AGENDA
- Happiness presentation
- Meaning in life
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Meaning of life (Monday
Meaning in life: modules 5, 6, 7
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How are the blue topics different from the lilac topics?
Answer 1: Meaning language is relatively new
"The first English use of the expression “the meaning of life” appeared in 1834 in Thomas Carlyle’s (1795-1881) Sartor Resartus II. ix, where Teufelsdrockh observes, “our Life is compassed round with Necessity; yet is the meaning of Life itself no other than Freedom.” The usage shortly caught on, and over the next century and a half the phrase “the meaning of life” became common. The adjective “meaningful” did not appear until 1852, the noun “meaningfulness” until 1904." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "Meaning of life"
No use of "meaning of life" talk in any of our authors so far except in the Peter Singer video
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Answer 2: Meaning authors are concerned with a different aspect of life, compared to good life authors
John Cottingham -- contemporary British philosopher
- Philosophy Bites interview with John Cottingham (transcript)
- We will read an article by him on April 20
STARTING AT 1:15
Cottingham: The main problem about human existence is its fragility. The projects which we embark on are constantly in danger of foundering because of ordinary contingencies of life.Warburton: You don’t mean it’s because of death, for instance. I mean,that’s the obvious fragility underlying everything that we’re always gonna die at some point.Cottingham: Exactly. That’s the most striking one, but illness, old age, infirmity. Philosophers have often written as if human beings are autonomous, grand, self sufficient agents who are somehow in charge of their lives, and then philosophy’s job is supposed to be to map out the conditions for the good life. Well, there’s nothing wrong with trying to map out the conditions for the good life, but there’s more to it than that because we are dependent on these contingencies. And so a meaningful life has to be one which is not just rich in various ways, including enriching and valuable activities, but which somehow comes to terms with this fragility and this contingency.Warburton: So you’re saying that as human beings, we encounter things, obstacles to our projects. I might want to be an athlete and I’ll break my leg when I’m twenty one, and it just is not possible. So any mapped out plan for life that doesn’t allow for contingency isn’t gonna work.
Cottingham: That’s exactly right. Yes.
- Good life authors: portray humans as "autonomous, grand, self-sufficient agents"
- Meaning in life authors: trying to come to terms with "this fragility and this contingency"
Fragility and contingency (unpredictability)
- death
- illness
- old age
- obstacles to our projects
- and others
Is he right? Is it fair to say that our authors so far did not try to come to terms with "this fragility and contingency" and portray humans as "autonomous, grand, self-sufficient agents"?
- Aristotle
- Epictetus
- Mill
- Nietzsche
Is he right? Do our meaning authors focus on fragility and contingency?
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First meaning author: Tolstoy, Confession (1880, written when he was in his 50s)
- Crisis.... (distress advisory)
- Resolution, involving religion
