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A review by oliverho
The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction by Terry Eagleton
4.0
I liked the idea that you could have a "very short introduction" to the meaning of life. Plus, I'd read several other books in this series and enjoyed them. For such a short book, this was surprisingly (or maybe not, given the subject) dense. He gives a good, brief overview of the question and traces some key thoughts about it though the worlds of philosophy, literature and music. In some ways, he argues that it's a meaningless question, but it also isn't, and he proposes some ideas for a solution to the question. I highlighted a lot of thoughtful passages--here are three:
"We come to glimpse something of the meaning of life when we realize that it is not the kind of thing that could be an answer to a philosophically meaningful question. It is not a ‘solution’ at all. Once we have recognized that it is beyond all such questions, we understand that this is our answer."
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"The meaning of life is not a solution to a problem, but a matter of living in a certain way. It is not metaphysical, but ethical. It is not something separate from life, but what makes it worth living – which is to say, a certain quality, depth, abundance, and intensity of life. In this sense, the meaning of life is life itself, seen in a certain way."
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"What we need is a form of life which is completely pointless, just as the jazz performance is pointless. Rather than serve some utilitarian purpose or earnest metaphysical end, it is a delight in itself. It needs no justification beyond its own existence. In this sense, the meaning of life is interestingly close to meaninglessness."
"We come to glimpse something of the meaning of life when we realize that it is not the kind of thing that could be an answer to a philosophically meaningful question. It is not a ‘solution’ at all. Once we have recognized that it is beyond all such questions, we understand that this is our answer."
---
"The meaning of life is not a solution to a problem, but a matter of living in a certain way. It is not metaphysical, but ethical. It is not something separate from life, but what makes it worth living – which is to say, a certain quality, depth, abundance, and intensity of life. In this sense, the meaning of life is life itself, seen in a certain way."
---
"What we need is a form of life which is completely pointless, just as the jazz performance is pointless. Rather than serve some utilitarian purpose or earnest metaphysical end, it is a delight in itself. It needs no justification beyond its own existence. In this sense, the meaning of life is interestingly close to meaninglessness."