Nothingness and the Meaning of Life
Nothingness and the Meaning of Life

Author: Nicholas Waghorn

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2014-08-28

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 1472529855

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What is the meaning of life? Does anything really matter? In the past few decades these questions, perennially associated with philosophy in the popular consciousness, have rightly retaken their place as central topics in the academy. In this major contribution, Nicholas Waghorn provides a sustained and rigorous elucidation of what it would take for lives to have significance. Bracketing issues about ways our lives could have more or less meaning, the focus is rather on the idea of ultimate meaning, the issue of whether a life can attain meaning that cannot be called into question. Waghorn sheds light on this most fundamental of existential problems through a detailed yet comprehensive examination of the notion of nothing, embracing classic and cutting-edge literature from both the analytic and Continental traditions. Central figures such as Heidegger, Carnap, Wittgenstein, Nozick and Nagel are drawn upon to anchor the discussion in some of the most influential discussion of recent philosophical history. In the process of relating our ideas concerning nothing to the problem of life's meaning, Waghorn's book touches upon a number of fundamental themes, including reflexivity and its relation to our conceptual limits, whether religion has any role to play in the question of life's meaning, and the nature and constraints of philosophical methodology. A number of major philosophical traditions are addressed, including phenomenology, poststructuralism, and classical and paraconsistent logics. In addition to providing the most thorough current discussion of ultimate meaning, it will serve to introduce readers to philosophical debates concerning the notion of nothing, and the appendix engaging religion will be of value to both philosophers and theologians.

What's It All About?
What's It All About?

Author: Julian Baggini

Publisher: Granta Publications

Published: 2013-07-11

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 1847089208

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“Secular-minded readers seeking an alternative to The Purpose-Driven Life have an excellent starting point here.”—Publishers Weekly For readers who are serious about confronting the big issues in life—but are turned off by books which deal with them through religion, spirituality, or psychobabble, this is an honest, intelligent discussion by a philosopher that doesn't hide from the difficulties or make undeliverable promises. It aims to help the reader understand the overlooked issues behind the obvious questions, and shows how philosophy does not so much answer them as help provide us with the resources to answer them for ourselves. “Useful and provocative.”—The Wall Street Journal “Looking for a clear guide to what contemporary philosophy has to say about the meaning of life? Baggini takes us through all the plausible answers, weaving together Kierkegaard, John Stuart Mill, Monty Python, and Funkadelic in an entertaining but always carefully reasoned discussion.”—Peter Singer, author of How Are We To Live “The question of the meaning of life has long been a byword for pretentious rambling. It takes some nerve to tackle it in a brisk and no-nonsense fashion.”—New Statesman

Discovering the Meaning of Life
Discovering the Meaning of Life

Author: Josh Walter

Publisher: Gatekeeper Press

Published: 2021-09-08

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 166290570X

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Have you ever asked yourself what the purpose of your life is? Do you feel like life is meaningless because you have not encountered a convincing answer to that question? Well, you are not alone. Many philosophers have argued that a clear answer to the problem of meaning is forever lost, and that there is no rational way to secure purpose. If a solution could be discovered, it would only be a very subjective one. We may construct one for ourselves, according to this line of thinking, but an objective purpose can never be found. I wrote this book because I strongly disagree with this contention. If you are interested in this adventurous question, you will find in these pages a novel approach to the problem, and I argue that through philosophical inquiry, we indeed can uncover an objective meaning to our lives. This book is a step-by-step guide to walk you through the tough questions in the philosophy of meaning and to bring you closer to your destiny. Our purpose is relevant for all of us. And perhaps the solution touches deeper than you might have ever dared to imagine.

The Ultimate Meaning of Life
The Ultimate Meaning of Life

Author: Guy McKanna

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2023-04-14

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Have you ever asked "why am I here" or "what should I be doing"? This is unique as for the first time it provides objective answers that reconcile ancient scripture, spiritual writings and modern science to provide practical and personal ways to make your life easier and more meaningful. The Ultimate Meaning of Life enables you to tap into the wisdom of the past and present, science and spirituality to provide an understanding of - and real answers - to the questions we all ask. These powerful answers are the result of four decades of searching, studying and comparative analysis to provide practical tips. If you have ever sensed there is more to life, find out what that is - along with the purpose of all life and the meaning of your own individual life. Praise for The Ultimate Meaning of Life includes: Answers to questions I have been asking for years One of the most powerful books you'll ever read Monumental in that it provides the substance that many others books on spirituality and motivation misses If you do not learn something about yourself and life from this book then you are simply not reading At last, real answers to life's big questions; answers that will make your life easier.

