Meanings of Life
Published on Nov 06, 2015
Our meanings for life are many and varied, but they spring from the context of our society and culture. Roy Baumeister offers an interpretation from a psychological and philosophical point of view.
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
MEANINGS OF LIFE
"Meanings of life may be created by individual people, but people are themselves products of society." -- Roy F. Baumeister, Meanings of Life.
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MEANING & PURPOSE?
HOW DO WE FIND
Most of us consider the "meaning of life" to be personal, but meaning itself, says psychologist Roy Baumeister, is acquired socially–from others and from society.
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MEANING SETS
CULTURE OFFERS
Cultures offer us sets of meanings: clusters of associations, symbols, explanations, histories, and events. Out of these we begin to perceive the world.
Photo by Matthias Rhomberg
ONE SET
NO COMPETITION
Some cultures may offer one belief system or set of values . . .
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MULTIPLE SETS
VARIATIONS ON COMMON THEMES
while others encourage multiple ways of being.
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IDEOLOGIES
WAYS OF BEHAVIOR TOWARD EACH OTHER
These sets of ideas, says Baumeister, can be called ideologies and they tell us about our history, our symbols, and how we should behave toward one another.
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PICK ONE
As we become more aware of these cultural sets and their influence in our lives we can decide if those are really the values that we truly believe in. We DO have some choices!
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THE 'MEANING' APP
Wouldn't it be nice to have a 'meaning' app that could adapt to situations and locations and help us find our daily purpose?
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BUG FIXES
IMAGINE THE
But think of the bug fixes, the constant crashes, the need for updates, and no cross-cultural compatibility . . .
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YOUR LIFE . . .
PERSONAL MEANING
Your personal life is your variation on the themes of your society and context. Nobody does your life better. You are unique!
Photo by Alyssa L. Miller
OUR LIVES . . .
SOCIAL MEANING
Our lives together make up the interconnected group we call "society."
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MEANINGS ARE SOCIAL
"Meanings" are social, says Baumeister. We construct them together.
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ELEMENTS OF MEANING
- Language
- Information
- Symbols
- Rituals
- Norms
Out of the various elements of meaning we weave a whole-cloth we call our culture--practices, beliefs, and ethics.
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CULTURE & SOCIETY
FORM A SYSTEM
Culture and society are systems that have a purpose--to perpetuate themselves and to provide a means of harmony, efficiency, and a measure of flexibility.
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BUT . . .
WE CREATE
OUR MEANINGS WITHIN OUR CULTURE
From the options in our culture and society we create a way of being for ourselves. It doesn't just erupt from some hidden spring within each of us. We're not working in a vacuum.
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PERSONAL IDENTITY
IN A SOCIAL CONTEXT
We form our personal identity within--or sometimes in spite of--our social context.
Photo by Digital Vision.
NOT IN OBJECTS
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INDIVIDUALS REFLECT THEIR SOCIETIES
People are reflections of their society and culture.
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YOUR MEANINGS
AND SOCIETY'S MEANINGS
Our meanings and society's meanings can be distinguished but probably not separated. They are in relation to each other . . .
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YIN YANG
COMPLEMENTARY OPPOSITES
A combination of complementary opposites, perhaps, like Yin and Yang? We are both products of our culture and beings in discovery of ourselves. We discover--and we choose the trails we will pursue.
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DOUBLE HELIX
OUR RELATION TO OUR CULTURE
Our social DNA is formed within our culture, but our individual characteristics shape our version of our culture.
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"I HOPE IN THEE FOR US"
GABRIEL MARCEL
This interconnection of meanings was expressed by existentialist philosopher and playwright Gabriel Marcel when he wrote, "I hope in thee for us." We are not alone; we are ourselves with others.
Photo by Zuhair Ahmad
REFERENCES
- Roy F. Baumeister, Meanings of Life (1991).
- Gabriel Marcel, Being and Having (1949).
