphus happy: meaning comes from fully embracing the struggle itself.
Meaning in everyday life
Some philosophers, such as Susan Wolf, argue that meaning arises when subjective attraction meets objective attractiveness: when you are passionate about something genuinely worthwhile. On this view, devoting yourself to caring for others or to mastering a craft gives life meaning, while passion for something trivial, like counting blades of grass, does not, however much you enjoy it.
Flashcard
The clash between our search for meaning and a silent universe
Check your understanding
What is Camus' recommended response to the absurd?