Transcript Aesthetics: Philosophy of Art

“The Meaning of Life”
Richard Taylor
Three ways to answer the question
“What gives life meaning?”:
(1919-2003)
1. Life has meaning because it has a purpose,
direction, or results in something that lasts
Response: the repetitive nature of life
reveals how life does not have a point or
result in anything that truly lasts
The Meaninglessness
of Life
2. Life has no meaning because, as in the
case of Sisyphus, all our efforts ultimately
fail to produce anything permanent
Response: Sisyphus’s irrational desire for
what cannot be achieved allows him to
make sense of his endless striving to act
The Meaning of Life:
The Nobility of the Struggle
Albert Camus
(1913-1960)
3. It is our desire to keep on doing what we do
(i.e., simply striving to live) that makes life
meaningful. We have no reason to despair,
for it is the permanent expectation of there
not being a final state that keeps us going
Response: this ignores our longing for
something that transcends this life