Philosophy the Meaning of Life Essay

There are many different views as to what energises carriage important. Philosopher, Thomas Nagel, presents a approximate argument as to why a Sisyphisian public is substanceless. This does non necessarily mean that all lives are pithless, because Richard Taylor and Raymond Martin abide strong evidence that prove otherwise. According to Greek mythology, The Myth of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus, condemns Sisyphus to forever roll the same rock up a heap tho to cover it roll back guttle once he reached the top.Sisyphus scorn of the gods, his hatred of close, and his passion for heart was the reason for his punishment and without end turmoil in accomplishing nothing (Camus 775). In Nagels essay The funny, his views on the centrelessness of conduct and the imbecilicity of it, pull up stakes evidence that Sisyphus exacts a contentless flavor and how all sight are condemned to lead this career. He points out that the derisory comes active by the collision between the unassumingness with which we charter our lives and the perpetual possibility of regarding everything slightly which we are serious as arbitrary, or open to suspect(Nagel 769).In other words, the things people take seriously in their lives are eternally open to doubt. Nagel takes that human spiritedness sours absurd when the realization of living an unreason fitting life sentence becomes known. Once the extreme doubt has begun, it posteriornot be laid to rest(771). When people begin to doubt their existence, they search for answers that cannot be justified. Humans are cap sufficient of being conscious and self-inspiring which gives them the ability to step back and observe themselves from an outside point of view. This allows them to see the reality and pointlessness of their goals.Some people tense up to escape the absurd and try to add content to their lives by giving themselves a persona in something bigger. When Nagel says, a role in some larger opening canno t confer significance unless that enterprise is itself significant, he heart and soul that the larger enterprise cannot take for meaning, unless the enterprise as a whole has meaning (770). According to Nagel, for something to be meaning(prenominal) it must be objectively meaningful. For manakin, Sisyphus leads an objectively meaningless life because he is condemned to roll the st champion up the hammock forever and achieving nothing.Nagel says that the life of a walk is not absurd because the mouse is not aware that it is exactly a mouse it does not defend the ability to perceive its life alike(p) humans can. Absurdity is whizz of the more(prenominal) or less human things about us a manifestation of our most advanced and interesting characteristics(774). The absurdity shows people that their lives are meaningless and when this is recognized, the ordered conclusion is suicide. This event to absurdity is not accepted instead it is suggested to declare on living in spi te of the absurdity of life.If we relied hard on reason our life would have collapsed because relying only on reason would transmit people with many philosophical questions, leaving them to dwell on the doubts of life (773). One way to achieve some concept of the meaning of life is to consider the meaninglessness of it as Richard Taylor has done. Like Nagel, Taylor views the endless cycle of Sisyphus saveton the stone up the heap over and over again as a perfect example of a meaningless existence. Taylor proves that a life is meaningless if it is spend in pointless and insistent toil.Sisyphuss repetitive act of ringlet a stone up a hill never gets him anywhere nor does anything come from it, and therefore his life is meaningless. However, Taylor came up with concepts that could provide some meaning and hope to Sisyphuss life. First, if Sisyphus were still condemned to endlessly rolling stones up a hill, notwithstanding instead of the stones rolling back down, they would beco me the foundation for a vast and beautiful indestructible synagoguewith this formulation going on and on, endlessly, and the temple gradually becoming ever more beautiful and inspiring and capable of enduring to the end of time (Taylor 788).With these conditions, Sisyphuss actions now have a purpose because something results from his efforts and creates lasting significance exclusively his efforts are still endless and therefore still have no meaning. He is still doing the same repetitive routine, and if the temple were to be finished, what therefore? Taylor believes that the large(p)est despicable that can be inflicted upon anyone is unrelieved tedium, which means that if Sisyphus were to ever complete his task he would become engulfed in boredom until he stupefys another task.Mankind continues the daily routine to escape this evil without projects and activities man would be bored. Taylor concludes that human life from an objective viewpoint is depict as a clockworklike t hing, without purpose or meaning because it will always consist of a routine that will never end (790). other case in which Sisyphus life can become meaningful is if his strongest trust was to push stones up a hill, for this is what makes him happiest.This makes his life subjectively meaningful it is meaningful to him because it is fulfilling his desire. Taylor states Sisyphus, will view his life, not as one of hard labor, for certain not one of meaninglessness, buts as good because he is sentenced to forever doing something that he enjoys (791). This case still does not show a completely meaningful life because it is not whether he enjoys his existence it is if his existence has meaning, which is still spent in routine. Taylor concludes, the only genuinely meaningful existence is one that is original(792).For instance, if Sisyphus was willing to roll the stones up the mountain to build an everlasting temple that is not only beautiful to his look, but truly beautiful, in the ey es of every future generationwe have, finally, the perfect image of meaningfulness(792). Taylor says that one can make anything meaningful by making it creative not only in the sniff out of creating physical objects, but also that creativity is a state of mind. Some can live meaningfully, by creating our own meanings, whether great or small, and accordingly literally glorying in them, caring not in the least what we get from it all(793).Having this creative sense leaves people able to find meaning everywhere. Finding out the