20TH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE

20th century philosophy of Life:

The current era has seen radical changes in conceptions of human nature. Modern science has effectively rewritten the relationship of humankind to the natural world, advances in medicine and technology have freed us from some of the limitations and ailments of previous eras, and philosophy—particularly following the linguistic turn—altered how the relationships people have with themselves and each other is conceived. Questions about the meaning of life have seen equally radical changes, from attempts to reevaluate human existence in biological and scientific terms (as in pragmatism and logical positivism), to efforts to meta-theorize about meaning-making as an activity (existentialism, secular humanism).

Existentialism:

Each man and each woman creates the essence (meaning) of his and her life; life is not determined by a supernatural God or an earthly authority, one is free. As such, one’s ethical prime directives are actionfreedom, and decision, thus, existentialism opposes rationalism and positivism. In seeking meaning to life, the existentialist looks to where people find meaning in life, in course of which using only reason as a source of meaning is insufficient; the insufficiency gives rise to the emotions of anxiety and dread, felt in facing one’s radical free- dom, and the concomitant awareness of death. To the existentialist, existence precedes essence; the (essence) of one’s life arises only after one comes to existence.

Naturalistic pantheism:
According to naturalistic pantheism (a doctrine that equates GOD with the forces and laws of the universe), the meaning of life is to care for and look after NATURE (the environment) and SOUL of all living creatures. This is my religion.