Deck 9: The Meaning of Life

Question 1

The notion of "meaning in life" refers to

A) external meaning.
B) God's plan.
C) internal meaning.
D) meaning in an afterlife.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The two views that identify the two possible sources of life's meaning are the _______ view and the _______ view.

A) external; internal
B) pessimist's; optimist's
C) internal; eternal
D) theistic; religious

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Most philosophers accept a pluralistic account of meaning in life, which claims that

A) what makes for a meaningful life is entirely subjective.
B) there are many things that make for a meaningful life.
C) what makes for a meaningful life is not entirely subjective.
D) a happy life is distinct from a meaningful one.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following examples supposedly shows that happiness and meaningfulness are distinct?

A) The lives of moral monsters such as Stalin
B) The lives of artists who abandon their families to create art
C) The lives of scientists with deeply troubled personal lives
D) The lives of philosophers who accept pluralistic accounts of meaning

Question 5

Many philosophers in the 20^th century claimed that the question "What is the meaning of life?" was non-sensical because

A) there is no God.
B) "meaning" applies to words and sentences, not activities and lives.
C) in the grand scheme of things, human lives are utterly insignificant.
D) the answer is beyond the limits of human knowledge.

Question 6

Landau rejects perfectionism about meaning because

A) perfection is impossible.
B) what counts as perfect is relative.
C) the imperfect can still have value.
D) life is meaningless.

Question 7

After his crisis of meaning, Tolstoy

A) became religious.
B) distrusted everyone.
C) income increased dramatically.
D) became an agnostic.

Question 8

Before Tolstoy's Christian conversion, his perspective on the meaning of life was

A) optimist.
B) pessimist.
C) nominally religious.
D) satisfied.

Question 9

Before his conversion, Tolstoy was surrounded by

A) what is considered complete happiness.
B) things that no one would want.
C) what is considered heavenly bliss.
D) what is considered deep insight.

Question 10

Schopenhauer's attitude toward life was that

A) life was uncertain but worthwhile.
B) life was bereft of meaning.
C) life was hard but ultimately hopeful.
D) an afterlife would erase all misery.

Question 11

Regarding the meaning of life, Clarence Darrow believed life was

A) uncertain but ultimately rewarding.
B) hard but worthwhile.
C) not worthwhile.
D) meaningful for most people.

Question 12

Baggini accuses pessimists of mixing up the two senses of

A) religion.
B) meaning.
C) philosophy.
D) time.

Question 13

Baggini says that almost all deniers of meaning in life really seem to be rejecting only the idea that life has _______ meaning.

A) internal
B) external
C) religious
D) secular

Question 14

Most of those who take the externalist approach to meaning view the matter from a _______ standpoint.

A) secular
B) religious
C) nonreligious
D) pragmatic

Question 15

Baggini argues that the notion of a God assigning a purpose to humans should be _______ to believers and nonbelievers alike.

A) welcome
B) objectionable
C) acceptable
D) soothing

Question 16

Baggini says that if we were here to do God's will, our lives would have a purpose for the being that created us, but not

A) a purpose for animals.
B) for other deities.
C) for future people.
D) a purpose for us.

Question 17

Baggini asks, "What could seem more unlikely than that the supreme being would need to create human beings…solely so that it can

A) have creatures to serve it?"
B) save the world?"
C) fulfill its destiny?"
D) bless human beings?"

Question 18

Baggini says that a belief that we were created by God for a purpose

A) gives us reason to praise and obey God.
B) does not provide us with an adequate meaning in life.
C) gives us a plausible reason to live.
D) does provide us with an adequate meaning in life.

Question 19

Internalists believe they can have meaningful lives without relying on

A) secular moral theories.
B) concepts.
C) philosophy.
D) the concept of God or transcendent realms.

Question 20

Many philosophers argue that the fact of death and the ephemeral nature of human endeavors are _______ to the meaningfulness or meaningless of a person's existence.

A) fatal
B) very relevant
C) necessary
D) irrelevant

Question 21

Camus says, "Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of

A) philosophy."
B) modernism."
C) the arts."
D) science."

Question 22

Life's value or meaning must be distinguished from

A) internal meaning.
B) external meaning.
C) happiness and moral rightness.
D) feelings.

Question 23

Meaning in life does not necessarily accompany

A) life.
B) time.
C) attitudes.
D) moral rightness.

Question 24

For most people, the term meaning in "meaning of life" refers to

A) internal meaning.
B) external meaning.
C) philosophy.
D) the Bible.

Question 25

People who believe humans can have a purposeful life only if God created them with a purpose are

A) always religious.
B) never religious.
C) religious and nonreligious.
D) sectarian.

Question 26

Pessimists regarding life's meaning believe that life can have no meaning if

A) God exists.
B) external meaning is nonexistent.
C) internal meaning is possible.
D) internal meaning is nonexistent.

Question 27

Before Tolstoy experienced his Christian conversion, he was

A) loathed by neighbors and friends.
B) estranged from his wife and children.
C) prosperous and famous.
D) financially desperate.

Question 28

_______ said, "The longer you live the more clearly you feel that, on the whole, life is a disappointment, nay, a cheat."

