How often have you woken up in the wee hours and spent that time lying in bed just thinking ‘what’s it all about?’ Most of us have. It’s what we do when the cold hard reality of life and death emerge in our conscious world. If you’ve lost someone you love, perhaps you are wondering if there is an afterlife – or maybe you do not believe in such things and are questioning the very nature, the very meaning of life itself.
Despite what Douglas Adams states in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the answer is not 42. At least it hasn’t been scientifically proven at the time of publication. But we’ve had some of the most inquisitive minds examining this question for centuries. It’s a question that transcends cultures, religions, and time. Philosophy, thankfully, offers a rich tapestry of ideas that we can each consider, providing a unique lens through which to explore this existential riddle.
Ancient Roots
Ancient Greek philosophy laid significant groundwork on this question. For Aristotle, the meaning of life was closely tied to eudaimonia, often translated as "flourishing" or "living well." He believed that human beings have a specific function - to reason - and that living a life guided by reason and virtue would lead to the highest good. Aristotle emphasized the development of character through courage, temperance, and justice, achieved through practice and habituation. The good life, for Aristotle, was an active life, engaged with the community and striving for excellence. In other words, the meaning of life is to be the best you can for yourself and for your society.
Around the same time, the Stoics, like Zeno of Citium and later Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, found meaning with nature and reason. They highlighted the acceptance of what is beyond our control and the cultivation of inner tranquility (ataraxia) through virtue, self-control, and resilience. For a Stoic, external circumstances were irrelevant; true good dwelled in one's own character and moral choices. The meaning of life was to live virtuously, fulfilling one's duty, and accepting the inevitable flow of existence with serenity. Put simply, suck it up and get on with it - preferably in the forest.
Skepticism and Cynicism
In contrast to Aristotle and the Stoics, other philosophies offered a more extremist perspective. The Cynicism movement, accelerated by Diogenes of Sinope, rejected conventional desires for wealth, power, and social status. Cynics believed that true happiness lay in living a simple life in accordance with nature, free from the artificial constraints of society. They often practiced extreme asceticism and openly criticized societal norms, seeing them as obstacles to genuine virtue and freedom. For a Cynic, the meaning of life was to shed all superfluous desires and live authentically, even if it meant living outside the bounds of conventional respectability. It is an attractive idea in today’s materialistic world.
Religious and Spiritual Meaning
For the majority, religion or some degree of spirituality, has been the go-to when existential angst calls. Most religions offer a worldview that explains the origin of life, its purpose, and what happens after death.
In Christianity, for example, the meaning of life is often understood as glorifying God, living a life of love and service, and achieving salvation (getting into Heaven) through faith.
In Islam, life is seen as a test, and the meaning lies in submitting to Allah's will, following his commandments, and striving for a righteous life to attain paradise.
Buddhism, while not centered on a single God or group of Gods, in the same way (and as a more philosophical/spiritual path rather than a religion), seeks meaning in the pursuit of enlightenment and liberation from suffering (dukkha) through practices like meditation and adherence to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. These spiritual paths provide a sense of cosmic order, moral guidance, and a transcendent purpose that extends beyond the individual's earthly existence, leading them eventually, after several lifetimes, to Nirvana (enlightenment).
Searching for Rational Meaning
During the period known as The Enlightenment (mid-17th to 18th centuries), there was a renewed emphasis on reason and individualism, giving rise to different approaches to the meaning of life.
Philosophers like Immanuel Kant argued that human beings, as rational agents, have an inherent dignity and that morality is derived from reason itself. For Kant, the meaning of life wasn't about achieving a particular outcome, but about acting according to moral duty, fulfilling one's obligations, and treating humanity as an end in itself, never merely as a means. This is rather reminiscent of the Stoics but with humanity as the focal point rather than the salvation of oneself.
Existentialism: Freedom, Responsibility, and the Absurd
The 19th and 20th centuries saw the rise of existentialism, a philosophy deeply concerned with the individual's freedom, responsibility, and the search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. Key figures like Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus each contributed to this complex school of thought.
Kierkegaard, considered the father of existentialism, emphasized the individual's subjective experience and the "leap of faith" required to find meaning in a world devoid of inherent purpose. He explored different "stages on life's way," from the aesthetic to the ethical to the religious, each offering a distinct way of relating to existence.
Nietzsche famously declared "God is dead," signaling the decline of traditional religious and moral frameworks as sources of meaning. He argued that humanity must create its own values and embrace the "will to power," as an affirmation of life, striving for self-overcoming and becoming an "Übermensch" or Superman. For Nietzsche, meaning was found in embracing suffering, creating one's own destiny, and living with passionate intensity. You might say it was a sort of Buddhist Cynicism.
Sartre spoke to the core existentialist idea that existence precedes essence; that humans are born without a predetermined purpose or nature: that we are condemned to be free and must create our own essence through our choices and actions. For Sartre, the meaning of life is not found but created, through authentic engagement with the world and taking responsibility for our freedom. This freedom, however, comes with a burden of anxiety as we are solely responsible for defining our personal meaning ourselves.
Camus, while not strictly calling himself an existentialist, developed the concept of Absurdism. Camus saw the inherent conflict between humanity's innate desire for meaning and the universe's indifferent silence. He believed that life is fundamentally absurd - there is no ultimate, pre-given meaning. However, instead of succumbing to despair, Camus argued for embracing the absurd. Like Sisyphus, who is condemned to eternally push a boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down, we find meaning in the rebellion against meaninglessness, in the conscious struggle, and in the present moment. The meaning of life, for Camus, lies in living fully, passionately, and defiantly in the face of the absurd, much like a teenager.
Contemporary Perspectives
In more recent times there's been an emphasis on the subjective and personal nature of meaning. Many thinkers suggest that meaning isn't discovered but rather constructed; we create meaning through our relationships, our passions, our projects, and the narratives we build around our lives. Positive psychology, for example, purports that factors like purpose, engagement, relationships, and accomplishment contribute to a sense of wellbeing and meaningfulness.
As you can see from the philosophical approaches mankind (and womankind) have taken to address this most basic of human questions, we haven’t really come very far.
As the saying goes – it’s not the destination that matters – it is the journey. We are all individuals with different needs and wants. Some require freedom, some want to feel needed, some want to lead, others to be led. Some believe in the power of love, others love power itself. Regardless of the philosophical ideas that appeal to you one thing is certain: death (and taxes).
The meaning of life is life itself: living it the way you want to. If you want to be a servant, be a servant. If you want to be a king, be a king. If you want to live a life of ribaldry and debauchery, go ahead. If you wish to submit to the God of your choice it is your inalienable right.
Life is short. It is not meaningless. If you feel it is meaningless, then you haven’t lived. Get out there and start living your preferred existence and don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Meaning comes from within in a myriad of ways. The fact that we question the meaning of life at all essentially proves that there must be meaning - otherwise why look for it?