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The Meaning of Life from Sacred and Secular Perspectives
The Meaning of Life from Sacred and Secular Perspectives
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Description
This book argues that the search for life's meaning is vital in terms of one's personal identity, developing a sense of what really matters to you and others. The book seeks to enlarge one's understanding of the possible meanings of life on a large scale, as well as explore the many meanings in life for individuals. Drawing on ancient and contemporary sources, the book provides a guide for exploring the most promising perspectives on life's meaning, philosophically and religiously. Its purpose is to aid readers in making up their own minds in discovering meaning in life.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: What is meaning?
Chapter Two: Why should anyone care about the meaning of life? And by the way, isn't there something preposterous about seeking the meaning of life?
Chapter Three: No need to search very far: We should conclude that the meaning of life for humans is perfect happiness. Or should we?
Chapter Four: Can we discover the meaning of life through science, especially evolutionary biology? Maybe the key to life is to hatch (be born), match (reproduce), and then dispatch (be done).
Chapter Five: How might the major theistic traditions obscure or contribute to discovering the meaning of life?
Chapter Six: Why bother with religion when there are great, satisfying secular visions of the meaning of life?
Chapter Seven: What do Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism say about the meaning of life?
Chapter Eight: Is there a compelling Christian meaning of life?
Chapter Nine: Radical psychological challenge: Could the religious perspectives on the meaning of life be make-believe?
Chapter Ten: Does belief in the meaning of life require certainty? Is belief compatible with doubt?
Acknowledgments
References
Product details

Published | 27 Nov 2025 |
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Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 176 |
ISBN | 9781978762855 |
Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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The meaning of life is the question which should underlie any philosophy, but it is also the topic which nearly all academic philosophers studiously avoid. Taliaferro and Reasoner step into the breach admirably. Their treatment, while eminently readable, is seriously philosophical. It combines judicious analyses of the most significant accounts of the meaning of life, religious and non-religious, western and non-western, with well-judged reflection on how each of us, as reflective individuals, might best approach this most important question of all.
Anthony O'Hear, Professor of Philosophy, University of Buckingham, UK
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In this engaging and expansive work, Charles Taliaferro and Paul Reasoner return philosophy to its roots: a love of wisdom that embraces reason, imagination, and the full depth of human experience. With clarity and generosity, they explore a wide range of sources-from the world's major religious traditions to evolutionary biology and contemporary philosophy. The Meaning of Life from Sacred and Secular Perspectives is a wise and inviting companion for anyone drawn to life's deepest questions. Rare in its depth and openness, this book challenges readers without prescribing answers-and offers encouragement along the way.
Victoria Harrison, Professor of Philosophy, University of Macau, SAR