Meaning of Life and Death - Essay Example

? Meaning of Life and Death--A Quest of Standalone Intrigues First M. al Affiliation Introduction The meaning of life has been a longstanding quest of humankind. As per the foundations of philosophy, learning about people’s origins and the real reason why one exists in the world is the question that philosophers have wanting to find an answer for. Consequently, the exploration of this matter also solicits thoughts on another aspect: death. In Jostein Gaarder’s best selling piece--a book about philosophy entitled Sophie’s World--the titular Sophie ponders on the thought of life and death and why the two co-exists. The 15-year old fictional character has viewed the relationship between the two as necessary for the point of appreciation. In her thoughts, one cannot appreciate life if death does not exist to be the human race’s inevitable end. On the other hand, Sophie thought that one could not think of death alone without having realised how great it is to live (Gaarder, 1994). These contentions offer a thought-provoking exploration in taking both death and the meaning of life into perspective. This paper then explores the presence of thoughts regarding death and the meaning of life. In so doing, thinkers in the field of philosophy are examined and later reduced to a list of whom this paper think offers the best arguments and conclusions as per the matter concerned. The selection of such philosophers is consequently justified. Life and the Minds that Explored its Meaning Beginning to explore the meaning of life is in itself broad and complicated. If three persons are inquired upon with that question, it is highly likely that the person asking would get three unique interpretations. It then comes as less surprising when philosophers in the day have to offer different perspectives of their own. If one would even think of it, philosophers--no matter which timeline he/she belongs to--attempts to unravel the meaning of life in his/her own angle. As an illustration, the schools of thought of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle could be accounted for as one unique quest from the other. First, many would attribute Socrates to be among the thinkers responsible for the founding what is now known as the philosophy of the Western culture (Long, 1988). This form of recognition stems from the philosopher’s notoriety in being provocative of many ideas, questioning the society’s status quo, and stirring the thoughts of the youth during his time. These ideologies were Socrates’ form of investigating on the meaning of life. Although not an outright move, it was his way of challenging society’s thoughts on what is the meaning of life for them. Consequently, his move on continuous inquiry of things was his way of giving a picture of the meaning of life. Without doing so may be equal to life without meaning. On the other hand, Plato--though a student of Socrates--was his own man in terms of philosophical contribution. Particularly, his role in the early foundations of science and Western philosophy is considered to be another one that is essential to the prosperity of the knowledge up to this day. Aristotle, who was Plato’s student, meanwhile had a broad range of focus and dealt largely with the physical sciences. The student-teacher thought may have differed in content but just like Socrates, the central ideologies of the two philosophers have each had their own version of revealing the meaning of life. An example would be Aristotle tackling the concept of end purpose. This school of thought can be taken as the philosopher’s own version of finding an answer for what life’s meaning is--given that finding out ‘why are we here’ and what the purpose of an individual is in the world has been among the pressing questions long been asked since humankind has been intrigued with (Gaarder, 1994). Nevertheless, although Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle could be credited as the pillars of the quest in life’s meaning, this paper considers other philosophers like Immanuel Kant to be the ones who offer the best arguments regarding the meaning of life. Special attention is given to the areas of moral obligation and other societal aspects which this paper’s chosen philosophers have invested into. First in the list of thinkers who is viewed by the current paper as offering the best arguments or thoughts on the meaning of life is Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Particularly, it is this philosopher’s thought on the ‘finite’ and ‘infinite.’ These two concepts were developed by Hegel in an effort to incorporate and involve his interpretation of Kant’s thoughts on the aspect of polarity of freedom. Hegel’s concept of finite and infinite touches in a light that finite is human whilst the counter version, infinite, is God and the divine (Di Giovanni, 2010). This has been constructed by the philosopher to express that only when man embraces godhood does he achieve true freedom, and thus, transitions to become infinite. The current paper sees this argument as one of the best in finding life’s meaning because of its interpretation. Specifically, this paper interprets the transition of one from finite to infinite as a sense of fulfillment. Even if one does not embrace a religion and believe in a god, he can achieve that fulfillment through finding life’s meaning. That is to say that everyone starts from a point of being blank--the human, finite stage--and when he/she starts to look for the meaning of life, he starts to progress towards the infinite or the sense of fulfillment. Another set of philosophers that the current paper views as those who offer the best arguments in meaning of life are Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jean-Paul Sartre. What these philosophers have in common is sharing views--though not exactly similar--on the matter of existentialism. This perspective in the meaning of life involves the ideology that every human being creates purpose to his/her life with an omniscient entity having to do with it. Sartre shares his view that life’s essence is only created when one exists. Meanwhile, Schopenhauer saw the meaning of life in one’s will to guide his/her existence. Lastly, Nietzsche’s view to life is that it is only worth living if one has goals to live by with him/her (Cooper, 1999). These views are highly regarded by the current paper since it places the human being in a position where he/she is in control or at least aware of where he/she wants to go. Having thought of this ability to be within the capacity of the human being to perceive life’s meaning is favorable for this current paper. In particular, this can be related to humans’ life long quest to find meaning. If there was no will of that person, or a certain type of goal as per Nietzsche’s assertion, then he/she would not have asked the question of “what is life’s meaning” after all. Lastly, this paper finds Immanuel Kant and his thought on the meaning of