Is meaning man-made?

[Matthew777]

Look, you obviously have many unanswered questions and it would not be surprising if you've neglected to take the time to sort them out. Just please read the book as soon as possible and then message me about it.

 

[Waiting for the Verdict]

What do you mean when you use the word 'meaning'? I do not understand. At the moment, meaning has no value to me because I have no idea what people who use the term mean by it. What is it that I should want to have it?

I think the best definition I can give is purpose, though obviously that is grossly simplistic. Thus, if I have no purpose, my life has no inherent meaning other than possibly what I give to it. Similarly, religous systems can stink because one may have a purpose, but it has already been preordained. YOu have no free will in shaping it, which argueably you might have in an athiest system. Its a tricky tradeoff. But if you could help me define meaning better I'd appreciate it.

 

[I <3 Abraham]

KIERKEGAARD?!?!

That guy is the best! (although I wouldn't call him "existentialist") What books of his are you guys reading/ have read. I have only read philosophical fragments and Fear and Trembling (but I do understand what is going on with the exordia, MWAHAHAHA!) How about yall?

Also, Mathew777, you should read some Epictitus (the Discourses probably), that guy had a hard life and is THE major stoic of the ancient world. Frankl has some huge influences from the stoic philosophers.

 

[ThinkerThinker]

I think meaning is simply a word given to a mental state which is sparked off when we are aware of something that has value to us. Something has value if it serves some purpose. That is why meaning is a mental state and not something universal. The universe as a whole can only have meaning if it serves some purpose as a whole, which is why you need a God to give the universe meaning. Other than that people, things and events have meaning to us when it has value to us personally. Value can be found in things like companionship, trust, support, and even learning experiences. When they loose their value they loose their meaningfulness to us.



If you life has no meaning to yourself you are saying it has no value to yourself which is the same as saying your life is not offering you experiences of value (which is often the case if you do not have experiences that trigger positive emotions/feelings). You can think that while at the same time someone else might think you do have meaning, but that is only relevant to them.



If religious system states that your life is pre-ordained it might affect your experience of meaning. For many the idea of autonomy is something they value about their life so if someone then come to the realization that everything is pre-ordained this value is lost and with it meaning as well. Atheistic believes do not always protect you from this as the philosophy of determinism in its extreme form leaves no room for autonomous choice.



Even if you do not believe in free choice you can still find loads of meaning in your life by finding value in such things as the experience of life. This lies in acquiring a positive attitude that finds satisfaction in the experience of new events simply for their own sake. It’s a bit like watching a good movie: you can still enjoy the movie even though it is pre-ordained.

p.