What is the meaning of human life? Many people at all times thought about this issue. For some, the problem of the meaning of human life does not exist at all as such, someone sees the essence of being in money, someone in children, someone in work, etc. Naturally, the great people of this world were puzzled over this issue: writers, philosophers, psychologists. They devoted years to this, wrote treatises, studied the works of their predecessors, etc. What did they say about this? What did you see the meaning of life and the mission of man? Let's get acquainted with some points of view, perhaps this will contribute to the formation of our own vision of the problem.
About the question as a whole
So what is the meaning of human life? Both the eastern sages and philosophers of completely different times tried to find the only correct answer to this question, but in vain. Every thinking person can also face this problem, and if we are not able to find the right solution, we will at least try to speculate and understand a little about the topic. How to get as close as possible to the answer to the question of what is the meaning in human life? For this, it is necessary to determine for itself the purpose, the purpose of its existence. Depending on what you want to achieve at a certain point in your life path, the meaning of human life will also change. This is easy to understand by example. If at the age of 20 you have made up your mind to make a lot of money, that is, you have set such a task for yourself, then with every successful transaction the feeling that being is full of meaning will only grow. However, after 15-20 years, you will understand that you worked hard at the expense of your personal life, health, etc. Then all these years may seem, if not meaninglessly lived, then only partially meaningful. What conclusion can be drawn in this case? That a person’s life should have a goal (in this case, a meaning), albeit a transitional one.
Is it possible to live without meaning?
If a person is devoid of meaning in life, this means that he has no intrinsic motivation, and this makes him weak. The absence of a goal does not allow you to take your own destiny into your own hands, to resist adversity and difficulties, to strive for something, etc. A person without the meaning of life is easily controlled, since he does not have his own opinion, ambitions, or life criteria. In such cases, their desires are replaced by strangers, as a result of which individuality suffers, hidden talents and abilities do not appear. Psychologists say that if a person does not want or cannot find his way, destination, goal, then this leads to neurosis, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide. Therefore, each person should seek the meaning of his life, even if unconsciously, to strive for something, wait for something, etc.
What is meant by the meaning of life in philosophy?
Philosophy about the meaning of human life can tell us a lot, so this question has always stood in the first place for this science and its admirers and followers. For thousands of years, philosophers have created some ideals that one had to strive for, some laws of existence, in which the answer to the eternal question was hidden.
1. If, for example, we talk about ancient philosophy, then Epicurus saw the goal of being in pleasure, Aristotle in achieving happiness through knowledge of the world and thinking, Diogenes in the pursuit of inner peace, in the denial of family and art.
2. To the question of what is the meaning of human life, the philosophy of the Middle Ages gave the following answer: one should honor the ancestors, accept the religious views of the time, pass all this to offspring.
3. Representatives of the philosophy of 19-20 centuries also had their own views on the problem. The irrationalists saw the essence of being in a constant struggle against death, suffering; existentialists believed that the meaning of human life depends on himself; positivists, on the other hand, considered this problem pointless, since it was expressed linguistically.
Religious Interpretation
Each historical era poses challenges and problems for society, the solution of which directly affects the way a person understands his mission. Since living conditions, cultural and social needs are changing, it is natural that a person’s views on all issues change. However, people never left the desire to find that unique, so to speak, universal meaning of life, which would be suitable for any layer of society, for each period of time. This same desire is reflected in all religions, among which Christianity is especially worth mentioning. Christianity considers the problem of the meaning of human life inseparable from the doctrine of the creation of the world, of God, of the fall, of Jesus' sacrifice, of the salvation of the soul. That is, all these issues are seen on the same plane, respectively, the essence of being appears outside of life itself.
The idea of ​​"spiritual elite"
Philosophy, or rather, some of its followers, considered the meaning of human life from another interesting point of view. At a certain time, such ideas about this problem that cultivated the ideas of the “spiritual elite”, designed to protect all of humanity from degeneration by introducing it to cultural and spiritual values, became widespread. So, for example, Nietzsche believed that the essence of life is that geniuses are constantly born, talented individuals who would elevate ordinary people to their level, deprive him of a sense of orphanhood. K. Jaspers shared the same point of view. He was sure that the representatives of the spiritual aristocracy should be a measure, a model for all other people.
What does hedonism say about this?
