Before I begin my lecture, I must inform you about an historical event:
Even during the Second World War, ways to prevent war between countries were considered. In order to facilitate cooperation and consultation,
an international organization was founded: the United Nations (UN). 51 countries signed the founding treaty, which came into effect on October 24, 1945.
The president of the USA would be the defender of the free world. That was Roosevelt's dream and was the reality till today.
Last Monday, February 24, 2025, this has come to an end. The U.S. voted against a U.N. resolution urging Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine. The other countries that voted against the resolution were North Korea, China, and Russia.
From the defender of the free world, it looks like the USA has become the lap dog of Russia and an ally of the most dangerous totalitarian regimes on this planet. Europe is on its own now.
A second news item is that Laurence O'Donnell apparently has attended all my lectures on stupidity.
In the next video clip, he gives a perfect real-time example of stupidity in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBf0N8SU43Y
And now, let's resume our project.....
After our sidetrack, that inquired after the Self, which can have the ability to act stupid, and how we have to deal with that, let's get back on track.
Everyone asks themselves at some point: Why am I here? What makes life worth living? What am I doing it for? What is the purpose of all this? These questions are about meaning, the way people choose what to do with their lives to give them purpose and meaning.
Before we ran into stupidity we have learned about quite some possible answers. What is the meaning of your life? Here we go: I want to help others and will bring justice to this world.
I enjoy love and friendship, which makes my life meaningful. To be there for loved ones and friends.
I want that everyone has a chance to achieve his or her dreams. I would love to give meaning to my life by being a teacher to them and helping them achieve their goals.
The meaning of life for me is to have a deep understanding of life. I want to search for the wisdom, that reveals that meaning to me and helps me to be a good human being.
I want to find the truth. That gives my life a goal, finding the truth everywhere. I even could fight for the truth and against all those lies that are told these days.
I am an artist. I want to create beauty and show and share it with others. Experiencing beauty makes you feel the deeper sense and meaning of our existence.
What gives my life meaning, is my unceasing struggle for peace and understanding in this world. Not only on a large scale but also here in my immediate environment among neighbours, and citizens in my town.
There is so much misery in the world. I want to bring comfort to those who are not as well off as I am, or who are affected by illness or disaster.
Or I go a step further and want to fight against all suffering, not only of my fellow human beings but also of animals. That gives meaning and purpose to my life.
Of course, I could also leave something to this world, a scientific discovery, art, literature. It goes too far for me to see immortality as the goal of life, but in this way, I am still a little immortal.
It is not my priority, but there are people who see achieving, earning a place in heaven as the goal of their life. To that end, they adhere to all kinds of ethical rules and regulations on their path through life.
But everything stands or falls with the survival of this world, so what gives my life meaning is the fight against climate change, environmental pollution, excessive consumerism, and exploitation of the weak.
The conclusion here should be clear: if you do not know what the meaning and purpose of your life is, or why you are here on this planet, then this list of possibilities may give you a starting point.
The floor is yours.... thank you....
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
24 - Materialism 7 Sept 2022 / 1011
25 - Historical Materialism 5 Oct 2023 / 1088
26 - The Bonobo and the Atheist 9 Jan 2024 / 1102
27 - Artificial Intelligence 9 Feb 2024 / 1108
28 - Why Am I Here 6 Sept 2024 / 1139
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