class: center, middle, inverse, title-slide .title[ # Commentary to the readings ] .date[ ### PHIL 2350 The Meaning of Life - FS23 ] --- # Agenda for this week 1. Video Lecture 1: Supernaturalism 1: The purpose-based 2. Video Lecture 2: Supernaturalism 2: The afterlife-based account 3. Video Lecture 3: Commentary to the readings: Tolstoy / Quinn / Fackenheim 4. Quiz --- # Leo Tolstoy's _My Confession_ (exerpt) Main thesis: Faith is what makes life possible by providing an acceptable answer to the question of the meaning of life. Other claims: - Answering the question of the meaning of life (Why live? Why worry about all my affairs? How to live?) is existentially urgent. - Despite surrounded with complete happiness, upon considering the finitude of life (death), such happiness is no longer meaningful. - Eastern story of the dragon in the well (in such a situation, the honey doesn't provide pleasure). - Science (rational knowledge) provides an unsatisfactory answer: Meaning of life? None. --- # Leo Tolstoy's _My Confession_ (cont.) - The masses of people (working class) live meaningful lives through faith. - Faith makes life possible. - Leap of faith gave answers to the question of the meaning of life. - Tension between scientific/rational knowledge (evidence or reason-based) and irrational knowledge (faith). - Religion provides an acceptable answer to the question of the meaning of life by connecting the finite with the infinite. --- .center[<img src="assets/tolstoy-1.png" alt="" width="80%"/>] .center[<img src="assets/tolstoy-2.png" alt="" width="80%"/>] --- ## The afterlife account: argument 1. If there’s no afterlife, then life’s value/importance would be finite, and thus severely limited. 2. If life’s value/importance is finite and thus severely limited, then life is not meaningful. 3. If there’s no afterlife, then life is not meaningful. 4. Therefore, a life is meaningful only if there’s an afterlife. Premise 1: Part of what robs meaning to life is its finitude. Premise 2: For life to be meaningful, then life should be capable to achieve some significant relation with infinity/perfection/unlimitless. --- # Quinn's _MoL According to Christianity_ Main theses: The meaning of life comprises both an axiological and teleological dimension. If life has meaning, then an afterlife is required. - _Axiology_: The study of the nature of _value_. - Axiological meaning: A human life has positive axiological meaning if and only if (i) it has positive intrinsic value, and (ii) it is on the whole good for the person who leads it. - _Teleology_: The study of the nature of _ends_ or _final purposes_. - Teleological meaning: A human life has positive teleological meaning if and only if (i) it contains some purposes the person who lives it takes to be nontrivial and achievable, (ii) these purposes have positive value, and (iii) it also contains actions that are directed toward achieving these purposes and are performed with zest. --- # Quinn's _MoL According to Christianity_ (cont.) - The main purpose of life according to Christianism is to imitate Jesus (follow his teachings as much as possible). (Purpose-based supernaturalism) - Imitating Jesus can come at the cost of suffering and being perceived as offensive. - A life full of suffering is compatible with positive teleological meaning, but not with axiological meaning, unless there's an afterlife. (Afterlife-based supernaturalism) --- # Fackenheim's _Judaism and the MoL_ Main thesis: According to Judaism, the meaning of life derives from the special relationship (meeting) between Divinity and humans. Structure and content of Divine-human meeting: 1. Comprised by moments of Divine nearness and Divine farness: meeting doesn't last forever, due to the radically infinite nature of God. 2. The relation is shaped in terms of commandment by God and obedience by humans. 3. This relation is mutual (both parties have a role, one finite, the other infinite). 4. While relation is mutual, God maintains it unilaterally (humans cannot break it).