PHIL 1100 Lecture 20: 20- Wednesday November 23rd 2011
4 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Whether it"s our job, status, house, comparing what we have to others, etc: look at our lives, our children are indoctrinated, the tough-minded answer is that the question falsely suggests that we need reasons for continuing to live. Life will seem hollow if we reflect in this way and we shall rightly ask what meaning it has: maybe it has none. There are plenty of useless things in nature, and perhaps this capacity is one of them. Maybe life just is, as black holes, electrons, and hurricanes are. Each has an explanation in terms of the laws of nature and antecedent conditions, but there is no meaning beyond that: it is not surprising; therefore, that many people of sturdy common sense simply ignore the question. They go on with the business of living, do as well as they can, enjoy the comforts they may, and prudently keep out of deep waters.