meaninglessness of life helped Taylor find concepts that could make life meaningful. Martins essay, A Fast Car and a Good Woman, addresses the puzzles of both Nagel and Taylor by depicting his own meaning of life. He describes the difference between the businesss of the meaning of life and the problems of life itself. Martin says that the problem of the meaning of life is the philosophical question of whether or not life can be worth living.Instead of focus ing on this subject, Martin discuses how the problem of life, is a practical question of how to live our lives so that they are as worth living as they can be(Martin 1). Since there is no objective meaning in life as Nagel says, Martin does not try and find it, but tries to see what would make life meaningful in the mental sense. Martin believes in practical wisdom, if we take proper care of our lives, questions of meaning will take care of themselves, that way people are not worried about the meaning of life.If someone worries about the meaning of life, like Nagel said, and tries to give it reason, it will result in madness. There are those people who cannot set questions of meaning aside Leo Tolstoy is a prime example of this kind of person. When Tolstoy says, And I was absolutely unable to make any reply. The questions were not waiting and I had to answer them at once if I did not answer them, I could not live, he means that he needs to be able to understand the questions of mea ning before he can move on with his life (1).Martin says that philosophical questions bring about existent anguish, for instance, when ones sense of security is lost because it was reinforced on a foundation of unquestioned beliefs. For example, a person whose sense of security that rests on religious beliefs choppyly become subject to doubt, results in such suffering that calls into question the meaning of life. Philosophical questions normally only challenge the beliefs we depend on for security and not necessarily the meaning of life.Martin says that the suffering is not because of the philosophical problem of the meaning of life, but the sudden realization that our personal beliefs rest on uncertain assumptions. Nagel and Tolstoy both believe that philosophical challenges to the meaning of life are an important source of psychological problems(3). With this belief, Martins view of practical meaning is wrong. Not being able to overlook the philosophical questions of meaning will ultimately bring you down because of the realizations it brings.Nagel claims that there is not dissolvent to this, because the absurd cannot be avoided. Martin believes that when life is at its subjective best, that questions of the meaning of life do not arise. At this morsel one has temporarily forged the problem of life because the thought of meaning did not arise. This statement makes practical wisdom valid because, when we are happy, questions about the meaning of our lives rarely ever become problems(3). To become happy one must take chances, and if one goes down the wrong path to happiness, it could lead to philosophical problems about the meaning of life.Taylor, like Nagel, uses philosophical questions differ between objective meaninglessness and subjective meaning. He views that life is objectively meaningless, but not completely meaningless. According to Martin, Taylor finds meaning everywhere and Nagel finds is nowhere. However, neither one is psychologically valid be cause they both rely on philosophical questions for their meaning. Martin says that Taylors view is too romantic and makes meaning too easy and Nagel is the arctic with an intellectual view, which makes meaning too hard.Martin agrees with a view suggested by Taylors discussion, that people have meaningful lives not when they are doing what they will to do but when they are doing what they fill in to do(4). Martin believes that life is not fundamentally meaningful but that it can become meaningful if one does something they love to do. When at ones subjective best, when not disturbed by questions about the meaning of life, are you also completely satisfied at this moment? According to Martin, it is close enough to being completely satisfied, but it does not last long.Since satisfaction doesnt last, then either we have to continually resatisfy ourselves or successfully and pleasantly distract ourselves from the fact that we seaportt(5). This is our fate, but it does not completely p rovide a solution to the problem of life. Therefore, Martin suggests that everyone is chronically unsatisfied. This repetitiveness is one of Taylors reasonings to the meaninglessness of life, which is reason to why life is not essentially meaningful. To solve the problems of life one does what makes them happy, for Martin this consists of a fast car and a good woman. Happiness is different for everyone.Martins view on life seems to be the most reasonable and ultimately provides happiness for people. He avoids suffering by completely ignoring the philosophical question of the meaning of life. Nagel and Taylor both concentrate on this meaning of life, which lead to no happy results. At least Martin lives a subjectively happy life by not being debauched by the meanings of it. However, Nagels argument completely rejects Martins because according to Nagel, the absurd cannot be ignored once it is recognized. Martin clearly recognizes but puts it aside to make him believe that there is me aning.If someone lives a life believing that it is meaningless, then what is the point of living? For the reason of trying to perceive any human body of meaning for human life is so that humans do not always live in doubt. Overall, life objectively has no meaning but that does not leave human existence in speak turmoil. The evidence that Taylor provides, gives us a sense of how there is hope for a meaning in life. Eventually concluding that life would need to be given meaning, purpose, variety, and the sense of creativity to become meaningful, the only meaningful existence is a creative existence(Taylor 792).This is the only meaning for the philosophical meaning of life. Taking Martins view, and putting aside philosophical meaning and victorious the psychological meaning, gives humans a positive outlook on life by letting subjective happiness be the basis to the solution to the problem of life. All views of life are all based on the struggle to overcome doubt, so ultimately the i tch of desire returnsuntil death ends the struggle perhaps forever(Martin 6).