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Quick-Write. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE? What is my purpose here? Where am I going? Is life logical and ordered or just random? Is there life after death?. True Story….
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Quick-Write WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE? What is my purpose here? Where am I going? Is life logical and ordered or just random? Is there life after death?
True Story… It’s January 4, 1960. A passenger (one of four) sits in a car being driven by a friend. Going at a relatively high rate of speed, the car (for no apparent reason) veers off the road and hits a tree.
True Story (continued)… The passenger dies instantly; the other 3 walk away. This man was 46. He should have had decades of work, thought, experiences ahead of him.
True Story (continued)… A railroad ticket found in his pocket indicated his being in the car that day was a last minute change of plans.
Prezi on Philosophy • http://prezi.com/8ex379eyprft/modern-novel-the-stranger/
1. CENTRAL CONFLICT Humans long for immortality but know death is inevitable. Is it hard to imagine yourself dead?
2. MECHANICAL EXISTENCE • Humans’ reaction: a mechanical life in denial • Obsessed by the future; miss the present (all they really have) • “Go through motions” as if they will live forever • In reality, life is very short
3. ILLOGICAL RANDOMNESS OF EXISTENCE • The world is not logical and ordered; much of life is random. • Humans seek answers where there are none. • Much of life cannot be explained, so humans become frustrated because they expect things to make sense.
4. HUMANS ARE ALIENATED Self Others Nature God
5. Solution: Only Hope?...Freedom • Since there is no ultimate victory over death, one has great freedom to act. • Social codes are irrelevant—one must feel what one feels, • Live in the present in solidarity with other humans who share your fate. • Life is worth living because it is finite.
Why would this be popular? • World deprived of illusions (atomic bomb, world wars, holocaust, etc,) • No certainty or hope—all morals collapse—one experience is as good as another • All that counts is the present, the sensual, the concrete (no God) • Life has value if lived to the fullest accepting your fate (death)