“Don’t aim at success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. McGinn, what is the meaning of life? Colin McGinn: I prefer to say that life is meaningful rather than that it has a meaning. It has a grammar, but no semantic interpretation. There is coherent form, but there is nothing outside human life that confers […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Deecke, what is the meaning of life? Lüder Deecke: Life is our supreme good. We do not want to lose it. Therefore, we do cling so much to life, because we (mostly) enjoy life. Death is not our best friend. This throws us to the […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Halkias, what is the meaning of life? Georgios T. Halkias: The search for meaning gives meaning to life. It is not about finding “The Meaning,” but realising and cherishing each moment of conscious living, being here for oneself and others, and bringing to bear a […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Perlman, what is the meaning of life? Lee David Perlman: The meaning of life is infinitesimally simple and infinitely difficult. All meaning in life comes from two intertwined sources: Truth and Love. When we stop resisting our deep eros for self-knowledge, then life becomes a […]
Excellence Reporter: Sri Krishna Kumar, what is the meaning of life? P. R. Krishna Kumar: Life has no meaning unless and until we give a meaning to life. It is sad to find most of our fellow beings departing without having given any meaning with their own life. Vedas say that it […]
The words we use and questions we ask ourselves often shape our lives in ways that can be insightful or hurtful. What is the meaning of life is an example of the latter. This well-meaning question allows philosophers to speculate without evidence, religious people to maintain that unsubstantiated beliefs […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Vost, what is the meaning of life? Kevin Vost: I think we are likely to find life most meaningful when we develop and perfect the kinds of powers and abilities we all share as human beings, like the fundamental intellectual powers to grasp concepts and […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Frankel, what is the meaning of life? Estelle Frankel: The Hebrew word for meaning, mashmaut, comes from the root sh-m-a, which means to listen. This word (which itself is pregnant with meaning) suggests that meaning arises through listening. The meaning of our lives is not a static, […]
What is the meaning of life? Does anyone know the answer beyond a doubt? One can speculate, but how can one truly know? It may be helpful to think, rather, about meaning in life as opposed to the meaning of life. Human beings are meaning seeking and meaning […]
The meaning of life is to learn to love. And this journey begins with learning to love ourselves. And yet, for most of us, self-love is a radically foreign concept. Most of us live our lives feeling the opposite of self-love — self-loathing and self-judgment. Often, we hold ourselves to unrealistic standards of perfection, and then judge ourselves when we […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Chang, what is the meaning of life? Ruth Chang: If you ask most people on the street ‘What is the meaning of life’, they will usually end up muttering something about ‘happiness’. But the meaning of life has nothing to do with happiness. Happiness is […]
Excellence Reporter: Eiman, what is the meaning of life? Eiman Al Zaabi: The answer to this question comes from life itself. As I contemplate a tree that is casting its shade on the street, I watch its pale leaves falling to the ground and I wonder: Are we […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Tartaglia, what is the meaning of life? James Tartaglia: Life is meaningless and that is neither a good nor a bad thing. The meaninglessness of life is a very philosophically interesting fact about the human situation, but to state this fact is not to evaluate life; it is […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Mehl-Madrona, what is the meaning of life? Lewis Mehl-Madrona: I suspect that life has no intrinsic meaning and that we are free to make meaning as we wish. This seems to me to be the project of humanity – to take that which may be random […]
Excellence Reporter: Sadhviji, what’s the meaning of life? Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji: This is such a beautiful question and a question that resonates deeply with us all. Growing up in Los Angeles and being a psychology major, I was always cognizant of this question, but for me, it was […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Bassman, what is the meaning of life? Ron Bassman: Locked in the seclusion room of the mental hospital, secured in restraints with mind-numbing psychiatric drugs coursing through my body, my spirit found a safe hiding place where it could hibernate. Such was the major crisis that […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Raghunathan, what is the meaning of life? Raj Raghunathan: “What is the meaning of life?” is one of those questions that does not have a universally applicable answer. Why? Because searching for the “meaning” is a uniquely human endeavor (e.g., lions and zebras don’t seek meaning) […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Siegel, what is the meaning of life? Bernie S. Siegel: Life of itself has no meaning. It is simply a mechanical event. It presents us with the opportunity and physical ability to be creative and connect with our Lord and the process of creation and […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Ravindra, what is the meaning of life? Ravi Ravindra: For me a question about the meaning of life is intimately connected with the perennial inquiry ‘Who am I?’ or even more accurately, ‘What am I?’ And I am quite convinced that this question can never […]
