Other's Perspectives on the M.O.L Final

When the class first began, I have not thought much of the meaning of life. I have thought that it had to do with understanding and knowing what your life is all about and how one should live it. After examining the thoughts of others prospective on the meaning of life through interviews/ conversations and reading articles written by philosophers I believe that I have come up with some sort of meaning. After having a conversation with my younger brother the opinion I had began to change. He told me that he believes that living life as you please and letting fate take care of the rest was truly the meaning of life.
After having the conversation with him I began to wonder, if what he said was in fact the meaning of life. However, my opinion again drastically changed a few weeks later when we read an article on someone’s opinion on the meaning of life. The author of the article wrote that the word “ dog” is not an animal and the animal dog is not a word. The animal has no meaning and the word means the animal. He uses this concept towards the meaning of life. Stating that “ life just is “. I compare this view to that of my brother’s and realize there was a similarities but also differences. I felt that I had conquered the meaning of life but quickly realize that in fact I had not. I thought to myself if you were to sit on your ass all day and do nothing then that concept of life works for you. If you did actual things, you will change your concept of life. So, I ask myself what is the meaning of life. Is it all about being happy, having everything in this world? Nobody really knows for sure, but everyone has his or her own perspective on the subject of the meaning of life. Some people feel that all life is about is making money and living the life to the fullest. Others believe it is to find true love and happiness. Then there are other people who that life is all about following the word of their god and trying to get into heaven. All these people can either be right or they can all be very wrong but who is the judge of that.
When the question of what is the meaning of life asked to people on the street, the usual answers are happiness, money, love, and family and those answers are probably wrong but that is what everyone who answers believes. No one really takes the time to answer the question with much thought process or reasoning because they are unsure or that they are to busy. What if someone did take the time to actually study and take his or her time looking forward at the thought of the meaning of life? I know of three philosophers that have studied the meaning of life in more depth than others do. The first would be Irving singer, author of the article Meaning of life: Rephrasing Questions. He believes that you should not attack the question head on, but look at it at a different angle. As he continues to look and study about the question of what is the meaning of life he comes upon other questions. He says people dodge the question as best they can and try to interpret the question differently. He believes that the meaning of life is actually two questions, which have been clumped together. The first part of the question being if the answer to the question of what is the M.O.L is found or created. The second part of the question is how it relates towards happiness. The question to the meaning of life can either be the question of purpose to ourselves, or to the universe that we live in. That is the belief of Irving Singer. The second philosopher would be John Wisdom who believes that the meaning of life is just a large, complex, bewildering question, which may have no meaning to it at all. He believes that the answer to the meaning of life is used to answer other questions, which make the question absurd. He asked that if there is any real meaning to the question. He then asked the fact that things in the world holds things within it but what makes those things things. An example of what the point he was trying to get across was the word dog. It is meaning applies to the animal that is a dog but what is the meaning of the dog itself. What purpose does the dog hold? The last but not least of the philosophers would be Joseph Ellin who believes in three different views of the question. He believes in the idea of seeing the big picture and not just the little one. He believes that by looking at the big picture you will be able to understand the question because then it shows you the meaning more clearly. Ellin feels that no one lives by them self and that no one is alone. He does know that the question must be broken down into parts. Everything must have an explanation that can be in reference to the answer. It must have something to do with the purpose of us actually existing.
Those were the thoughts of three philosophers but I am not saying that those are the correct. These are just the ideas of others. You can allow them to influence your own views or you can create your own it is all up to you.