Meaning of Life

Meaning of life

This article is about the philosophical concept. For other uses, see Meaning of life (disambiguation).

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
One of Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin's most famous paintings.
The meaning of life is a concept that provides an answer to the philosophical question concerning the purpose and significance of life or existence in general. It can be expressed through answering a variety of related questions, such as "Why are we here?", "What is life all about?", and "What is the meaning of it all?". It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of theories to these questions from many different cultural and ideological backgrounds. Even so, the meaning of life could manifest that question itself: "what is the meaning of life," or life seeking the meaning of itself.

The meaning of life is deeply entrenched in the philosophical and religious conceptions of existence, social ties, consciousness, and happiness, and borders on many other issues, such as symbolic meaning, ontology, value, purpose, ethics, good and evil, free will, conceptions of God, the existence of God, the soul, and the afterlife. Scientific contributions focus primarily on describing related empirical facts about the universe, exploring the context and parameters concerning the 'how' of life. Science also provides its own recommendations for the pursuit of well-being and a related conception of morality. An alternative, humanistic approach poses the question "What is the meaning of my life?" The value of the question pertaining to the purpose of life may coincide with the achievement of ultimate reality, or a feeling of oneness, or even a feeling of sacredness.




Philosopher in Meditation (detail) by Rembrandt
Questions about the meaning of life have been expressed in a broad variety of ways, including the following:

What is the meaning of life? What's it all about? Who are we?[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Why are we here? What are we here for?[7][8][9][10][11][12]
What is the origin of life?[13]
What is the nature of life? What is the nature of reality?[13][14][15]
What is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of one's life?[4][7][14][16][17]
What is the significance of life?[17] – see also Psychological significance and value in life
What is meaningful and valuable in life?[18]
What is the value of life?[19]
What is the reason to live? What are we living for?[12][20]
These questions have resulted in a wide range of competing answers and arguments, from scientific theories, to philosophical, theological, and spiritual explanations.