The meaning of human life. What is the meaning of human life? The problem of the meaning of human life

What is the meaning of human life? Many people have always thought about this question. For someone, the problem of the meaning of a person's life does not exist as such, someone sees the essence of being in money, someone in children, someone in work, etc. Naturally, over this question the heads of the great people of this world also broke: writers, philosophers, psychologists. They devoted years to this, wrote treatises, studied the works of their predecessors, etc. What did they say about this? What was the meaning of life and the purpose of man? Let's get acquainted with some points of view, perhaps, it will help to form your own vision of the problem.

About the question as a whole

So, what is the meaning of human life? Both Eastern sages and philosophers of completely different times tried to find the only correct answer to this posed question, but in vain. Every thinking person can also face this problem, and if we are not able to find the right solution, we will try at least to speculate and understand the topic a little. How to get as close to the answer to the question as to what is the point in a person's life? To do this, you need to determine for yourself the purpose, the purpose of your existence. Depending on what you want to achieve at a certain distance of life, the meaning of a person's life will change. It is easy to understand by example. If you are at the age of 20 firmly determined to earn a lot of money, that is, put such a task in front of you, then with every successful transaction the feeling that being is filled with meaning will only grow. However, after 15-20 years you will realize that you worked hard to harm personal life, health, etc. That's when all these years may seem, if not senselessly lived, then meaningful only in part. Which in this case can be inferred? That a person's life should have a goal (in this case - a sense), even if passing.

Is it possible to live without meaning?

If a person has no meaning in life, it means that he has no inner motivation, and this makes him weak. The absence of a goal does not allow us to take our own destiny into our own hands, resist adversity and difficulties, strive for something, etc. Man without the meaning of life is easy to manage, because he does not have his own opinion, ambitions, life criteria. In such cases, their desires are replaced by strangers, as a result of which individuality suffers, hidden talents and abilities do not manifest. Psychologists say that if a person does not want or can not find his way, purpose, goal, it leads to neuroses, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide. Therefore, each person should search for the meaning of his life, even unconsciously, for something to strive for, to wait for something, etc.

What is meant by the meaning of life in philosophy?

Philosophy about the meaning of human life can tell us a lot, so, this question has always stood in the first place for this science and its admirers and followers. Philosophers for millennia created some ideals to which one had to strive, some patterns of existence, in which the answer to the eternal question was covered.

1. If, for example, we speak of ancient philosophy, Epicurus saw the goal of being as pleasure, Aristotle as the achievement of happiness through the knowledge of the world and thinking, Diogenes in the quest for inner peace, denial of the family and art.

2. On the question of what is the meaning of human life, the philosophy of the Middle Ages gave the following answer: one should read ancestors, take religious views of the time, pass it on to posterity.

3. Representatives of the philosophy of the 19-20 centuries also had their own view of the problem. The irrationalists saw the essence of being in a constant struggle with death, suffering; Existentialists believed that the meaning of a person's life depends on himself; Positivists did not consider this problem senseless, because it is expressed linguistically.

Interpretation from the point of view of religion

Every historical epoch sets before society problems and problems, the solution of which, directly or indirectly, affects how a person understands his or her purpose. Since the conditions of life, cultural and social demands are changing, it is natural that the person's views on all issues are changing. However, people never left the desire to find that unique, so to speak, universal meaning of life, which would be suitable for any stratum of society, for each period of time. This same desire is reflected in all religions, among which Christianity is especially worth noting. The problem of the meaning of human life is considered by Christianity to be inseparable from the doctrine of the creation of the world, about God, about the fall, about the sacrifice of Jesus, about the salvation of the soul. That is, all these issues are seen on the same plane, respectively, the essence of being is outside life itself.

The idea of a "spiritual elite"

The meaning of human life philosophy, or rather - some of its followers, was considered from yet another interesting point of view. At a certain time, such notions about this problem that have cultivated the ideas of the "spiritual elite" designed to protect the whole of mankind from degeneration through the introduction of it to cultural and spiritual values have become widespread. Thus, for example, Nietzsche believed that the essence of life is that geniuses, talented individuals who would raise the common people to their level would be born constantly, deprive them of the sense of orphanhood. K. Jaspers also shared this point of view. He was sure that representatives of the spiritual aristocracy should be a yardstick, a model for all other people.

What does hedonism say about this?

