The Meaning of Life- A Review

The Meaning of Life, Happiness and Modernity*

"The Meaning of Life"- a collection of essays edited by Asa Kasher, a philosophy scholar of Tel-Aviv University. This book includes essays, poems, and paintings by contemporary Israeli intellectuals and artists dealing with the question of the meaning of life, the meaning of death, and existentialism.

I was interested especially in the article "Why Has the Question of the Meaning of Life Arisen in the Last 250 Years?" by Ido Landau.

It deals with the core ideal in modern thought of "Happiness" which is identified with "fun, amusement and comfort" instead of past ideals like "devotion to God, a life of contemplation, fulfillment of duty or honor ".

"The pursuit of Happiness", says Landau, "is one of the main propelling forces of science, technology and capitalistic activity." He also asserts that because of the emphasis on the need for happiness people are more aware when they lack happiness and that makes us wonder why are we not happy. Landau says: "The lack of happiness in spite of comfort and pleasure require an explanation, and one explanation is the meaningless of life."

He recommends that people who feel that life is meaningless would try and find and develop something that will be important and comprehensible for them. "What is important?" "What is comprehensible?". He tells of a couple of ways which are possible and have been followed:

Trying to create groups in which the modern economy, modern science and etc. are less dominant, or trying to join groups like this which exist already.

Move to places where the instrumental and scientific culture has not arrived yet.

Trying to change the technological, economical and scientific reality. This way has been adopted by environmentalists and 'green party' Europeans.

Calling for a return to past ways of life and ideals. This is done by conservative circles.

Trying to develop and nurture new personal and cultural values, which fit to modern culture on one hand and include stronger elements of significance and importance. This way is suggested by Charles Taylor in " Ethics of Authenticity".

How will the future look in this regard?

One opinion is that *essentially* as humans, we need stable contents, non-relativistic contents, and that the less the culture can provide such content the more the feeling of the meaningless of life will be acute. The other opinion is that there is no essential human need for stable contents which are non-relativistic, and that we are in a transition period, after which this need will disappear. We have expectations, ideals and standards that were made in previous times, and now that science and technology shape our reality differently they will shape our expectations and understanding of the world differently.

"According to this view, the process has already began. Many people in our culture are immersed in scientific, technological and capitalistic activity, and don't feel lack of comprehension and meaninglessness (or insignificance). Many of them may also find it as a strange thing to present science and rationality, which have made so many phenomenons comprehensible, as causing a feeling of incomprehensibility.

Similarly they would think it a strange to present pragmatism and capitalism, which caused appropriation of value and importance to many things, as causing a sense of insignificance [non-importance]. For them modern science and technology provide excellent means for appropriation of value and significance to the world."

So these people would expect that the gap between standards and significance to be closed with time, and that culture would move to new standards which are more dynamic.

* [First posted on Jun. 8th, 2005]