life as something that offers the best argument in the field. Just like the three aforementioned philosophical thinkers, Kant also regarded human beings’ ability to shape perception on the world they live in--attributing it to many human qualities possessed by them. However, the philosopher’s thought extend beyond that in a way that he incorporates reason as the source of existence for morality (Guyer & Wood 1998). This current paper views these thoughts as very applicable for seeking the meaning of life since it has centralization and focus to an individual’s perception. Just like as this paper’s previous assertions, finding the meaning of life makes philosophical sense when it is placed in the responsibility and control of human beings. Also, it fits well with relating this quest to humans’ concepts since it is only when they are characterized by being curious and intrigued with the reason for their existence would they dare to embark on a quest in finding answers for that question. In the end, it can be evident in this paper’s choice of views and perspectives that the best arguments considered are those that center on how human beings are characterized. More so, it can also be drawn that this paper strongly has high regard for bringing the aspects of will and goals in the picture. This is so because it is considered as the main driver towards starting to find answers for what is life’s meaning and other related inquiries. It basically stands as a rationale for finding purpose. Inevitable End: Perspectives that Shared the Halt of Existence As extensive as the presence of perspectives are in the area of finding life’s meaning, minds are equally intrigued in the aspect of when life is over. Several of these thoughts take a wide range of difference--it could be that the destination after life is inquired upon, or simply expressing views on what they think about death. Although the quest on life’s meaning and death would be considered side by side--oftentimes as antithesis to each other--this current paper views that the two are each of their own quest to be explored. Particularly, as much as meaning of life is intriguing, the concept of non-existence is equally intriguing for this paper. However, as this paper has exhibited its inclination toward favoring arguments that involve the human being as in control of finding life’s meaning, it is also inclined to view death in a more positive light than just an end to everything and absolute nothingness. Firstly, this paper’s view of death can be related to Hegel’s meaning of life. In retrospect, this certain philosopher had the concept of finite and infinite which has been considered by this paper as among the best arguments in finding life’s meaning. However, not only is the thought considered for the aspect, it is also taken as support for an assertion in the interpretation of death. For this paper, death is not an end of a human’s life that results to being cut off from existence; rather, it is only a mere transition from one being finite to achieving the infinite. If it may be related to the concept of meaning of life, then death is considered as a fulfillment of the life well-lived. Instead of seeing the image of a decaying corpse, what this paper sees death as is an evolution of human beings to godhood when they pass away. Another view can be crafted from that of the existentialist philosophers like Nietzsche, Sartre, and Schopenhauer. When their view in the meaning of life is one that is attributed to human beings’ own will and control, it can also be used as support for this paper’s assertion that death is a certain conclusion or interruption. Like in most conclusions--i.e., finale in a book--death is a resolution to the whole duration of someone’s existence. Similar to the run of a whole story, it ends for the reader but in the book’s world, it is a continuous story. Therefore, it is the view of this paper that although death interrupts the physical functionality of a person, his/her storyline remains in the world through memories, legacies, etc. It is also because of the existentialist belief that this paper rests on this assertion on death. Due to the fact that death is known to be the inevitable interruption, in one’s life cycle, then the will of the human mind is to make the most out of life and live it to the fullest. That is why there is a given will, a set of goals, and the like. This is to say that death stands as a driving force for an individual to appreciate the life that he/she has been given. In underlying meaning, death is actually the true purpose. Lastly, Kant’s views on humans having the capability of building their own perception of the world they live in is taken as another supporting claim for this paper’s assertion on the concept of death. Similar to the existentialist philosophers’ concept of will and goals, Kant’s view on putting the human being in control of his/her view of the world is similarly associated by this paper to the interpretation of death. That is, from the beginning of one’s life, he or she knows that his/her existence is limited. Therefore, that individual will fill his/her life with meaning--all in preparation of the inevitable end. Therefore, as this paper views death in a positive light, it stands as an inspiration and basis of goals when an individual commences his/her existence. More to that, the concept of death is also seen as a gift to the cycle of life since without it, it will be an endless routine of episodes that would have the high potential of lacking in meaning. Conclusion In taking perspectives regarding both the concepts of death and the meaning of life, the current paper has greatly dealt with the views of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Immanuel Kant. With this paper’s review on the philosophical thoughts, it has been established that it is leaning towards having the human being--along with his own thoughts, will, and goals--as the core and shaper of his/her own life. More importantly, death, as per the assertion of this paper, is viewed in a positive light in that it serves as a driving force for human beings to make the most out of their existence in the world. Nevertheless, although this is the assertion of the paper, it does not mean that it is viewed as the sole concept that is deemed to be true. Instead, it only exhibits that in view of the topics, there are certain preferences and interpretations regarding the concepts. References Cooper, D. E. (1999). Existentialism. (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Di Giovanni, G. (2010). Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: The Science of Logic. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Gaarder, J. (1994). Sophie’s world. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Guyer, P., & Wood, A. (Eds.). (1998). Critique of Pure Reason. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Long, A. A. (1988). Socrates in Hellenistic philosophy. The Classical Quarterly, 38(1), 150-171. Read More