The Meaning of Life Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast, featuring activist Erin Brockovich, shares tips on standing up for what’s right, taking care of yourself, and tackling things that seem impossible. I have prepared this ebook for leaders who would like to get better at coping with personal crises. I’d just completed my certification and was eager to help people. There are many ways you can engage in actions that involve serving such as volunteering in civic, private, or professional settings, participating in social responsibility projects, political engagement, or activism, and joining some community groups. Amanda Stuckey Dodson, LCSW, is a therapist in private practice, specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and meaning-making after trauma.

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Benatar (2006, 60–92, 2017, 35–63) has advanced anadditional argument for nihilism, one that appeals to ThomasNagel’s (1986, 208–32) widely discussed analysis of theextremely external standpoint that human persons can take on theirlives. There exists, to use Henry Sidgwick’s influential phrase,the “point of view of the universe,” that is, thestandpoint that considers a human being’s life in relation toall times and all places. When one takes up this most externalstandpoint and views one’s puny impact on the world, little ofone’s life appears to matter. What one does in a certain societyon Earth over 75 years or so just does not amount to much, whenconsidering the billions of temporal years and billions of light-yearsthat make up space-time. Although this reasoning grants limited kindsof meaning to human beings, from a personal, social, or humanperspective, Benatar both denies that the greatest sort ofmeaning––a cosmic one––is available to themand contends that this makes their lives bad, hence the“nihilist” tag. There is a cluster of other, more circumscribed arguments forsubjectivism, according to which this theory best explains certainintuitive features of meaning in life.

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Others, however, stillfind meaning in such a life (e.g., Belshaw 2021, 197, 205n41). Perhaps most objectivists would, at least upon reflection, accept thatboth the parts of a life and the whole-life relationships among theparts can exhibit meaning. Supposing there are two bearers how to create meaning in life of meaningin a life, important questions arise. Most analytic philosophers writing on meaning in life have been tryingto develop and evaluate theories, i.e., fundamental and generalprinciples, that are meant to capture all the particular ways that alife could obtain meaning.

• Losing your sense of life’s meaning can land you in an existential depression.
• Of all of the facets of meaning, coherence likely represents a basic psychological need.

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It’s important to surround yourself with people who will support you when you need it and help you become the person you want to be. For example, religion may teach you that helping others will give you purpose. But for this to be truly fulfilling, you’ll have to reflect on why helping others is personally important to you — and your reasons for donating to charity will differ from someone else’s. Luckily, there’s no shortage of resources to help you on your journey. You’re free to consult countless religions, philosophies, and doctrines to piece together your ideal life path. The new moon activates your seventh house of one-on-one relationships and contracts, Scorpio–bringing surprises to your closest relationships.

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Another recent proposal is that meaningfulness consists of“an active engagement and affirmation that vivifies the personwho has freely created or accepted and now promotes and nurtures theprojects of her highest concern” (Belliotti 2019, 183). For most people, most of the time, understanding life isn’t a problem requiring a solution. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ We are natural sense makers, automatically comprehending most situations effortlessly. In fact, a likely reason we don’t think about meaning in life too much is that our lives simply feel right (that is, things simply make sense). Our lives are embedded in a natural world characterized by regularities—sunrises and sunsets.

Option 3: The Meaning of Life Is Self-Actualization

The terms are sufficiently close to saying that in the absence of either, our life lacks a story. As humans, we need something to strive for and a sense of connectedness between the important moments that make up our existence (Steger, 2009). A fascinating study in 2010 took a very different perspective, bringing us closer to our initial, philosophical discussion.

• You have to feel you’re accomplishing something.” When you find a good match for you, volunteering will likely “feel right” in some way—not draining, but invigorating.
• But, as you impact people’s lives, it’s important to also extend kindness toward yourself.
• If you’re languishing, it means you’re overwhelmingly hungry, unhappy, and disconnected, with feelings of emptiness, low hope, and a hollow sense of purpose.

• However, some would maintain that it is,strictly speaking, the story that is or could be told of a life thatmatters, not so much the life-story qua relations betweenevents themselves (de Bres 2018).
• Because living a meaningful life is essential to well-being and life satisfaction, let me conclude by recommending ways to enhance meaningfulness.
• Things like acts of kindness, helping or showing compassion to others not only make us feel happy, but also give us a sense of significance, and therefore contribute to meaning.
• Purpose refers to the aspirations and missions we have for our lives and our value-oriented goals.
• You have to create a personalized internal system of meaning–and often, you’re starting from scratch.

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