As for as I can recall, the question, “What is the meaning of life?” has never been a philosophical pastime but has, rather, been an essential issue for survival and mental health. Even as a teenager, I intuitively struggled to find a reason for living that would sustain […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Neimeyer, what is the meaning of life? Robert A. Neimeyer: I’m a practicing psychologist who works alongside people who are struggling with deeply unwelcome changes in their lives–the breakdown of intimate relationships, the loss of career or meaningful work, the onset of life-threatening illness, and […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Sternberg, what is the meaning of life? Robert J. Sternberg: When I was 29, my wife at the time and I started our family. We eventually had two children. I was very involved in my work at that point—determined to change the world with research […]
The meaning in life is found in that spine tingling experience, some times accompanied by goosebumps and sublime tears, where you are truly making a difference in the world, and most typically be lifting other people up. ~Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology. Author of Born To Be Good: […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Goswami, what is the meaning of life? Amit Goswami: As our culture becomes materialist, there is widespread suspicion that there is no meaning. Fortunately, I and others are bringing about a worldview change based on quantum physics that restores meaning. It is our mind that […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Levin, what is the meaning of life? Jeff Levin: What is the meaning of life? That is the sort of question that brings to mind the stereotypical spiritual seeker trekking up a mountain in Tibet to enter a great temple and sit at the […]
Excellence Reporter: Father Jim, what is the meaning of life? Jim Conlon: To understand the meaning of life, I believe it is important to develop a deeply sensitive interior life—a life that reaches simultaneously into the vast universe and into the recesses of the soul. Awakened in this way, […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Lomas, what is the meaning of life? Tim Lomas: Whenever I dwell on the question of the meaning of life, my thoughts feel like they’re becoming heavy and immobile, as if made of lead. Something about the question seems to resist any attempt to capture […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Anālayo, what is the meaning of life? Bhikkhu Anālayo: I don’t think life has a meaning of its own. But we can give it a meaning. To understand things as they are and to help others would be a skilful way of doing that. Central for […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Radin, what is the meaning of life? Dean Radin: Each of us defines our own meaning of life. For those who are simply trying to survive pondering this question is an impossible luxury. But for those who have the time and means to wonder why […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Novak, what is the meaning of life? Philip Novak: Whether your life has meanings, and what those meanings are, are questions only you can answer in the course of your life. If you want to answer them, reading, thinking and paying attention are habits that […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Ivtzan, what is the meaning of life? Itai Ivtzan: Meaning in life is one of the greatest gifts we could offer ourselves. Research in positive psychology is showing that people experiencing high levels of personal meaning are happier and more grateful, passionate and hopeful. It […]
The question of the meaning of life elicits deep-seated disagreements. What I want to suggest is that these disagreements are driven by three temperamental polarities. These define our attitudes to three questions. The first is Where does meaning come from? Does it require a transcendent source? The second […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Batthyány, what is the meaning of life? Alexander Batthyány: According to Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy—the one pioneering psychological school which single-handedly put meaning on the landscape of psychology and psychotherapy—life is meaningful – not so much because there is one single Meaning of Life, but rather because […]
