Excellence Reporter: Emily, what is the meaning of life? Emily Maroutian: As a philosopher, I hear this question a lot. I usually follow it up with questions of my own. What do you mean by meaning? Do you mean purpose for existence or the definition of existence? What […]
“Art has always been a weapon in the struggle of man against matter, threatening to swallow his spirit…” “Man is interesting to me for his willingness to serve something higher than oneself, and even for his inability to perceive the ordinary and the philistine moral life. I’m […]
“The scientist does not study nature because it is useful to do so. He studies it because he takes pleasure in it, and he takes pleasure in it because it is beautiful. If nature were not beautiful it would not be worth knowing, and life would not be […]
Excellence Reporter: Andrew, what is the meaning of life? Andrew Cohen: The meaning we give to life is entirely dependent upon the self we understand ourselves to be. All the thoughts that I share here about the meaning of life are given in the context of the different […]
“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. Steward, what is the meaning of life? Helen Steward: I believe the meaning of life is work. But before you object to my miserable, stunted vision of life, let me first explain what I mean by ‘work’. I don’t mean in speaking of work merely […]
There are many factors that determine whether you are leading a meaningful life. One factor is freedom of choice. According to the French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, our free choices are not just choices about what to do, but also freedom of the mind. Even if you are imprisoned, […]
“The meaning of life is just to be alive.It is so plain and so obvious and so simple.And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panicas if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” It’s pretty obvious I think that when we talk about life having or […]
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: Prof. Carruthers, what is the meaning of life? Peter Carruthers: The meaning of life is whatever makes the question of the meaning of life go away. I was greatly troubled by the issue as a teenager and young adult. I read Japanese haiku, studied Zen Buddhism, […]
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 […]
It’s not so much that the universe has a purpose … it’s more that the purpose of existence is integral to the very nature of the universe. The universe is a continually unfolding process of evolution through which ever great potentialities have been realized. The big bang, 13.8 billion […]
Pondering the meaning of life means that we automatically ask ourselves at least one simple question; “Why are we here?” When contemplating this I am automatically reminded of the first Star Trek movie “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (Paramount, 1979). In this movie we were introduced to Vger, […]
One might think by now someone would have come up with an answer—Meaning of Life? The very supposition that there is meaning is a question unto itself: What constitutes meaning? Where does it originate? Is it developed or simply exogenesis and we tap into it? Such philosophical conundrums drive […]
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: Altazar, what is the meaning of life? Altazar Rossiter: Whenever I hear this question I think of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. In his books he asked the meaning of life, the universe and everything. The answer was revealed as 42, and […]
Many years ago, standing on stage at one of my meetings with readers, I was looking into the audience, inwardly waiting for the moment when the question “What is the meaning of life?” would finally be asked. Yet, to my regret, among the many questions posed, it never […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Oberon, what is the meaning of life? Oberon Zell: Cherish diversity! Find fascination in the strange and unusual. Live passionately. Explore everything, especially things forbidden, with boundless curiosity. Read voraciously. Grow a garden. Establish and maintain altars in your home. Celebrate the ever-turning Wheel of […]
The meaning of life — this is the eternal theme of human meditation. All philosophical systems, all religious teachings strive to find and give to men the answer to this question. Some say that the meaning of life is in service, in the surrender of self, in self-sacrifice, […]
At some time or other, most of us have probably wondered why we’re living on Planet Earth and what we’re supposed to do while we’re here. Is our existence here more than pure chance, and if so, what does it all mean? One popular idea likens earth to […]
As the shadows were awakening and a scent of the morn was carried on the breeze, I saw an eagle descending from the mountain-tops. It came down without a flutter of the wings into the valley, and there disappeared among the shadows of the black mountains. At the […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Rauscher, what is the meaning of life? Elizabeth A. Rauscher: We stand in awe and bliss at the beauty and majesty of the evolving spark of creation. So vast and gorgeous is our Universe. Our mind, in the search for truth and knowledge, stands at the […]
Finding Meaning/Making Sense I am a philosopher; I teach philosophy; So I can’t hide from the question, “What is the meaning of life?” It has a way of finding me. Fortunately, I mostly teach courses in logic, philosophy of language, and epistemology, and my pedagogy is largely informed […]
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: Drs. Hurtak, what is the meaning of life? J.J. Hurtak & Desiree Hurtak: The meaning of life is our quest for Unity within the pluralistic richness of humanity and the discovery of ‘Infinite Being’. We are on schoolhouse Earth to discover our inner resources that connect us with the universe […]
Excellence Reporter: Monk Yunrou, what is the meaning of life? Monk Yunrou: Orthodox Taoist philosophy cautions us not to ascribe too much importance either to the phenomenon of Life in general or to our individual lives. One of Taoism’s most beautiful sayings translates to “the Tao is big”, suggesting […]
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: Teri, what is the meaning of life? Teri Degler: Many years ago I saw a brilliantly colored poster emblazoned with a quote by Tolstoy: “The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.” This saying moved me profoundly, but even in those days – heady, idealistic, […]