The founders of this teaching are the ancient Greek philosophers Epicurus and Aristippus. The latter argued that both bodily and spiritual pleasure — good for the individual, which should be evaluated positively, respectively, displeasure — is bad. And the more desirable the pleasure, the stronger it is. The teachings of Epicurus on this issue became a household word. He said that all living things are drawn to pleasure, and this is what every person strives for. However, he receives not only sensual, bodily pleasure, but also spiritual.
Theory of Utilitarianism
This kind of hedonism was developed mainly by philosophers Bentham and Mill. The first, like Epicurus, was sure that the meaning of life and the happiness of man is only in obtaining pleasure and striving for it and in avoiding torment and suffering. He also believed that the criterion of benefit could mathematically calculate a specific form of pleasure or displeasure. And having made their balance, we can find out which act will be bad, which - good. Mill, who gave the name to the flow, wrote that if any action promotes happiness, then it automatically becomes positive. And so that he would not be accused of selfishness, the philosopher said that it was important not only the happiness of the person himself, but also of those around him.
Objections to hedonism
Yes, there were such, and many. The objection is that hedonists and utilitarians see the meaning of human life in the pursuit of pleasure. However, as life experience shows, a person, committing an act, does not always think what it will lead to: happiness or grief. Moreover, people knowingly do things that are obviously associated with hard work, torment, death, in order to achieve those goals that are far from personal benefit. Each person is unique. That which is happiness for one is torment for the other.
Deeply criticized Kant's hedonism. He said that the happiness expressed by the hedonists is a very conventional concept. It is presented to each in different ways. The meaning and value of human life, according to Kant, lies in the desire of everyone to develop goodwill in themselves. This is the only way to achieve perfection, to fulfill a moral duty. Having a will, a person will strive for those actions that are responsible for its purpose.
The meaning of human life in the literature of Tolstoy L.N.
The great writer not only reflected, but even suffered on this issue. In the end, Tolstoy came to the conclusion that the purpose of life is only to improve the personality. He was also sure that the meaning of the existence of one individual cannot be sought separately from others, from society as a whole. Tolstoy said that in order to live honestly, one must constantly fight, break, get confused, because calm is meanness. That is why the negative part of the soul seeks peace, but it does not understand that achieving the desired is associated with the loss of all that is good and good in a person.
The meaning of human life in philosophy was interpreted differently, it happened depending on many reasons, the currents of a particular time. If we consider the teachings of such a great writer and philosopher as Tolstoy, then the following is said there. Before deciding on the purpose of existence, it is necessary to understand what life is. He went over all the definitions of life known then, but they did not satisfy him, since he reduced everything to a biological existence. However, a person’s life, according to Tolstoy, is impossible without moral, moral aspects. Thus, the moralist transfers the essence of life into the moral realm. After Tolstoy turned to both sociology and religion in the hope of finding that single meaning that was intended for everyone, but everything was in vain.
What is said about this in domestic and foreign literature?
In this area, the number of approaches to this problem and opinions is no less than in philosophy. Although many writers acted as philosophers, they talked about the eternal.
So, one of the oldest is the concept of Ecclesiastes. It speaks of the vainness and insignificance of human existence. According to Ecclesiastes, life is nonsense, nonsense, nonsense. And such components of life as labor, power, love, wealth, have no meaning. This is the same as chasing the wind. In general, he believed that human life has no meaning.
The Russian philosopher Kudryavtsev in his monograph put forward the idea that each person independently fills being with meaning. He insists only that everyone sees the goal only in the "high" and not in the "low" (money, pleasure, etc.)
The Russian thinker Dostoevsky, who constantly "unraveled" the secrets of the human soul, believed that the meaning of human life is in his morality.
The meaning of being in psychology
Freud, for example, believed that the main thing in life is to be happy, to receive maximum pleasure and enjoyment. Only these things are taken for granted, but a person who thinks about the meaning of life is insane. But his student, E. Fromm, believed that you can not live without meaning. One must consciously reach for everything positive and fill it with being. In the teachings of W. Frankl this concept is given the main place. According to his theory, under no circumstances in life can a person see the goals of existence. And you can find meaning in three ways: in deed, in experience, in the presence of a certain position on life circumstances.
But is there really a point in human life?
In this article, we consider such an eternally existing question as the problem of the meaning of human life. Philosophy in this regard gives more than one answer, some options are presented above. But each of us at least once, but thought about the meaningfulness of our own being. For example, according to sociologists, approximately 70% of the world's inhabitants live in constant fear and anxiety. As it turned out, they were not looking for the meaning of their being, but simply wanted to survive. And for what? And that fussy and disturbing rhythm of life is the result of unwillingness to understand this issue, even for oneself. No matter how we hide, the problem still exists. Writers, philosophers, thinkers sought answers. If we analyze all the results, we can come to three judgments. Let's try to find the meaning, and we?