Standing at the peak of a snow covered mountain. Her eyes were witnessing the beauty of nature for which she craved for her whole life. Snow was roofed on long pine trees while crepuscular rays shined through them. She could listen to the wild bird chirping. A cool […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Block, what is the meaning of life? Walter E. Block: As an Austrian economist, I am a subjectivist. My response to this question is that there is no one meaning of life. There are no objective criteria to determine that one answer to this question is […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Schneider, what is the meaning of life? Kirk Schneider: The core issue concerning the meaning of life in my view is not so much a concept, a thing, or even a person, but the sense of awe, that is humility and wonder or sense of adventure […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Cooper, what is the meaning of life? Mick Cooper: I don’t think there is one. At least, not one that is universal and generic for all human kind. That is one of the great paradoxes of human existence: that we come into the world with a […]
Excellence Reporter: Professor Fuller, what is the meaning of life? Steve Fuller: That a life might have a meaning is a privilege of the human condition, but one that is exercised by those who wish to identify with us after we are dead. ~Steve Fuller, philosopher-sociologist in the […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Neff, what is the meaning of life? Kristin Neff: I’m not sure that there is an ultimate “meaning” to life, but it is certainly the case that we can live our lives with meaning. For me, compassion is one of the most important aspects of […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Needleman, what is the meaning of life? Jacob Needleman: The dramatic effects of the accelerating advance of technology, for all the material promise they offer the world (along with the dangers, of course) are but the most recent wave in a civilization that, without recognizing […]
Excellence Reporter: Professor Csikszentmihalyi, what is the meaning of life? Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: No one can give you an answer to the question:”what is the meaning of life?” If you want your life to have meaning, you have to give it one yourself. For some people, meaning comes from the wonderful […]
The meaning of life is to perfect our souls by acknowledging our creator and imitating His wisdom. For the perfection of the image lies in its closest approximation to the form impressed on it. ~Rick Strassman MD performed the first new human studies with psychedelic drugs in the […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Hameroff, what is the meaning of life? Stuart Hameroff: The meaning of life is to feel good by resonating with the universe. In the view I take on the nature of consciousness with Sir Roger Penrose, feelings are related to quantum processes in the fundamental […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Sahtouris, what is the meaning of life? Elisabet Sahtouris: The meaning of life to me is whatever we humans, in such a diverse mix of cultures, feel it, proclaim it, to be. That is the beauty, opportunity and responsibility of being human — that we are free […]
Excellence Reporter: Professor Habito, what is the meaning of life? Ruben Habito: Allow me to respond not as a “professor” but as one human being just like yourself, just like everyone else for whom this question is unavoidable, and looms large in our minds. It confronts us every day […]
“The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.” —Steven Weinberg, Nobel laureate in physics The most important thing that humans create is meaning. Because of our distinctive ways of valuing and intending, it is with us (or, to express it less dualistically: in us, as […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Chapple, what is the meaning of life? Christopher Key Chapple: Life must not be outsourced. Life must be claimed. Yoga provides tools to cultivate human agency through awareness and action. Yoga begins with breath intimacy, a fourfold process. The inhale breath draws energy from the […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Wallace, what is the meaning of life? B. Alan Wallace: Issues of meaning, values, and ethics are considered by many to be subjective in nature, determined simply by one’s preferences, in contrast to the objective truths revealed by scientific inquiry. I find this split between […]
Excellence Reporter: Professor Thornton, what is the meaning of life? Linda Fisher Thornton: I believe that finding meaning in our lives is a lifelong journey of human development, a process of becoming the best possible version of ourselves. How we interpret “the meaning of life” will change as […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Brembs, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Björn Brembs: “There is no meaning of life, except the one you choose to give it. For everything else, watch Monty Python’s “Meaning of Life”.” *** ~Björn Brembs, Professor of Neurogenetics in the Institute of Zoology at Regensburg […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Craig, what is the meaning of life? William Lane Craig: “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” *** ~William Lane Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University.www.reasonablefaith.org Copyright © 2015 Excellence Reporter
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Gray, what is the meaning of life? Kurt Gray: “Strive to win, but never make someone feel like a loser” *** ~Kurt Gray is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hillwww.kurtjgray.com Copyright © 2015 Excellence Reporter
