I Wish I Could Believe in Meaning: A Response to Nihilism

by Peter S. Williams

"I wish I could believe in God. It would make my life meaningful," says a young woman amidst the buzz of a student party. But can life really have any meaning, and is it possible to believe in meaning without believing in God? In today's post-modern world, life and meaning no longer go hand-in-hand. Our secular culture insists that, like it or not, the only purpose for humanity is expressed in Darwin's evolutionary mantra, the survival of the fittest, and we would be naive to look elsewhere. Can we honestly believe "the truth is out there" in the face of such skepticism, or are we just kidding ourselves into believing a warm comfortable lie? Perhaps we should simply grow up and accept the harsh message of naturalistic evolution, but surely the way that most of us live our lives belies some sort of hope that there is a reason for it all? Williams digs beneath our skeptical culture and invites us to take time out from the party to seriously consider some of life's big questions--about truth, knowledge, goodness, and beauty.

499 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2005

About the author

Christian philosopher and apologist Peter S. Williams (MA, MPhil) is Assistant Professor in Communication and Worldviews at Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication, Norway. Peter also works with the UK Damaris Trust, leading philosophy conferences for A-level students and undertaking writing, speaking, debating and broadcasting engagements.

Peter has authored several books, including: A Faithful Guide to Philosophy: An Introduction to the Love of Wisdom (Paternoster, 2013), C.S. Lewis vs the New Atheists (Paternoster, 2013), Understanding Jesus: Five Ways to Spiritual Enlightenment (Paternoster, 2011) and A Sceptic’s Guide to Atheism (Paternoster, 2009).

Philosopher in Residence, Damaris Trust; Assistant Professor, Worldviews & Communication (Gimlekollen College, Norway); Christian apologist, author & composer. Southampton, England