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The Meaning of Life

The meaning of life, or the answer to the


question "What is the meaning of life?",
pertains to the significance of living or 
existence in general.
Many other related questions include “Why are we
here?” , “What is life all about ?” , or “ What is
the purpose of existence? “. There have been a
large number of proposed answer to these
questions from many different cultural and
ideological background.
The meaning of life as we perceive it is derived
from philosophical and religious contemplation of,
and scientific inquiries about existence, socialities, 
consciousness, and happiness. 
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?"
Psychological significance and value in life

Researchers in positive psychology study empirical factors that lead to life satisfaction,


full engagement in activities making a fuller contribution by utilizing one's personal
strengths, and meaning based on investing in something larger than the self. Large-data
studies of flow experiences have consistently suggested that humans experience
meaning and fulfillment when mastering challenging tasks, and that the experience
comes from the way tasks are approached and performed rather than the particular
choice of task. For example, flow experiences can be obtained by prisoners in
concentration camps with minimal facilities, and occur only slightly more often in
billionaires. A classic example is of two workers on an apparently boring production
line in a factory. One treats the work as a tedious chore while the other turns it into a
game to see how fast she can make each unit, and achieves flow in the process.
Life’s Most Common Questions

 What is the meaning of life? What's it all about? Who are we?
 Why are we here? What are we here for?
 What is the origin of life?
 What is the nature of life? What is the nature of reality?
 What is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of one's life?
 What is the significance of life?
 What is meaningful and valuable in life? What is the value of life?
 What is the reason to live? What are we living for?
Nature of meaning in life

The most common definitions of meaning in life involves three


components. First, Reker and Wong defined personal meaning as the
"cognizance of order, coherence and purpose in one's existence, the
pursuit and attainment of worthwhile goals, and an accompanying sense
of fulfillment“. Recently, Martela and Steger have defined meaning as
coherence, purpose, and significance. In contrast, Wong has proposed a
four-component solution to the question of meaning in life. The four
components are purpose, understanding, responsibility, and enjoyment
Plato

Plato, a pupil of Socrates, was one of the earliest, most influential


philosophers. His reputation comes from his idealism of believing in the
existence of universals. His Theory of Forms proposes that universals do not
physically exist, like objects, but as heavenly forms. In the dialogue of The
Republic, the character of Socrates describes the Form of the Good. His
theory on justice in the soul relates to the idea of happiness relevant to the
question of the meaning of life.
In Platonism, the meaning of life is in
attaining the highest form of knowledge,
which is the Idea (Form) of the Good,
from which all good and just things derive
utility and value.
Aristotle

 Aristotle, an apprentice of Plato, was another early and influential


philosopher, who argued that ethical knowledge is not certainknowledge
(such as metaphysics andepistemology), but is general knowledge.
Because it is not a theoretical discipline, a person had to study and
practice in order to become "good"; thus if the person were to
become virtuous, he could not simply study what virtue is, he had
to be virtuous, via virtuous activities.
Every skill and every inquiry, and similarly, every action
and choice of action, is thought to have some good as its
object. This is why the good has rightly been defined as the
object of all endeavor [...]
Everything is done with a goal, and that goal is "good".
Aristotle's solution is the Highest Good, which is
desirable for its own sake. It is its own goal. The
Highest Good is not desirable for the sake of
achieving some other good, and all other "goods"
desirable for its sake. This involves
achieving eudaemonia, usually translated as
"happiness", "well-being", "flourishing", and
"excellence".
What is the highest good in all matters of action? To
the name, there is almost complete agreement; for
uneducated and educated alike call it happiness, and
make happiness identical with the good life and
successful living. They disagree, however, about the
meaning of happiness.
Cynicism

Antisthenes, a pupil of Socrates, first outlined the themes of


Cynicism, stating that the purpose of life is living a life
of Virtue which agrees with Nature. Happiness depends upon
being self-sufficient and master of one's mental attitude;
suffering is the consequence of false judgments of value, which
cause negative emotions and a concomitant vicious character.
As reasoning creatures, people could achieve happiness via
rigorous training, by living in a way natural
to human beings. The world equally belongs to everyone,
so suffering is caused by false judgments of what is
valuable and what is worthless per
the customs and conventions of society.
Epicurean Meaning

The Epicurean meaning of life rejects immortality


and mysticism; there is a soul, but it is as mortal as
the body. There is no afterlife, yet, one need not fear
death, because "Death is nothing to us; for that
which is dissolved, is without sensation, and that
which lacks sensation is nothing to us."
The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment and the colonial era both changed the nature of


European philosophy and exported it worldwide. Devotion and
subservience to God were largely replaced by notions of inalienable
natural rights and the potentialities of reason, and universal ideals of
love and compassion gave way to civic notions of freedom, equality,
and citizenship.
“ “The meaning of life changed as well, focusing
less on humankind's relationship to God and more
on the relationship between individuals and their
society. This era is filled with theories that equate
meaningful existence with the social order.”

Being Worthy One

1. You need to choose a worthy purpose or a significant life goal.


2. You need to have sufficient understanding of who you are, what life
demands of you, and how you can play a significant role in life.
3. You and you alone are responsible for deciding what kind of life you
want to live, and what constitutes a significant and worthwhile life goal.
4. You will enjoy a deep sense of significance and satisfaction only when
you have exercised your responsibility for self-determination and
actively pursue a worthy life goal.

Thank You!
CREATED BY: ”
CINDY GERONA
THRACE MARTIN AGAWIN
JO-NISSA ROXAS
CRISTEL CALLOPE

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