The founders of this teaching are the ancient Greek philosophers Epicurus and Aristippus. The latter argued that both bodily and spiritual pleasure is a boon to the individual, which should be positively evaluated, respectively, displeasure is bad. And the more desirable the pleasure, the stronger. The doctrine of Epicurus on this issue has become a household name. He said that all life is drawn to pleasure, to this same strives for any person. However, he receives not only sensual, bodily pleasure, but also spiritual.

Theory of utilitarianism

This kind of hedonism was developed mainly by philosophers Bentham and Mill. The first, like Epicurus, was convinced that the meaning of life and the happiness of man is only in obtaining pleasure and yearning for it and in avoiding suffering and suffering. He also believed that the criterion of utility could mathematically compute a particular kind of pleasure or displeasure. And having made their balance, we can find out which act will be bad, which is good. Mill, who gave the name to the current, wrote that if an action promotes happiness, then it automatically becomes positive. And so that he was not accused of selfishness, the philosopher said that it is important not only the happiness of the person himself, but also those around him.

Objections to hedonism

Yes, there were, and a lot. The essence of objections boils down to the fact that hedonists and utilitarians see the meaning of a person's life in the pursuit of pleasure. However, as life experience shows, a person, when doing an act, does not always think about what it will lead to: happiness or chagrin. Moreover, people knowingly do such things, which are knowingly associated with hard work, torture, death, in order to achieve those goals that are far from personal benefit. Each person is unique. That for one there is happiness, for another - torment.

Deeply criticized the hedonism of Kant. He said that the happiness expressed by the hedonists is a very conventional concept. To each it is represented in different ways. The meaning and value of human life, according to Kant, are the desire of everyone to develop a good will. Only in this way one can achieve perfection, fulfill a moral duty. Having the will, the person will strive for those actions, which are responsible for its purpose.

The meaning of human life in the literature Tolstoy LN

The great writer not only pondered, but even tormented this question. In the end, Tolstoy came to the conclusion that the goal of life is only the self-improvement of the individual. He was also convinced that the meaning of the existence of one individual can not be sought separately from others, from society as a whole. Tolstoy said that in order to live honestly, one must constantly fight, tear, get confused, because calmness is a meanness. That is why the negative part of the soul seeks peace, but it does not understand that the achievement of the desired is associated with the loss of everything that is good and good in man.

The meaning of human life in philosophy was interpreted in different ways, it happened depending on many causes, currents of a specific time. If we consider the teachings of such a great writer and philosopher as Tolstoy, then the following is said there. Before deciding on the purpose of existence, it is necessary to understand what life is. He went through all the known definitions of life, but they did not satisfy him, since they reduced everything only to biological existence. However, human life, according to Tolstoy, is impossible without moral, moral aspects. Thus, the moralist transfers the essence of life to the moral sphere. After Tolstoy he turned to both sociology and religion in the hope of finding that single meaning that is intended for everyone, but everything was in vain.

What is said about this in the domestic and foreign literature?

In this area, the number of approaches to this problem and opinions is no less than in philosophy. Although many writers also acted as philosophers, they talked about the eternal.

So, one of the oldest is the Ecclesiastes concept. It talks about the vanity and insignificance of human existence. According to Ecclesiastes, life is nonsense, nonsense, nonsense. And such components of being as labor, power, love, wealth, make no sense. It's the same as chasing the wind. In general, he believed that there was no meaning in human life.

Russian philosopher Kudryavtsev in his monograph put forward the idea that each person independently fills the meaning of life. He insists only that everyone sees the goal only in the "high" and not in the "low" (money, pleasure, etc.)

Russian thinker Dostoevsky, who constantly "unraveled" the secrets of the human soul, believed that the meaning of a person's life is in his morality.

The meaning of being in psychology

Freud, for example, believed that the most important thing in life was to be happy, to get the maximum pleasure and enjoyment. Only these things are self-evident, but the person who thinks about the meaning of life is mentally ill. But his pupil, E. Fromm, believed that one can not live without meaning. It is necessary to consciously reach out to everything positive and fill it with being. In the teachings of V. Frankl this concept is given the main place. According to his theory, under no circumstances in life a person can not see the goals of existence. And you can acquire meaning in three ways: in action, in experiencing, in the presence of a certain position to life circumstances.

Is there really a meaning in human life?

In this article we consider such an eternally existing issue as the problem of the meaning of human life. Philosophy on this subject gives not one answer, some variants are presented above. But each of us at least once, but thought about the meaningfulness of his own being. For example, according to sociologists, approximately 70% of the world's inhabitants live in constant fear and anxiety. As it turned out, they did not seek the meaning of their being, but simply wanted to survive. And for what? And that bustling and alarming rhythm of life is a consequence of the unwillingness to understand this question at least for yourself. No matter how we hide, the problem still exists. Writers, philosophers, thinkers sought answers. If you analyze all the results, you can come to three judgments. Let's try to find meaning, and we?

