Death & the Meaning of Life - Quiz #4

absurd

the confrontation btw the deep human desire for meaningfulness and the universe’s lack of meaning

absurdism

• branch of existentialism

• there is no meaningness to the world and we cannot create it

Camus - Is anything in the world objectively valuable?

No

Camus - How can we be happy without being inauthentic?

• revolt against meaninglessness

• hold on to your desire for meaning and the truth that there is no meaning and be happy in your authenticity

What makes Sisyphus an absurd hero?

• He lives the kind of life we have to live in order to avoid suicide or inauthenticity

• he found happiness in his absurd situation

existence precedes essence

we are free to and responsible for inventing value on our behalf, for all humanity

• no pre-established essence = no pre-established morality

• no pre-established meaning in life

difference btw a human and a paper knife

• a paper knife is a good paper knife if it meets a certain requirements

• ppl are not like that

Sartre - Is anything in the world objectively valuable?

No

Sartre - Can we create value? How?

yes, thru our choices

good vs bad faith

good → living authentically

bad → living inauthentically

Young Man story

a young man is deciding btw tending to his ill mother or fighting Nazis

• there is no answer and if you avoid that fact, you’re attempting to push the responsibility of that choice onto someone else

• you have to make a decision that is based on no prior knowledge

How does Sartre avoid the “anything goes” objection to existentialism?

Guise of the Good: humans only make choices if they think those choices will lead to good consequences

• ultimately its an ethics of authenticity, if you care abt being authentic follow Sartre, if you don’t be prepared to get judged by the authentic

work (philos sense)

any activity undertaken solely to realize some purpose or achieve some outcome

work (economic sense)

activities that are instrumentally valuable

play

free purposeless action, action which carries purpose within itself (intrinsic value)

creative play

play that is also work in the economic sense

youth (descriptive, age sense)

early part of life

youth (attitude towards life sense)

a way of leading one’s life w/ a spirit of enthusiasm and playful engagement

Schlick - What is the meaning of life?

youth (philos sense)

Schlick - Why do so many ppl live a meaningless life?

Circularity Problem of Work: a chain of allegedly instrumentally valuable activities only become valuable if it leads to something intrinsically valuable, but working for the sake of survival so that you can work more is a circle, so no intrinsic value enters

Wolf - meaningfulness

actively and somewhat successfully, engaged in projects of objective value

project

any broadly, goal-oriented activity

somewhat successful

a project contributes more to the meaningfulness of a person’s life to the extent that the project is successful

actively engaged

gripped by the project, passionate abt it, animated by it

objective value

• worthwhile

• value beyond the individual

• valuable, not just bc we believe it is or desire it

Wolf - Why must the project be objectively, not merely subjectively, valuable?

• grounds significance of a person’s life in something that transcends personal happiness/preferences

• for the greater good

couch potato

• doesn’t add to society

• no motivation to improve himself

• just existing, won’t get anywhere

idle rich

• lost passion quickly

• lacking deep connections

• too easy, no effort

alienated housewife

• life is meaningful to other ppl

• not meaningful to herself

• not doing what she wants to do

grass counter

• loves his life, loves what he does

• contributing the bare minimum

• no impact

defeated scientist

• passionate, skillful

• enjoys the work

• could have indirectly led to good things (even if she failed at her goal)

• put it all on one categorical desire, that didn’t pan out

• would have been more meaningful if she successfully completed her goal

Wolf - Why is meaningfulness a different category than morality or prudence?

meaning involves a specific kind of engagement w/ objectively valuable projects that transcend personal happiness or moral duties

Wolf - Would Sisyphus have a meaningful life if he enjoyed pushing the rock?

No

Wolf - Is it possible for Sisyphus to live a meaningful life, even if he must be pushing the rock up the hill?

Yes, it is possible if he:

• transforms the task

• approaches activity differently

What is the meaning of “God is Dead”?

• loss of objective meaning

• the ultimate source of meaning, morality and value no longer exist

• the world is meaningless

eternal recurrence

time repeats itself in an infinite loop

demon thought experiment

demon comes to you in your darkest moment and tells you that eternal recurrence is real and you will live this moment over and over again

• that will cause an immense amount of despair

• if you live a truly meaningful life, you will say yes and continue the loop