What does everything mean?
self-interpreting animals…
A famous quote from Aristotle’s book “Metaphysics” states, ‘“All men by nature desire to know.” This means that humans are curious by nature, ask questions and strive for understanding. However, I will modify this sentence slightly, while remaining true to its essence, and say: “All men by nature desire to make sense of things.” In line with Shaun Gallagher’s interpretation of cognitive science, he stated: “Human beings are self-interpreting animals.”
I believe that humans are distinguished from all other living things by their intellectual interests and concerns. In this context, the question “What am I going to do with my life?” and the dissatisfaction with its answer create a space for your humanity.
Therefore, embrace your existential crises, because they will lead you to your true self.
Will we ever find the answer?
By reflecting on what makes something meaningful, we can explore whether life has intrinsic meaning. What is the meaning of meaning?
We strive to make sense of it all and attempt to find meaning. In order to contemplate ourselves, others, and our existence in this world, we have constructed a system of meanings.
For this reason, the question of the meaning of existence or life, like the classical philosophical questions, is in a sense simple, so simple that it’s surprising that we haven’t found a satisfactory answer to these questions for thousands of years.
In my opinion, the answer lies in the meaning we ascribe to it. Meaning is not found, but created.
Without humanity, the question of the inherent meaning of existence itself, independent of our minds, is actually a meaningless question. We bend and shape the existence of the world according to our cognitive limits and our subjectivity shaped by historical and cultural factors. For people, the whole world bears the stamp of their humanity.
This is why Martin Heidegger asks in his book “The Origin of the Work of Art”: “What makes a temple a temple?” Is it the marble? Is it the form? I believe the answer is none. What makes a temple a temple is the relationship that people establish with it.
Life may not have a meaning, but it can be meaningful. The pursuit of a meaningful life is by no means a futile endeavor; we should create new narratives for a life worth living. We should question everything from beginning to end.
This task, of course, falls to philosophers. Inspired by the name of Hermes, the messenger of the gods in ancient Greek mythology, Hermeneut emerged in the Middle Ages to explain the meaning of sacred texts to people. Today we need contemporary Hermeneuts to explain the meaning of scientific data in our worldview. We need answers to questions like: What is the meaning of the Big Bang? What is the meaning of the climate crisis? What is the meaning of quantum mechanics and relativity? By asking such questions, philosophy not only transforms knowledge into wisdom, but also becomes a guide on how to make sense of life.
