Tracking the Meaning of Life: A Philosophical Journey

by Yuval Lurie

What intelligent person has never pondered the meaning of life? For Yuval Lurie, this is more than a puzzling philosophical question; it is a journey, and in this book he takes readers on a search that ranges from ancient quests for the purpose of life to the ruminations of postmodern thinkers on meaning. He shows that the question about the meaning of life expresses philosophical puzzlement regarding life in general as well as personal concern about one’s own life in particular.

            Lurie traces the emergence of this question as a modern philosophical quandary, riddled with shifts and turns that have arisen over the years in response to it.  Tracking the Meaning of Life is written as a critical philosophical investigation stretching over several traditions, such as analytic philosophy, phenomenology, and existentialism. It maps out a journey that explores pivotal responses to this question, drawing especially on the thought of Tolstoy, Wittgenstein, Sartre, and Camus and exploring in depth the insights these thinkers offer regarding their own difficulties concerning the meaning of life.

            In the book’s four sections, Lurie discusses Tolstoy’s challenge to experience the religious and transcendental meaning of life by choosing a simple, hardworking existence; Wittgenstein’s focus on ethics and discovering the sense of the world, his conclusion that the question of the meaning of life makes no sense, and his turning to experience the mystical aspect of the world; Sartre’s positing of freedom as the basis of human life, stipulating a personal answer to the question of the meaning of life; and Camus’ view of the absurdity of life, unalleviated by any personal meaning. Guided by these views, Lurie imparts new insight to ideas that underlie our concern with life’s meaning, such as the difference between attitudes toward life and beliefs and opinions about life, the meaning of words versus the meaning of events, shared meanings versus personal meanings, and the link between ethics and personal identity.

            Tracking the Meaning of Life is no mere dry philosophical study but a journey that dramatically illustrates the poignancy of the quest for meaning, showing that along the way it gradually becomes more obvious how personal meaning may be found in the pulsations of everyday life. The book offers stimulating reading not only for scholars in philosophy but also for general readers who wish to see how their personal concerns are echoed in modern philosophical thought. More than a description of a journey, it is a map to anxieties and puzzlements we all face, pointing to ideas that can guide readers on their own search for meaning.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published June 12, 2006

Reviews

[pearl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair survey of modern philosophical attempts to answer the question: What is the meaning of life? It dealt primarily with Wittgenstein, Sartre, and Camus, and responses to them. My opinions and world-view haven't changed since reading this but it did clarify some points about existentialism I wasn't aware of before. Lurie's stance is remarkably neutral throughout, equally presenting the strengths and pitfalls of each philosophical stance, which should be a good thing, but it ends up somewhat unsatisfying, especially near the end, when we (or rather I) expect a stronger unifying statement about the human condition, and all we get is a "well, it's ultimately up to you to decide whether or not there's meaning in life, &c."

But I guess, oddly enough, that doesn't actually disappoint me. In fact it validates my own beliefs to an extent, and it was a helpful overview that introduced me to some new names.

I want to read Wittgenstein now, more Sartre, and Alasdair MacIntyre too.