Meaning of Life Final

Control over the internal vs. control over the external

Moderate E

Things within our control: Judgements, opinions, choices. We cannot be forced, harmed, or made miserable by others

Outside our control: Bodies, wealth, reputation, other peoples actions. Trying to control these things leads to anxiety and frustration

“It is not things themselves that disturb us, but our judgments about them.”

Desire satisfaction- increasing the numerator vs. decreasing the denominator

Moderate E

Decreasing the denominator - limiting desires to what is within your own control, wanting things to happen as they do

(He takes issue with this) Increasing the numerator - aquiring more money, gaining status/approval, making world conform to you

What is a possibility

Moderate E

Multiple possibilities are possible, we act based on what appears to be appropriate

This may be extreme:

Incomplete info in our own minds

Ex. Class and the toy boat. What happened to the boat is the only thing that could possibly happen

For epictetus, the only real possibilities are how you think, judge, and choose. We can’t control everything else that happens

The bathouse, parking meter, abad call by referee, closed restaurant, etc

Moderate E

Should expect these things to happen, they had to happen, nothing else was possible

The jug

Moderate E

Might be fond of the jug and have desire for it but also need to recognize it as a finite object that could break or get lost

Increased satisfaction and decreased frustration

Moderate E

Ex. If you’re a lawyer appearing in court and you can’t think of the correct objection until much later, you shouldn’t beat yourself up (If option didn’t occur to us then it wasn’t possible, need to get rid of the false belief that it is possible)

-If we’re discombobulated then we can’t get an accurate picture of what is happening)

The importance of goals and desires

Moderate E

Perfectly reasonable to pursue goals, just need to be realistic

If we fail at goals, we can look at them and try not to fail next time

Calm and tranquility

Moderate E

Ex. If a little oil is spilled, realize that sort of thing is bound to happen

Nothing else could happen then what did happen

Invincibility

Moderate E

Improved function - CEOS, athletes, everyday life

Moderate E

Don’t get discombobulated- are able to have a clear mind/picture

Athlete ex. Ref makes a bad call and that'‘s all they can think about for the next plays

Student ex. Does poorly on exam, can be better prepared for the future

Risk-taking

Moderate E

Stoic attitude towards others (insults, et)

Moderate E

-Imagine being insulted by a toddler, wouldn’t be mad

-Now, imagine leaving class and being yelled at and insulted

Should try not to take it personally, as if toddler is the one yelling at you

People can only act on the basis of how things appear to them

Moderate E

Yes

A stoic attitude toward our own strengths and weaknesses

Moderate E

-Need to have realistic expectations

Moderate satisfaction at piecing things together

Moderate E

Approach to social injustice

Moderate E

Can take on addressing social injustice but you need to be realistic

Getting rid of goals, desires, and expectations, except for the desire to understand how things fit together and why they have to happen exactly as they do

Extreme E

yes

No frustration

Extreme E

Since everything can only happen one way, there’s no reason to be upset

Be ok with whatever happens

Extreme E

Yes

Take a third-person perspective on everything

Extreme E

People can only act on the basis of how things appear to them

Extreme E

Yes

Intense satisfaction at piecing things together

Extreme E

Satisfaction doesn’t come from possessions but instead from piecing things together correctly in the mind

-Using reason to know how the world works

-Recognizing what is and is not up to us

-Making accurate judgments of events

Social injustice

Extreme E

Shouldn’t care at all

Things are because thats the only way they can be

No good/bad/right/wrong

Extreme E

yes

Extreme Epictetus vs. moderate Epictetus on the parking meter example

Extreme E

Objections to extreme epictetus

Extreme E

What does it mean for human life to be absurd₁

-Human beings have a lot of firmly held beliefs- even though they have little proof

Human life is absurd₁ because no one will care about us in a million years

Nagel disagrees with this because in a million years no one will be thinking of us at all

Human life is absurd₁ because if is finite in terms of time and space

If living for 70-80 years is meaningless then why would life suddenly have meaning if it went on for eternity

Humans as rational animals or homo sapiens

We believe homo sapiens are more rational than other creatures

Take ourselves to have 100% evidence

Foundational beliefs and our level of confidence in them

We double down on our beliefs with 100% certain despite little evidence for them

Do we have reasons for none of our beliefs according to Nagal

Yes. Nothing has proof that it’s real. We don’t even know if our perceptions are accurate

What is the sense in which human life is absurd according to Nagel

-We’re comical creatures who parade around as if we have proof for our beliefs

-Spend lots of time working out, having a job, talking to people as if we have proof of a deeper meaning

What is the perspective sub specie aeternitatis? What do we notice from this perspective?

Outside perspective

Humans are highly invested in their own pursuits

• It’s a way of looking at life from “outside” ourselves, imagining how things would appear from an eternal, detached standpoint.

• From this perspective, our daily concerns, projects, and achievements are seen as tiny and fleeting.

• Essentially, it’s seeing life the way the universe sees it, without personal bias or attachment.

The belief that our projects and pursuits have value

Like ant hill

We are highly invested in our own projects

External-world skepticism

No proof any external world even exists

Belief in the existence of God vs. the big bang

Nagel no proof for God in the same way that people have no proof of the big bang

Are non-human animals (like birds) absurd₂ according to Nagel

No. They act like their lives have meaning but don’t parade around with superiority

the benefits of noticing that we are absurd₂

-Be more humble

-Can approach life with irony

Ex. Political argument with friend, can recognize neither of you have proof

-Can be more open

-Can be less upset at the world

How long can we take an outsiders perspective, according to Nagel? How are we supposed to use that perspective as a tool?

Objections to Nagel

-Can only take outside perspective temporarily (eventually slip back into usual mode of thinking)

-Nagel thinks we’ll compromise by taking each others perspective more- irl we don’t tend to do that