Discovering the Meaning of Life

Book excerpt: Have you ever asked yourself what the purpose of your life is? Do you feel like life is meaningless because you have not encountered a convincing answer to that question? Well, you are not alone. Many philosophers have argued that a clear answer to the problem of meaning is forever lost, and that there is no rational way to secure purpose. If a solution could be discovered, it would only be a very subjective one. We may construct one for ourselves, according to this line of thinking, but an objective purpose can never be found. I wrote this book because I strongly disagree with this contention. If you are interested in this adventurous question, you will find in these pages a novel approach to the problem, and I argue that through philosophical inquiry, we indeed can uncover an objective meaning to our lives. This book is a step-by-step guide to walk you through the tough questions in the philosophy of meaning and to bring you closer to your destiny. Our purpose is relevant for all of us. And perhaps the solution touches deeper than you might have ever dared to imagine.