The Meaning of Life

When the question "What is the meaning of life?" is asked, one of a variety of questions may be implied, such as: "What is the nature of life (and of the universe in which we live)?",[1][2] "What is the significance of life?",[2] "What is the purpose of, or in, (one's) life?",[3] and "What is valuable in life?"[4] A range of competing answers and arguments have been given to these questions, from scientific theories, to philosophical, theological, and spiritual explanations

While scientific approaches to the meaning of life aim to describe empirical facts about human existence, philosophers are usually more concerned about the relationship between ideas. For example, philosophers have considered such questions as: "Is the question 'What is the meaning of life?' a meaningful question?";[6] "What does the question 'What is the meaning of life?' mean?";[7] and "If there are no objective values, then is life meaningless?"[8] Some philosophical disciplines have also aimed to develop an understanding of life that explains, regardless of how we came to be here, what we should do now that we are here (such as humanism, which presents a code of conduct - see the ethics of humanism explained below).

[edit] Humanist views of the meaning of life

Main article: Humanism

According to humanism the human race came to be by reproducing in a progression of unguided evolution as an integral part of nature, which is self-existing.[9] Knowledge does not come from supernatural sources, rather it flows from human observation, experimentation, and rational analysis preferably utilizing the scientific method: the nature of the universe is what we discern it to be.[9] As are "values and realities", which are determined "by means of intelligent inquiry"[9] and "are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience", that is, by critical intelligence.[10][11] "As far as we know, the total personality is [a function] of the biological organism transacting in a social and cultural context."[12]

[edit] The purpose of man's life

Human purpose is