A) Darrow
B) Tolstoy
C) Hesse
D) Schopenhauer

Question 29

_______ said, "I saw that [the life of the working masses] was life itself and that the meaning given to this life was truth, and I accepted it."

A) Schopenhauer
B) Baggini
C) Tolstoy
D) Tillich

Question 30

According to a poll, _______ % of secular, nonreligious, or atheistic people thought their lives had an important meaning or purpose.

A) 83
B) 21
C) 63
D) 11

Question 31

_______ asked, "Is it better to be slaves [of God] with a role in the universe or to be free people left to create a role for ourselves?"

A) Darrow
B) Edwards
C) Baggini
D) Camus

Question 32

_______ said, "Most of us would say without hesitation that a person's life had meaning if we knew that he devoted himself to a cause."

A) Baggini
B) Tolstoy
C) Camus
D) Edwards

Question 33

Most who have thought about it believe that questions concerning the meaning of human existence are

A) not at all relevant.
B) meaningful only for the religious.
C) extremely important and relevant.
D) irrelevant.

Question 34

The concept of "the meaning of life" is, in common usage, vague and slippery.

Question 35

Philosophers distinguish life's value or meaning from happiness and moral rightness.

Question 36

There are many people who seem to lead meaningful lives without relying on belief in an external being or force to confer meaning.

Question 37

Edwards says that if life is meaningful, then it is meaningful no matter how long or short it is.

Question 38

Often the impetus for reflection on the meaning of life is a disturbing thought.

Question 39

It's possible someone could hand you the meaning of life as a gift.

Question 40

For many people, life can be meaningful if they come to see their goals or purposes as inherently valuable or worthwhile.

Question 41

For most people, the phrase "the meaning of life" refers to internal meaning.

Question 42

Most people think that life has no meaning.

Question 43

Baggini thinks Tolstoy (at one point in his life), Schopenhauer, and Darrow mixed up internal and external meaning.

Question 44

Some maintain that the idea of God creating people for a purpose is an affront to human dignity.

Question 45

Many believe that unless a divine entity or transcendent reality has provided the world with ultimate purpose or value, life is meaningless.

Question 46

Internalists say that no one can have a meaningful life without relying on the concepts of God or transcendent realms.

Question 47

The main impediment to clear thinking about life's meaning is confusion about what meaning refers to.

Question 48

The process of examining the question of life's meaning is a task for one's community.

Question 49

Often people begin their search for meaning by asking, "What is the meaning of life?" But understanding the question is a secondary endeavor.

Question 50

Questions about the meaning of existence are themselves meaningless.

Question 51

Edwards said, "Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy."

Question 52

Few people think questions about the meaning of life are important.

Question 53

A person who states that life is meaningless may actually be asserting only that life has no external meaning but still has internal meaning.

Question 54

Most philosophers today think that asking the question "What is the meaning of life?" is like asking "How much does the color blue weigh?"

Question 55

Susan Wolf claims that meaningfulness in life must consist in both subjective and objective elements.

Question 56

For objectivists, meaning is mind-dependent.

Question 57

What is the difference between internal and external meaning? Why is it important to get the distinction right?

Question 58

What were Tolstoy's reasons for turning to religion and away from his former life? Do you think he was justified in doing so? Assess his reasons.

Question 59

Does a human life have meaning only when it is part of God's plan? Is this view plausible? Critique it.

Question 60

Is religion necessary for a meaningful life? Why or why not? Are there people who are not religious and yet seem to lead meaningful lives? If so, what conclusion would you draw from this fact?

Question 61

Does death or the shortness of human life rob it of meaning? If so, how? If not, why?

Question 62

Internalists can be divided into two camps: those who believe that meaning is something they create (subjectivists) and those who think meaning is something they discover (objectivists). Which view do you think is more plausible? Why?

Question 63

Consider this argument against subjectivism: It's intuitively obvious that sometimes objective standards apply. If satisfying our strongest desires leads to obviously immoral or trivial acts, subjectivism is implausible. Things aren't meaningful just because we say they are. Is this a good argument? Why or why not?

Question 64

E. D. Klemke says life has no objective meaning, "But from this it does not follow that life is not worthwhile, for it can still be subjectively meaningful…I, for one, am glad that the universe has no meaning, for thereby is man all the more glorious. I willingly accept the fact that external meaning is non-existent (or if existent, certainly not apparent), for this leaves me free to forge my own meaning." Is this a good response to the claim that life without objective meaning is not worthwhile? Why or why not?

Question 65

Is life meaningless because we and our world are so miniscule compared to the inconceivably vast cosmos, because life for us is so filled with misery and loss, or because there is no god or creator to give us a purpose or plan for living? Explain.

Question 66

Explain the difference between an "external" sense of meaningfulness and an "internal" sense of meaningfulness. Do you find external or internal views more plausible? Why?

Question 67

Explain why many philosophers distinguish between a happy life, a moral life, and a meaningful life. Do you find these arguments convincing? Why or why not?

Question 68

Is it possible for a person to be miserable and still live a meaningful life? Why or why not?