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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Hari-kirtana das, what is the meaning of life? Hari-kirtana das: The meaning of life is to try to understand the highest truth. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the benefit of all. While illusion invites us to participate in a futile search for […]
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: Prof. Moore, what is the meaning of life? Kathleen Dean Moore: My thoughts about the meaning of life came to me as I sat in a canoe, listening to the music of a marsh at nightfall. I expressed those views in an essay, “The Testimony of […]
Excellence Reporter: Fr. David, what is the meaning of life? David Spangler: To me, there is no one single meaning but rather each person generates unique meaning born of his or her relationship to the world. For some, it may be learning a particular lesson, for some it may […]
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 […]
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 […]
By the lights of Christianity and Islam, the meaning of life is fairly straightforward. We’re here to worship God, to obey him, and to seek forgiveness for our sins. If we do that successfully, we can hope to receive an eternity of bliss in heaven. If we don’t, […]
Excellence Reporter: C. JoyBell, what is the meaning of life? C. JoyBell C.: Thank you for inviting me to answer this question, it is an honour. When you asked, “What is the meaning of life?” the first thought that came to mind, was, I wonder what his definition […]
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 […]
What is the Meaning of Life is an important question for all of us to contemplate. However, I believe that it is also beneficial to reflect on two other questions: What is the meaning of my own life and what is meaningful in my own life? As the […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Pattakos, what is the meaning of life? Alex Pattakos: The Meaning of Life is Meaning. As the world-renowned psychiatrist and existential philosopher, Viktor Frankl, famously espoused, “Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is […]
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: Richard, what is the meaning of life? Richard Smoley: It’s a funny question. Meaning, in its conventional sense, relates two things to each other — usually a word and an object. There is the word dog and the animal we call a dog. The second is […]
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 […]
The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.¹ Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are […]
“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: 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: David, what is the meaning of life? David Brazier: Life is a search for purity of heart, though, in fact, it is not found by searching for it. Everybody has at least a touch of it now and again. That is something to celebrate. But even […]
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: Phil, what is the meaning of life? Phil Cousineau: The perennial question about the meaning of life is a riddle posed to us the moment we first become conscious. The very idea of meaning is as puzzling as Winston Churchill’s description of Russia as a riddle […]
Excellence Reporter: Sandeep, what is the meaning of life? Sandeep Gautam: When asked about the meaning of life my first response is to be smart alecky and reply ’42’, but I don’t want the readers to be left with the impression that life is meaningless or arbitrary. I adhere […]
Excellence Reporter: Mr. Weinberger, what is the meaning of life? David: Weinberger: “The meaning of life is caring about something that matters.” *** ~David Weinberger, “big thinker”, technologist, speaker, and commentator; senior researcher at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society; called a “marketing guru” by the Wall Street […]
“What is the meaning of life?” is one of those large questions whose importance is obvious yet which seems to dissolve once we try to provide an explicit answer to it. My own experiences of gaining some kind of glimmer of an answer have always been of the […]
Excellence Reporter: What is the meaning of life, Steve? Steve McIntosh: The meaning or purpose of human life is to increasingly perfect the evolving universe of self, culture, and nature. Humans are free-will creatures endowed with a personal sense of purpose, which suggests that the existence of humanity as […]
If life is the extraordinary condition that distinguishes animals and plants alike from ignorant matter, then why is its true meaning a matter of which we are entirely ignorant to? Is it because we seek meaning where there is nothing to unearth? Like preoccupied archaeologists we dig and […]
What is the meaning of life? It looks as if there are two basic ways of human exploration into meaning and purpose — fact finding and story-telling, and we get into a mess when we confuse the two. How are they related? Is conflict between them endemic? It […]
What is the meaning of life? Meaning is a narrative rather than a fact; something one creates rather than something one discovers. *** Meaning is “once upon a time” rather than E=MC2. *** Life has meaning only insofar as we give it meaning. *** If a tree falls […]
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 […]
What is the meaning of life? I’ve never been able to attach much meaning to the phrase “the meaning of life.” I prefer the word “mattering” to “meaning,” because I think the notion of mattering is grounded in a basic psychological truth, which is this: we each of […]
Excellence Reporte: Jason, what is the meaning of life? Jason Silva: The meaning of life is the story we author. We are reality engineers. We live inside socially constructed ‘reality tunnels’, and we can build out these realities and usher in new realities. Consider revolutions in aviation and […]
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 […]
The meaning of life is to love. There is no greater purpose, no greater meaning. Everything and anything. It doesn’t have to be solely people, it can range from a pet to something abstract and imaginary. Even if you don’t love life itself, through loving things/beings in your […]
Excellence Reporter: Leonard, what is the meaning of life? Leonard Koren: “What you ask would take me a lifetime to answer.” *** ~Leonard Koren is an American artist, aesthetics expert and writer.www.LeonardKoren.com Copyright 2015 © Excellence ReporterPhoto: Leonard Koren for Dazed&Confused
“To live a meaningful life one must abandon private and petty interests and instead cultivate an interest in the eternal.” That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his […]
Excellence Reporter 