The Meaning of Life and Death
The Meaning of Life and Death

Author: Michael Hauskeller

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-09-19

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1350073660

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What is the point of living? If we are all going to die anyway, if nothing will remain of whatever we achieve in this life, why should we bother trying to achieve anything in the first place? Can we be mortal and still live a meaningful life? Questions such as these have been asked for a long time, but nobody has found a conclusive answer yet. The connection between death and meaning, however, has taken centre stage in the philosophical and literary work of some of the world's greatest writers: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Soren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, Herman Melville, Friedrich Nietzsche, William James, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Marcel Proust, and Albert Camus. This book explores their ideas, weaving a rich tapestry of concepts, voices and images, helping the reader to understand the concerns at the heart of those writers' work and uncovering common themes and stark contrasts in their understanding of what kind of world we live in and what really matters in life.

Meanings of Life
Meanings of Life

Author: Roy F. Baumeister

Publisher: Guilford Press

Published: 1991-01-01

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 9780898625318

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Who among us has not at some point asked, what is the meaning of life?' In this extraordinary book, an eminent social scientist looks at the big picture and explores what empirical studies from diverse fields tell us about the human condition. MEANINGS OF LIFE draws together evidence from psychology, history, anthropology, and sociology, integrating copious research findings into a clear and conclusive discussion of how people attempt to make sense of their lives. In a lively and accessible style, emphasizing facts over theories, Baumeister explores why people desire meaning in their lives, how these meanings function, what forms they take, and what happens when life loses meaning. It is the most comprehensive examination of the topic to date.

The Death of God and the Meaning of Life
The Death of God and the Meaning of Life

Author: Julian Young

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-05-16

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1135020906

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What is the meaning of life? In today's secular, post-religious scientific world, this question has become a serious preoccupation. But it also has a long history: many major philosophers have thought deeply about it, as Julian Young so vividly illustrates in this thought-provoking second edition of The Death of God and the Meaning of Life. Three new chapters explore Søren Kierkegaard’s attempts to preserve a Christian answer to the question of the meaning of life, Karl Marx's attempt to translate this answer into naturalistic and atheistic terms, and Sigmund Freud’s deep pessimism about the possibility of any version of such an answer. Part 1 presents an historical overview of philosophers from Plato to Marx who have believed in a meaning of life, either in some supposed ‘other’ world or in the future of this world. Part 2 assesses what happened when the traditional structures that give life meaning began to erode. With nothing to take their place, these structures gave way to the threat of nihilism, to the appearance that life is meaningless. Young looks at the responses to this threat in chapters on Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, Foucault and Derrida. Fully revised and updated throughout, this highly engaging exploration of fundamental issues will captivate anyone who’s ever asked themselves where life’s meaning (if there is one) really lies. It also makes a perfect historical introduction to philosophy, particularly to the continental tradition.

Man's Search For Ultimate Meaning
Man's Search For Ultimate Meaning

Author: Viktor E. Frankl

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2018-09-11

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 1541699092

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Viktor Frankl, bestselling author of Man's Search for Meaning, explains the psychological tools that enabled him to survive the Holocaust Viktor Frankl is known to millions as the author of Man's Search for Meaning, his harrowing Holocaust memoir. In this book, he goes more deeply into the ways of thinking that enabled him to survive imprisonment in a concentration camp and to find meaning in life in spite of all the odds. He expands upon his groundbreaking ideas and searches for answers about life, death, faith and suffering. Believing that there is much more to our existence than meets the eye, he says: 'No one will be able to make us believe that man is a sublimated animal once we can show that within him there is a repressed angel.' In Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning, Frankl explores our sometimes unconscious desire for inspiration or revelation. He explains how we can create meaning for ourselves and, ultimately, he reveals how life has more to offer us than we could ever imagine.

The Meaning of Life
The Meaning of Life

Author: Nathanael Novosel

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 9781948220002

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"What is the meaning of life?" Throughout history, people have spent much of their lives trying to explain how the world works and why. Initially, they seek to live better lives and thrive. Ultimately, they seek to find purpose and significance in their existence. Experience the scientific and philosophical journey billions of years in the making to answer the question that all living beings capable of rational thought will ask themselves: why are we here? Over the course of that journey, you will come to understand how humans determine their meaning and, with some of your own analysis, discover your own purpose along the way.

Love
Love

Author: Nicolae Tanase

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2018-07-10

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 9781983205095

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The love molecule, the feast of love, the grand reunion, the song of the soul, the universal force of love, the experience of true love, heartbeats, breath, destiny, chocolates, pure unlimited love, the breath of life, the art of love and faith, eternal light, the gift of unconditional love, remembering the divine source, beloved, Rumi, whispers of the heart, soaring as a soul, the wisdom of the heart, pouring love...... that's what awaits you between the pages of this book. For Love alone is the Greatest Power.