About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 69. Chapters: Absurdism, Absurdity, Angst, Anguish, Authenticity (philosophy), Bad faith, Bad faith (existentialism), Being in itself, Boredom, Encounter (psychology), Existence precedes essence, Existential crisis, Existential phenomenology, Existentiell, Facticity, Gaze, Human condition, Lightness (philosophy), Logotherapy, Meaning (existential), Meaning of life, Nothing, Philosophy of Max Stirner, Philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard, Ressentiment, Self-deception, Social alienation, Thought of Thomas Aquinas, Wish fulfillment. Excerpt: The meaning of life is a philosophical question concerning the significance of life or existence in general. It can also be expressed in different forms, such as "Why are we here?," "What is life all about?," and "What is the purpose of existence?" It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of proposed answers to these questions from many different cultural and ideological backgrounds. The meaning of life is in the philosophical and religious conceptions of existence, social ties, consciousness, and happiness, and borders on many other issues, such as symbolic meaning, ontology, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, the existence of one or multiple Gods, conceptions of God, the soul, and the afterlife. Scientific contributions focus primarily on describing related empirical facts about the universe, exploring the context and parameters concerning the 'how' of life. Science also studies and can provide recommendations for the pursuit of well-being and a related conception of morality. An alternative, humanistic approach poses the question "What is the meaning of my life?" The value of the question pertaining to the purpose of life may coincide with the achievement of ultimate reality, or a feeling of oneness, or even a feeling of sacredness. Philosopher in Meditation (detail) by RembrandtQuestions about the meaning of life have been expressed in a broad variety of ways, including the following: These questions have resulted in a wide range of competing answers and arguments, from scientific theories, to philosophical, theological, and spiritual explanations. The philosophical perspectives on the meaning of life are those ideologies which explain life in terms of ideals or abstractions defined by humans. Plato and Aristotle in The School of Athens fresco, by Raphael. Plato is pointing heavenwards to the sky, and Aristotle is gesturing to the world. Plato was one
