Religion Part Two
RELIGION AND THE MEANING OF LIFE
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Title: Religion and the Meaning of Life Part Two
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Readings for These Slides:
Reading 11 (optional): Daniel Hill, "The Meaning of Life", Philosophy Now, Issue 35, Sept/Oct 2014.
Reading 13: Robert Nozick, "Philosophy and the Meaning of Life", available online.
Reading 14: Kurt Baier, "The Meaning of Life", available online.
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Basic Reasoning Behind the Religious View:
There is no observable evidence in the empirical, natural world to confer meaning or purpose to life.
Existence may not inherently possess value or importance.
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Main Thesis of the Religious Approach:
The meaning and purpose of human life depend on the existence of a transcendent reality (God and afterlife).
A supernatural realm is proposed to avoid nihilism regarding our existence.
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Literal Interpretation of Life's Purpose:
The religious perspective interprets life's purpose as fulfilling God's intended role for humanity, similar to tools fulfilling their functions.
Examples include proving love for God and sharing in His glory.
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Daniel Hill’s View from Reading 11:
The question “What is the meaning of life?” suggests looking for purpose or function given by an intelligent creator.
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Hill's Blunt Claim:
Atheists must deny life's meaning since no non-divine purpose exists to explain living things.
Hill insists that meaning requires an intelligent creator.
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The Role of Faith:
Faith provides meaning and purpose even if knowledge of God’s role is inaccessible.
Tolstoy posits that faith helps the masses sense meaning in life.
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Transition to Critique of the Religious View.
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Religious Approach Problems:
While plausible, it raises complex issues about meaning if God exists, highlighting ambiguity.
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Problems for Religious View:
Knowledge Problem: Lack of convincing evidence for God's existence challenges life's meaning.
Other accounts of meaning do not face this problem.
Many feel their lives have meaning regardless of God's existence.
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Nietzsche's Reminder:
Suggests that losing theism leads directly to nihilism; this doesn’t align with people's lived experience.
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Does the Religious View Clash with Modern Values?
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Outdated Values Objection:
Religion may not align with modern values such as autonomy, freedom, and self-determination.
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Historical Context of Religious Values:
Developed in authoritarian contexts with rigid roles emphasizing obedience and conformity.
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Projection of Social Structures onto Religion:
Historical power dynamics influence religious views, with God as authoritarian figure, reflecting societal structures.
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Value Shift:
Current values emphasize independence, contrasting religious views focused on fulfilling roles within a divine plan.
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Existentialism Comparison:
Existentialism advocates personal creation of meaning, lacking a universal blueprint.
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General Respect for Existentialism:
Emphasizes better fit with modern individualistic values than religious conception of meaning.
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Ambiguity of 'Purpose' (Kurt Baier):
Misunderstanding different senses of 'purpose' promotes confusion in discussions of life's meaning.
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Baier’s Focus:
Challenges the notion that scientific views imply life has no purpose—distinguishing between individual and object-oriented purpose.
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Two Meanings of 'Purpose':
Sense 1: Attributed to people’s goals or reasons for actions.
Sense 2: Attributed to the function of an object, emphasizing creation by another.
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Application of Purposes to Life:
Purpose in Sense 1 involves personal goals; in Sense 2, involves functions defined by an external creator.
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Value of 'Purpose':
Importance lies more in Sense 1, while Sense 2 may reduce existence to an object-like status.
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Validity of Scientific View on Purpose:
The scientific worldview can support purposeful lives in Sense 1 while lacking a divine essence.
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Conclusion to Baier’s Argument:
The scientific worldview's lack of Sense 2 purpose doesn’t invalidate the quest for personal meaning.
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Transition to Robert Nozick’s objections to the religious view.
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Robert Nozick:
Influential philosopher known for contributions to political philosophy and theories of knowledge.
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Explanation Problem:
Questions how fulfilling a role in God's plan imparts meaning, especially if the roles feel trivial.
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Nozick's Critique of Role Meaning:
God’s plan must be meaningful in itself to convey meaning to our lives—not just about obedience to power.
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Leading to Further Explanation Problems:
Questions arise about the specifics of God's plan and how we fit into it; ambiguity undermines justification of divine meaning.
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Unclear Religious Answers:
Religion often lacks clarity about the nature and significance of God's plan, affecting its plausibility.