Doing what you love and loving what you do! ~Jonah Berger, best-selling author, marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Berger is an expert on word of mouth, viral marketing, social influence, social contagion, and trends. jonahberger.com Copyright © 2015 Excellence Reporter
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Combs, what is the meaning of life? Allan Combs: There are a thousand meanings to life, as there are a thousand moments to the day. In the morning it is good to chop wood and carry water. At night to read, enjoy friendships and loved […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Zak, what is the meaning of life? Paul J. Zak: Love is the meaning of life. Full stop. Love is the highest aspiration, the most valued emotion, and the one that hurts us to the core when it is taken away. “But,” you must be […]
What are we all here for? I believe strongly that the meaning of life is about being present, doing our best to live in the current moment and nowhere else. One of the final gifts my mom gave me was this lesson. She was waging a courageous battle […]
What is the meaning of life? That it is completely, and wholly absurd and is experienced only to frustrate and fluster; making sense of things only meant to be sensible indefinitely. It has no more or less merit than what we give it, and without ego, and without […]
The meaning of life is making other people’s lives more meaningful ~Adam Grant is Wharton’s top-rated teacher. He has been recognized as one of HR’s most influential international thinkers. Adam was tenured at Wharton while still in his twenties, and has received the Excellence in Teaching Award for every class […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Nelson, what is the meaning of life? Roger Nelson: It sounds like a simple question, meriting a simple answer. And yet, there is such depth as to draw us in, to make us see that in the simplicity there is a great richness. It presents […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Krippner, what is the meaning of life? Stanley Krippner: Life has no intrinsic meaning. But that is the beauty of it. People who found meaning in life protected themselves and survived. People who did not find meaning in life allowed themselves to get sick and […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Doty, what is the meaning of life? James R. Doty: I will rephrase the question to ask what is a life of meaning? At the end of our days, one wishes that what we have done in our lives will live on beyond our existence, […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Singer, what is the meaning of life? Peter Singer: “You can give your life meaning by doing the most good you can.” *** ~Peter Singer, author, professor of bioethics, Princeton University. He was voted one of Australia’s ten most influential public intellectuals in 2006.www.princeton.edu/~psinger Copyright © […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Vassallo, what is the meaning of life? Nicla Vassallo: If there is a meaning of life, I trace it back to friendships and love. It means to share my life, with good ethics and epistemic values, together with other noble persons. A thoroughly? lonely/isolated/independent life, without Platonic […]
What is the meaning of life? I don’t think life has any one meaning — nor do I think that the meanings of life are “out there” to be discovered, like a hitherto unknown galaxy, or some new species of beetle (let’s say). Instead, I think we create […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Golonka, what is the meaning of life? Sabrina Golonka: The meaning of life is to connect – to people, the environment, ideas. To me, a meaningful life is one that has a consequence on something in the world. Of course, a person’s life could be […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Cooper, what is the meaning of life? Sir Cary Cooper: “The meaning of life for me is the smile on the faces of my grandchildren when they see me.” *** ~Sir Cary Cooper, CBE, professor of organizational psychology & health, Lancaster University Management School, Chair […]
In the fourth century there were a group of men and women (later known as abbas and ammas) who were dissatisfied what society was saying (or “selling”) to people about how they could achieve the meaning of life. In response, they went off to the desert to conduct […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Gottesman, what is the meaning of life? Irving Gottesman: “I am 85 and have not yet figured it out. Maybe when I hit 100 you can ask again.” *** ~Irving Gottesman, professor of psychology at University of Minnesota, known internationally for his work in the […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Kumar, what is the meaning of life? Nirmalya Kumar: “Don’t reinvent the wheel. Already been said before, better than I could: to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield – Robert Scott.” *** ~Dr. Nirmalya Kumar, director of strategy at Tata Group; Professor of Marketing […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Posner, what is the meaning of life? Michael Posner: “I do not believe that life in general has a meaning. I believe that the meaning of each individual life is provided by the person themselves. In the case of my life, it is given what […]
