The Meaning of Life

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the different views--scientific, philosophical, religious--on how to tackle and how to best answer questions regarding the meaning of life. The paper explains that science contends that the meaning of life is centered on the origin of life, both in terms of biological life and the universe itself. The paper then points out that, it is uncertain whether science can really tell us what is most significant in life in a philosophical sense. The paper also looks at how the meaning of life is said to be the question which was at the very heart of the classical moral philosophy initiated by Socrates. The writer believes that the only important thing is that you live your life in a way that you don't have regrets or you don't step on other people's feelings or rights.

From the Paper:

"Another philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, argued that life is full of absurdity and the individual must make his or her own values in an indifferent world. For Kierkegaard, an individual can have a meaningful life if the individual relates the self in an unconditional commitment to something finite, and devotes his or her life to the commitment despite the inherent vulnerability of doing so.
"These are but instances of how different people give different answers to the most-asked question about life. There are a million other contentions and concepts, may they be philosophical, religious or scientific in nature. These contentions and ideas depend on how one's beliefs are patterned or how one's experiences have shaped this belief system, or, maybe, his or her set of goals."

Sample of Sources Used:

• http://www.godrealized.org/what_is_the_meaning_of_life.html
• http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/forum/ForewSoc.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaning_of_life#Scientific_approaches_to_the_meaning_of_life

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