Judgment one: there is no sense and can not be

This means that any attempt to find a goal is a delusion, a dead end, a self-deception. Many philosophers adhered to this theory, including Jean-Paul Sartre, who said that if death is ahead of us all, then in life there is no sense, because all problems will remain unresolved. Disappointed and unsatisfied in the search for truth were also A. Pushkin, P. Vyazemsky, Omar Khayyam. It should be said that such a position of making meaninglessness of life is very cruel, not every person is even able to survive it. Much of the nature of man is opposed to this opinion. On this occasion, the next item.

Judgment two: there is a sense, but everyone has his own

The admirers of this opinion believe that there is a sense, or rather, it should be, so we must come up with it. This stage implies an important step - a person ceases to run from himself, he must recognize that being can not be meaningless. In this position, the personality is more frank with itself. If the question appears again and again, it will not be possible to dismiss it or hide it. Pay attention, if we recognize such a concept as senselessness, by the same token we prove the legitimacy and the right to the existence of that very meaning. It's all good. However, representatives of this opinion, even recognizing and accepting the question, could not find a universal answer. Then everything went on the principle of "once recognized - think it out yourself." In life there are so many roads, you can choose any of them. Schelling said that the one who has a goal is happy, and this is the meaning of all life. A person with such a position will try to find meaning in all phenomena, events that happen to him. Someone will turn to material enrichment, someone - to success in sports, someone - to the family. Now it turns out that there is no universal meaning, so all those "meanings" are what? Only tricks that cover the meaninglessness? And if there is still a common sense for everyone, then where to look for it? We pass to the third point.

The third judgment

And it sounds like this: there is a sense in our existence, it can even be known, but only after you know who created this being. Here the question will not be actual, not about what is the meaning of a person's life, but about why he is looking for him. So I lost it. The logic is simple. After committing sin, the person lost God. And you do not need to invent here the meaning yourself, you just need to know the Creator again. Even a philosopher and a convinced atheist, Russell Bertrand, said that if the existence of God is originally excluded, then there is nothing to seek meaning, it will not. A bold decision for an atheist.

Most Common Answers

If you ask a person about the meaning of his existence, he is likely to give one of the following answers. Let's look at them in more detail.

In the continuation of the genus. If you answer this question about the meaning of life, then you show the nakedness of your soul. Live for the sake of children? To train them, put them on their feet? And what's next? Then, when children grow up and leave a cozy nest? You will say that you will teach your grandchildren. And what? So that they, in turn, also did not have goals in life, but went in a vicious circle? Continuation of the genus is one of the tasks, but it is not universal.

In the work. For many people, future plans are linked to a career. You will work, but for what? To feed the family, to dress? Yes, but that's not enough. How to realize yourself? Also not enough. Even the ancient philosophers argued that labor will not last long, if there is no general meaning in life.

In wealth. Many believe that the accumulation of money - the main happiness in life. It becomes passion. But to live fully, do not need untold treasures. It turns out that making money all the time for the sake of money is pointless. Especially in the event that a person does not understand why he needs wealth. Money can only be a tool for the realization of its meaning, purpose.

In existence for someone. This is more filled with meaning, although it is similar to the point about children. Of course, caring for someone is grace, this is the right choice, but not enough for self-realization.

What to do, how to find the answer?

If, nevertheless, the question posed does not give you rest, then the answer should be sought in yourself. In this review, we briefly reviewed some philosophical, psychological, religious aspects of the problem. Even if you read such literature for days and study all the theories, it is by no means a fact that you 100% agree with something and take it as a guide to action.

If you decide to find the meaning of your life, then something does not suit you in the present state of things. However, be careful: time goes by, it will not wait until you find something. Most people try to realize themselves in the above directions. Yes please, if you like it, brings pleasure, then who will forbid it? On the other hand, who said that it is so impossible, that this is not true, that we have no right to live this way (for children, for relatives, etc.)? Everyone chooses his own way, his destiny. Or maybe you should not look for him? If something is prepared, then it will come, without any extra effort on the part of man? Who knows, maybe it's true. And do not be surprised if you see the meaning of life different on each segment of your existence. This is normal. The nature of man in general is such that he constantly doubts something. The main thing is to be filled, like a vessel, to do something, to dedicate something to your life.