Judgment one: it makes no sense and cannot be
This means that any attempt to find a goal is a delusion, a dead end, self-deception. Many philosophers adhered to this theory, including Jean-Paul Sartre, who said that if death awaits us all, then there is no point in life, because all problems will remain unresolved. A. Pushkin, P. Vyazemsky, Omar Khayyam were also disappointed and unsatisfied in the search for truth. It should be said that this position of accepting the meaninglessness of life is very cruel, not every person is even able to survive it. Much of human nature opposes this opinion. On this occasion, the next paragraph.
The second judgment: there is a sense, but each has his own
Admirers of this opinion believe that there is a sense, or rather, it should be, so we should come up with it. This stage implies an important step - a person stops running from himself, he must admit that being cannot be meaningless. In this position, the personality is more frank with itself. If the question arises again and again, then it will not be possible to dismiss or hide from it. Pay attention, if we recognize such a thing as meaninglessness, we thereby prove the legitimacy and right to the existence of that very meaning. This is all good. However, representatives of this opinion, even recognizing and accepting the question, could not find a universal answer. Then everything went according to the principle "once recognized - think for yourself." There are a lot of roads in life, you can choose any of them. Schelling said that he is happy who has a goal and sees this as the meaning of his whole life. A person with this position will try to find meaning in all the phenomena, events that happen to him. Someone will turn to material enrichment, someone - to success in sports, someone - to family. Now it turns out that there is no universal meaning, so all those “meanings” are what? Just tricks that cover up meaninglessness? But if there is a common sense for everyone, then where to look for it? We pass to the third point.
Judgment three
But it sounds like this: there is a sense in our existence, it can even be known, but only after you know the one who created this being. The question will not be relevant here, not about what is the meaning of a person’s life, but about why he is looking for him. So I lost it. The logic is simple. Having committed sin, a person has lost God. And you don’t have to invent a meaning here yourself, you just need to know the Creator again. Even the philosopher and convinced atheist Russell Bertrand said that if the existence of God was initially excluded, then there is nothing to search for meaning at all, it will not. A bold decision for an atheist.
The most common answers
If you ask a person about the meaning of his existence, he is likely to give one of the following answers. Let's take a closer look at them.
In procreation. If you answer the question about the meaning of life this way, then you show the nakedness of your soul. Do you live for children? To train them, put on their feet? And what's next? Then, when will the children grow up and leave the cozy nest? You will say that you will teach grandchildren. Why? So that they, in turn, also do not have goals in life, but walk in a vicious circle? Reproduction is one of the tasks, but it is not universal.
In work. For many people, future plans are related to a career. You will work, but for what? Feed the family, get dressed? Yes, but that’s not enough. How to realize yourself? Also not enough. Even the ancient philosophers argued that labor will not be long to please if there is no general meaning in life.
In wealth. Many are convinced that the accumulation of money is the main happiness in life. It becomes an excitement. But in order to live fully, countless treasures are not needed. It turns out that making money constantly for the sake of money is pointless. Especially if a person does not understand why he needs wealth. Money can only be a tool for the implementation of its meaning, purpose.
In existence for someone. This is already more meaningful, although similar to the paragraph on children. Of course, caring for someone is grace, it is the right choice, but not enough for self-realization.
What to do, how to find the answer?
If, nevertheless, the question posed does not give you peace, then the answer should be sought in yourself. In this review, we briefly examined some philosophical, psychological, religious aspects of the problem. , , 100% - .
If you decide to find the meaning of your life, then something does not suit you in the current state of things. However, be careful: time goes by, it will not wait until you find something. Most people try to realize themselves in the above areas. Yes, please, if you like it, it brings pleasure, then who will forbid it? On the other hand, who said that it’s wrong, that it’s wrong, that we have no right to live like that (for children, for relatives, etc.)? Everyone chooses his own path, his destiny. Or maybe you should not look for him? If something is prepared, then it will come, without too much effort on the part of man? Who knows, maybe it's true. And do not be surprised if the meaning of life you see is different on each segment of your existence. This is normal. The nature of man is generally such that he constantly doubts something. The main thing is to be filled like a vessel, to do something, to devote your life to something.