What is the question?
What is the question "What is the meaning of life?" actually asking? Is it asking:
- What is the purpose of life?
- Why do I exist?
- Why do I exist in this body and in this place?
- Why do I have this mind and personality?
- Why does the universe exist?, etc.
The following article 'The Meaning of Life: Contemporary Analytic Perspectives' from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy by Professor Joshua W. Seachris discusses this question:
The CV of the Professor Seachris can be found here:
We need to know the question in order to try to answer it. Could we formulate some clear direct questions so we can attempt to answer them?
Some videos on YouTube
The following are a couple of videos of Professor Seachris. The first video gives a general introduction to the question of meaning of life. The second video was probably presented to an audience of philosophers. You may find this second video too technical.
What is the Meaning of Life? (Joshua Seachris)
Meaning Of Life Conference - Joshua Seachris
YouTube playlist with lectures on The Meaning of Life
"Meaning of Life Conference: Videos" by Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University
What are the answers?
What might be some possible answers to the questions that we formulated above?
The following article from Wikipedia provides some ideas relating to the meaning of life:
Additional resources
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - African Philosophical Perspectives on the Meaning of Life
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - The Meaning of Life: Early Continental and Analytic Perspectives
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - The Meaning of Life
Phew! Such a comprehensive coverage. Thank you Sam.
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