PHILOS 2 Chapter Notes - Chapter reader: Glowworm, Ummagumma
2 Mar 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
The Meaning of Life
Richard Taylor
I. Intro
A. What is the meaning of life?
B. What would amount to answering this question?
C. Structure of essay:
1. Present example of meaningless life
2. Compare our lives to example
II. Meaningless Existence
A. Sisyphus- ancient myth
1. Roll boulder uphill → boulder rolls back down
2. For all eternity
B. Another example: you dig a hole ← → someone fill it in
C. What do these examples have in common? →
D. NOTHING comes of efforts
E. What DOESN’T make a difference:
1. Pain
2. Duration
3. type/difficulty of task
F. IF sisyphus was building a temple
G. THEN life not meaningless
III. Alteration to Sisyphus example
A. Gods implant in sysyphus a strange/irrational impulse to roll stones
B. NOW sisyphus’ fate is NOT a condemnation
C. His life is now filled w/meaning
D. SAME thing happens
E. Only change = sisyphus’ view
IV. The Meaninglessness of Life
A. Meaninglessness = endless pointlessness
B. Activity no matter what length can have sig. Culmination
C. Which of these pictures does life resemble?
D. Start w/ example of animals → glowworm
1. Lay eggs → eggs hatch
2. Fly outside → lay eggs → die
E. Humans
1. Our lives r diff from our ancestors
2. Ea. gen lives slightly differently than previous one
3. Our achievements are not permanent
4. Our creations do not last/stay signficiants
5. Keep toiling/completing tasks day after day → generation after generation
w/ no real end/result
F. Men invent ways of denying similarity between sisyphus & their lives
Document Summary
Intro: what is the meaning of life, what would amount to answering this question, structure of essay, present example of meaningless life, compare our lives to example. Alteration to sisyphus example: gods implant in sysyphus a strange/irrational impulse to roll stones, now sisyphus" fate is not a condemnation, his life is now filled w/meaning, same thing happens, only change = sisyphus" view. The meaninglessness of life: meaninglessness = endless pointlessness, activity no matter what length can have sig. If sisyphus had unappeasable desire to be doing what he was doing . H: then even tho life would b same . It would have meaning (even tho irrational one) It was just the building, and not what was finally built, that gave their life meaning. : will to live = human, does not matter if anything significant will come of living. The meaning of life is from within us.
