Question: Since your a philsopher what do you think the meaning of life is

Martin Pickup answered on 25 Sep 2017:

Ha! Good question. You might be surprised, but most philosophy doesn’t really deal with this sort of question.

For what it’s worth, I reckon the meaning of life is happiness. But not the sort of happiness that’s temporary but deep and lasting happiness (Aristotle talked about this and called it eudaimonia). Of course, the next question is how to be happy!

That depends, I think. But working out what makes you have that deep happiness is a pretty central part of life. Some people find answers in religion or other sorts of commitment. I’m religious myself, so that’s a resource for me.

What do you think? And feel free to ask me some more. I’ll also be there on Friday at the live event if you’re coming (I can give you details if you like).