Excellence Reporter: Tali, what is the meaning of life? Tali Sharot: The meaning of life is to have meaning. That is to say, to know why you get up in the morning. That reason is different for different people. For me personally it is expanding human knowledge in a way […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Hollis, what is the meaning of life? James Hollis: The meaning of life is a conundrum we all have to figure out for ourselves. Someone else’s meaning may make sense of their journey, but it is not necessarily right for you. Albert Camus suggested that […]
Excellence Reporte: Sean, what is the meaning of life? Sean Carroll: The meaning of life is what we make out of it. The universe gives us no guidance here, nor do any powers outside the universe. Meaning follows mattering — the impact we have on the lives of […]
Excellence Reporter: Ragnar, what is the meaning of life? Ragnar Stroberg: To me, it’s clear that life itself doesn’t have an inherent meaning, any more than any other process in the universe does. But this shouldn’t prevent us from assigning meaning to our lives anyway. My preferred way […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Devlin, what is the meaning of life? Keith Devlin: Life is the meaning of life. I know of no other answer. We and all other living things are the result of millions of years of chemical reactions and natural selection. In our case, we have […]
Excellence Reporter: Paul, what is the meaning of life? Paul Saffo: “We exist to tell stories. Life is how the universe talks to itself.” *** ~Paul Saffo is a forecaster with over two decades experience exploring the dynamics of large-scale, long-term change. He teaches forecasting at Stanford University and […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Whitty, what is the meaning of life? Mike Whitty: “Meaning of…..Life is a great adventure, we must be brave, compassionate and hopeful/optimistic… and prophets in our own time.” *** ~Prof. Mike Whitty aka Dr Detroit has taught at several universities in Michigan, Minnesota, California and Canada as well […]
“What is the meaning of life?” and “What is the purpose of life?” are two subtly distinct questions. Darwinian biologists might respond to the latter question with reference to a single answer: reproduction. From an evolutionary perspective, all living organisms could be said to exist for one purpose […]
I can never repay all of those who create the conditions of life, but I can do a small part in giving something back to the world. What is the Meaning of Life? Meaning is a concept that humans have created. We give meaning to behavior or events. […]
The greatest leap forward in human consciousness will come with a deep awareness of pure unlimited love Excellence Reporter: Professor Post, what is the meaning of life? Stephen G. Post: One thing is for certain – human beings need meaning or they perish. Sometimes, in desperation, they seek meaning in […]
Excellence Reporter: Professor Nagler, what is the meaning of life? Michael N. Nagler: After many years of meditation, and having taught a seminar on this subject for fifteen years as well, I have come to the realization that Gandhi answered this question perhaps most simply (I paraphrase): ‘The meaning […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Rushkoff, what is the meaning of life? Douglas Rushkoff: Meaning is not something that “is”. There’s no “what”. The search for meaning in life is a fruitless journey for external validation. Meaning is not something we discover but something we make. That’s what people are: meaning […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Pinker, what is the meaning of life? Steven Pinker: “The meaning of life is to perpetuate life, to increase knowledge, wisdom, and beauty, and to maximize the flourishing and minimize the suffering of sentient beings.” *** ~Steven Pinker is an experimental psychologist who conducts research […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Luskin, what is the meaning go life? Fred Luskin: The meaning of life is to join with the intelligence that created us to nurture and heal its creation. To take Life’s experiences and become more kind, ethical, generous, and loving. To learn how each of […]
Loving and being loved, pursuit of truth, integrity, courage, the overcoming of obstacles, conscious self-creation, integration with a social network, all define the life of excellence. A human life is minimally meaningful if and only if it embodies enough freely chosen interests, projects, purposes, and commitments to engage […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Tiller, what is the meaning of life? William A. Tiller: My working hypotheses regarding the meaning of life are: To grow in coherence, to develop our gifts of intentionality and thus become co-creators with our spiritual parents and As we learn in academic knowledge, in […]
“How do you measure the success of your life? The reason I mention is because we have to aggregate, we have a sense of hierarchy, wealth and so on. The reason that I concluded that God does not employ accountants is that He has an infinite mind. What that […]
Excellence Reporter 