The Meaning of Life and Transcendence

Abstract

Abstract Atheism and naturalism have become the default positions in academic philosophy, and this is reflected in much of the contemporary work on meaning in life, which assumes what might be called a broadly ‘immanentist’ perspective: the sources of meaning must be sought entirely within the sphere of our purely human pursuits and activities. This chapter, by contrast, lays stress on the yearning for transcendence that seems an ineradicable part of our nature. It is argued that no human life can be fully meaningful if it denies or suppresses that yearning, and that this in turn points to the need for humans to find a vehicle whereby they can enact their longing for an ultimate source of meaning and value that might bring fulfilment and completion to their lives.