The Meaning of Life in Death, Term Paper Example

Most people are afraid to die, and with death, people attach meaning. Humans have looked for meaning to life so that their life on earth isn’t meaningless. Albert Camus believes in his Absurd theory that life has no meaning and the meaningless life only has the little things that bring happiness that should be enjoyed. I am in total disagreement with these sentiments but agree with Camus’s later sentiments that recognize that there could be life at the end of meaningless life when he states “the absurd ends with death” (Camus 11). Thus, our foundation of life has biological meaning at death. This means that the absurdness has a drastic end at death, and this end could have the potential to convey a different connotation of “meaning.”

Kierkegaard highlighted that he understood the meaningless of life but sort to find meaning in Christianity. He says, “what good would it do to me if the naked truth stood before me, cold and naked, not caring whether I recognize her or not.” Further, he says that “but must be taken up into my life and that is what I recognize as the most important thing.” I agree with his recognition of the Christian faith.

While weighing out the sentiments by Camus and Kierkegaard, Camus asserted that there is no meaning to life and running to religion was philosophical suicide and general cowardice. However, I choose to view my life from the perspective of Kierkegaard, and my life should have meaning. If in death we find meaning, then my life would be giving back to the universe for life lived.At the culmination of life, humans need to play their part and contribute to the universe. Our lives have significance in death by nourishing the universes with our bodies. Plants have consistently provided us with oxygen that we so much need; in our end, humans die and buried and decompose and provide immense nitrogen to plants. Thus, the plants provide more energy to the present human being, thus our contribution to the universe even upon death.

It would be satisfactory to me that my biological death gives meaning to life.

On suicide

On the Myths of Sisyphus, Camus reiterated that suicide is the “one serious philosophical problem.” He states that life is meaningless in his Absurd theory; neither can we make meaning  (Camus 1). Then is suicide worth it if they’re in no meaning to it? Camus argues it’s in how we live our lives, and suicide has no use to human beings since there is no more meaning in death than it is in life. Camus denotes that life’s absurdness comes in two versions: both absence or presence of life.

According to Camus, it’s absurd to look for the meaning of life when it non-existent and absurd to hope for some meaning in life upon death when it’s non-existent when alive. People who commit suicide think that “life is not worth living,” He answers this with absurd through philosophical reasoning that life is meaningless.

Absurd

Camus has continued to state that life has no meaning, and we can’t make up a meaning for it. He states it’s absurd to find meaning since no answer will be satisfying, and any answer will be continually disputed. At the starting point, Camus argues if we are free agents with souls and values or mindless regularity moving around. Humans have values that ought to be desired, not just wanting something but trying to get it. Humans are free to act as they wish and make deliberate choices based on their values. However, values only make sense if we can aspire to achieve those values.

Finally, the laws of a scientist would be that we are just matter and energy moving around, interacting in a predetermined manner. Scientists view human life as a routine-oriented and predictable sequence, just like the laws of science. The absurd feeling views the world as a scientist does, and thus values have no meaning in life. Recognition of Absurdity is when we ask questions like, “what’s the point of this?” which drifts in no point of doing anything. Camus reiterates that the feeling of absurd will always linger in our minds even if we find meaning in life, and there is no point in doing anything.

What makes life worth living

Camus state that despite life being meaningless doesn’t implicate it should be joyless. The meaninglessness of life needs a person to be fully alive to experience it; while we live, we need to enjoy it. People need to find and pursue things that they enjoy. Camus states that despite trying to attach meaning to life, in the end, those things that bring humans comfort will end, and when random things happen, meaningless will overshadow humans. The Absurd hero embraces meaningless, unlike Kierkegaard, who understood absurdity but ran to religion rather than embracing it. The absurd hero is the person who understands the absurdity of life but is jubilant about it by doing things that they like and make them happy. It would be easier to find meaning in religion and science, but Camus states that we ought to be brave and enjoy life.

The revolt

While both Kierkegaard and Camus agree on the theory of Absurd, Kierkegaard runs to religion and faith in God to give meaning to the meaningless life while Camus detests religion as cowardice and intellectual suicide. He states, “find a reason to hope in what impoverishes them. That forced hope is religious in all of them.” (Camus 11) Kierkegaard asserts that the degree of passion and hatred a person feels for the concept of God is equal to the amount of thought and passion the person gives to God. Thus, passionate individuals are more offended by God than others, making them closer to having faith, just like Camus (Luzardo 26). Finally, the definition of commitment to self when Camus defends that commitment and integrity to self are features of absurd values while Kierkegaard asserts that faith requires a relationship between self and God and the notion of infinity or eternal life could be explained through faith in which Camus detest the infinite dimension, that he can’t comprehend.

Works cited

Aronson, Ronald, “Albert Camus,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2017 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2017/entries/camus/

Camus, Albert. “The Myth of Sisyphus. 1942.” Trans. Justin O’Brien (1955).

Luzardo, Jesus. “Upbuilding Oppositions: Kierkegaard, Camus, and the Philosophy of Love.” (2013).