The Meaning of Life – What Is It?

The meaning of life is a difficult concept for many to grasp. Some people believe that it is all-encompassing, while others think it is relative and a matter of opinion. Many philosophers have offered different definitions of life. However, from the scientific standpoint, there is only one definition that actually fits the facts of what scientists are discovering in research today. The meaning of life is a relative term, depending on what is being studied.

For instance, the definition of the meaning of life used by most scientists would be that our existence is meaningless and without meaning unless we find meaning in the results of our existence. On this view, humans have an unexplained purpose in creating their reality and living their lives. Most other theories concerning the meaning of life would have to be rejected due to their lack of a firm groundwork in science. The major premise of logical positivism, which is also used in philosophy, suggests that a single definition or explanation can adequately describe all of the facts of reality.

Therefore, from a philosophical perspective, the most useful definition of the meaning of life would be: “the value of a human life is the total amount of useful living that person can give.” In addition, humans are valuable because they create value, and so are valuable living things. According to the works of such philosophers as Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and many others, humans are valuable because they are a part of a higher, eternal, and unalterable whole. The essence of logic, according to these philosophers, is that it is a method of getting something right by means of reasoning with another person. Thus, humans are found to be useful to the other person (by reasoning), and can be valuable to the person for whom reasoning has been done (by being valuable).