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Eternal Afterlife as a Solution?
Questions the intrinsic value of eternal happiness compared to earthly life satisfaction; challenges the narrative of afterlife meaning.
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Circularity Objection:
Nozick argues that for God's purpose to give meaning, that purpose must itself hold significance—raising foundational questions.
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God's Meaningfulness Questioned:
Just as we seek meaning in life, God’s nature must also be scrutinized; lack of clear meaning for God limits understanding of divine purpose.
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Existentialism and God's Meaning:
Questions if human existence gives meaning to God's being, suggesting a reciprocal relationship.
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Existentialistic Framework:
We might characterize God’s meaning through the lens of human creativity and existence—-conflating divine with human experiences.
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Conclusion to Nozick's Objection:
The call for clarity in how God's existence relates to life's meaning remains unaddressed within religious frameworks.
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Transition to support for religious approaches from thinkers like Tolstoy and Kierkegaard.
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Leo Tolstoy:
Russian author and philosopher advocating the belief that God alone provides life’s meaning.
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Response to Nozick (Reply 1):
The religious view emphasizes free will over being treated as objects; choice and responsibility are central.
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Scientific Argument (Reply 2):
Science remains incomplete, leaving room for transcendent explanations related to purpose.
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Invoking Faith:
Faith may not scientifically prove God but can serve as a foundation for life choices and meaning.
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Tolstoy on Faith:
Knowledge of God’s role in imparting life with meaning relies on faith, allowing individuals to perceive inherent meaning.
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Tolstoy’s Reflection on Existence:
Contemplates mortality, suggesting that awareness of life's transience leads to existential questioning.
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Meaning of Life Inquiry:
Asks about the meaning of life within temporal bounds, concluding an absence of inherent meaning.
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Rational Knowledge Limitations:
Determines that external, finite experiences must engage with the infinite to yield meaning.
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Role of Faith in Life’s Meaning:
Argues faith in God endows human life with a sense of the infinite, transcending suffering and despair.
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Deflecting Critiques:
Argues that existing critiques lack appreciation for the incomplete understanding of transcendent realities.
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Kierkegaard's Support for Faith:
Emphasizes the subjective decision-making process involved in faith as a personal and unique leap.
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Søren Kierkegaard:
Noted existentialist philosopher advocating for subjective experience as key to understanding existence.
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Kierkegaard’s Core Belief:
Fundamental inquiries surrounding faith and God surpass rational comprehension and necessitate belief.
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Existentialism vs. Rationalism:
Prioritizes living out personal truth over abstract knowledge about existence.
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Need for Immediate Decisions:
Advocates urgency in determining beliefs as a necessity in shaping one’s life.
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Religion as Life Attitude:
Defines religion not merely as beliefs but as a comprehensive approach to living beyond empirical refutation.
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Transition to Existentialism and Meaningfulness.
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Readings for Existentialism:
Reading 14: Jean-Paul Sartre's "The Humanism of Existentialism";
Reading 15: Stephen Crowell's overview of existentialism.
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Further Existentialism Readings:
Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" and related works on purpose and values.
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Prominent Existentialists Highlighted.
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Visual Representation of Existentialist Thinkers.
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Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980):
French philosopher known for his contributions to existentialism.
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Sartre Café Joke:
A humorous anecdote illustrating existential concepts with light-hearted comedy.
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Main Reading - "The Humanism of Existentialism":
Key interpretation of the existentialist movement, emphasizing humanistic values.
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Definition of Humanism:
Stresses the human perspective, rejecting authority and religion in determining values.
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Existentialism as Humanism:
Focus on human capacity to determine meaning without divine guidance; aligns existentialist and humanist values.
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Defining existentialism:
Philosophy concerned with understanding human existence and individual experience.
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Theme of Existence:
Existentialism arises from Western human conflict and aims to reconcile self-understanding through existential issues.
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Existentialist Themes Identified:
Ranges from freedom to responsibility, emotional states, and the nature of existence.
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Integrated Nature of Existentialism:
Understanding one theme requires comprehension of them all, emphasizing their interconnectedness.
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Existence Precedes Essence:
Asserts that human existence isn’t predetermined; individual creation of meaning is central.
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Essence in Artifacts vs. Human Existence:
For objects, purpose is defined before creation; for humans, existence comes first, allowing for self-definition.
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Essence in Artefacts:
Discusses how craftspeople conceive items prior to creation—contrasting with Sartre's view of evolving human essence.
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Sartre's Stance:
Lacking a divine creator, humans must create their essence post-existence; existence is inherently undefined until shaped by choices.
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Core of Human Existence:
Emphasizes individual freedom and the absence of a predefined nature, urging self-creation.
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Essence and Free Will:
Freedom underlines human existence, promoting self-directed life shaping.
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Existential Independence:
Humans must create their identity, underscoring awareness of choice in defining oneself.
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Sartre's View on Meaning Creation:
Asserts there’s no predetermined societal meaning—individuals must instantiate meaning through action.
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Defining Authenticity:
Authenticity embodies the commitment to true beliefs and actions, contrasting with self-deception.
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Continual Self-creation:
Life is characterized by constant transformation and self-definition, based on life choices.
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Dynamic Personal Choices:
Young individuals’ choices serve as defining moments in identity formation.
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Sartrean View on Life’s Meaning:
Meaning arises through active self-creation rather than being discovered—an individual's responsibility.
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Human Actions Define Identity:
Underscores how personal endeavors shape an individual’s legacy, asserting that one's life is a culmination of choices.
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Beyond Actions:
Sartre recognizes the broader identity that exists beyond mere actions, emphasizing the notion of potential.
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Freedom and Responsibility Interlinked:
Personal freedom demands accountability for choices, amplifying the weight of each action.
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Illustrating Freedom with Smoking Habit:
Uses the analogy of a smoker to demonstrate personal responsibility for decisions, emphasizing active choice over inertia.
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"Condemned to be Free":
Acknowledges freedom as a double-edged sword, both liberating and burdensome.
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Freedom Implies Responsibility:
Each choice resonates beyond the individual, creating a collective image of what humanity should represent.
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Responsibility for Collective Image:
Emphasizes how each action reflects broader choices regarding humanity and individual identity.
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Choosing for Humanity:
Each decision inherently invokes responsibility not only for self but for broader human implications.
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Collective Responsibility Exposition:
Choosing one's path creates a model of values that others may follow, enhancing moral weight of individual choice.
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Alienation Concept:
Defines alienation as estrangement from oneself and others, resulting in a disconnected sense of reality.
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Forlornness Indicated:
Expresses existential solitude, emphasizing the essence of individual experience and its loneliness.
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Individual Spiritual Journey:
Emphasizes that personal self-creation is an isolating experience, underscoring personal accountability.
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Illustrating Forlornness through Decision-making:
Provides an example of a student’s choice between loyalty and service, highlighting the personal burden of decision-making.
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Choice Consequences:
Reinforces how every decision profoundly influences the future, amplifying the existential weight of choice.
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Existential Anguish:
Reflects on the degree of responsibility each person bears in defining their existence, generating anxiety about choices.
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Bad Faith Defined:
Self-deception emerges as an evasion of responsibility, illustrating the struggle to acknowledge freedom in choices made.
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Modern Rationalization:
Exposes the tendency to rationalize actions, maintaining a facade that diverts from true responsibility.
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Self-deception Complexity:
Discusses the inherent contradictions within self-deception and the challenges it poses to personal awareness.
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Freudian Perspective:
Presents a divided self concept through Freudian discourse to make sense of self-deception dynamics.
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Authenticity Vs. Bad Faith:
Calls for integrity by acting on true beliefs, criticizing the tendency to rationalize away personal convictions.
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Authenticity:
Illustrates authenticity as integral to true living, ensuring genuineness in beliefs and actions.
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Existentialism and Divine Existence:
Suggests that the existence of God does not alter the need for individual meaning crafting; faith doesn’t substitute for action.
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Simultaneously Creating Morality:
Highlights the existentialist conviction that morality must be developed through individual choices rather than originating from divine edicts.
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Aspects of Truth within Existentialism:
Proposes universal reflections: choices shape identity, multiple valid life paths exist, and fluctuations of authenticity are common.
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Finalization of Sartrean Thoughts:
Concludes with an affirmation of the existentialist stance on freedom, responsibility, and the individual's role in creating life meaning.