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Meaning and Nihilism

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Meaning and Nihilism

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    1. Meaning and Nihilism Questions about the Meaning of Life Is meaning purely subjective? Is meaning just happiness? Is happiness purely subjective? Is (human) life meaningful? What is sufficient for lifes meaning? What is necessary? Does lifes meaning transcend our earthly existence? Is our own eternal existence essential to lifes meaning? Is Gods existence essential to lifes meaning?

    3. Three Kinds of Philosophical Theories Nihilistic Theories: There is no knowledge. There is no self. There is no meaning. Transcendent Theories: Knowledge is infallible certainty. The self is distinct from the body. Meaning transcends our earthly existence. World-bound Theories: Knowledge is fallible and uncertain. The self supervenes on the body. There is no end beyond human activity.

    4. Theories of Meaning Nihilism =df. There is no meaning to life. Transcendent Theism =df. Necessary conditions: Life is meaningful only if: God exists AND The soul is immortal World-bound Theories: Necessary and sufficient conditions: Life is meaningful iff: We have happiness [Hellenism] We have creativity [Taylor] We react to the human condition with scorn [Camus] OR We have freedom [Taylor and Camus]

    5. The Myth of Sisyphus What is the myth of Sisyphus? Is Sisyphuss life meaningful? Is the myth of Sisyphus an allegory for human existence?

    6. Taylors Myth of Sisyphus (cf. Camus) Stage 0: No forms of life exist; no rational beings. Stage 1: The Myth of Sisyphus a world of endless, pointless repetition; the absurd Stage 2: Sisyphus builds a great temple, by chance. Stage 3: Sisyphus is aware of building a temple. Stage 4: Sisyphus creates a temple. Sisyphus plans the temple, and then implements the plan.

    7. Camus: Self-Conscious Awareness, Freedom and Scorn Sisyphus, proletarian of the gods, powerless and rebellious, knows the whole extent of his wretched condition: it is what he thinks during his descent. The lucidity that was to constitute his torture at the same time crowns his victory. There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn. His fate belongs to him. His rock is his thing. Likewise, the absurd man, when he contemplates his torment, silences all the idols . If there is a personal fate, there is no higher destiny, or at least there is but one which he concludes is inevitable and despicable. At that subtle moment when man glances backward over his life, Sisyphus returning toward his rock, in that slight pivoting he contemplates that series of unrelated actions which becomes his fate, created by him, combined under his memorys eye and soon sealed by his death. If this myth is tragic, that is because its hero is conscious . The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious.

    8. Ezekiel 25, from The Old Testament 1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them; 3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; 4 Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. 5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching place for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 6 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel; 7 Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 8 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen; 9 Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim, 10 Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. 11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 12 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. 14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD. 15 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. 17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.

    9. JULESS Ezekiel 25:17 The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brothers keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you. The REAL Ezekiel 25:17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.

    10. What is the significance of: the lack of policemen? the bandage on Marselluss head? Butchs watch? Butchs choosing the sword? the transformation of Jules and Butch? Is PF a film about American nihilism? Is it nihilistic or cynical? Is nihilism true?

    11. Happiness is . . . Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) Making lots of money! Smoking pot and having sex with Angela! Having a complete relationship with my family! (cf. Sexual Perversion) Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening) Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher) Selling houses and making lots of money! Jane Burnham (Thora Birch) Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) Having a body that men find attractive! Colonel Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper) Order and discipline! Having a body that men find attractive! [Or repressing this urge; see above.] Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) The subtle beauty of bags and (dead) birds!

    12. American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999) Kevin Spacey .... Lester Burnham Annette Bening .... Carolyn Burnham Thora Birch .... Jane Burnham Wes Bentley .... Ricky Fitts Mena Suvari .... Angela Hayes Peter Gallagher .... Buddy Kane Allison Janney .... Barbara Fitts Chris Cooper (I) .... Colonel Frank Fitts Scott Bakula .... Jim Olmeyer Sam Robards .... Jim 'JB' Berkley Barry Del Sherman .... Brad Dupree Ara Celi .... Sale House Woman #1 John Cho .... Sale House Man #1 Fort Atkinson .... Sale House Man #2 Sue Casey .... Sale House Woman #2

    13. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) John Travolta .... Vincent Vega Samuel L. Jackson .... Jules Winnfield Uma Thurman .... Mrs. Mia Wallace Harvey Keitel .... Winston Wolf/The Wolf Tim Roth .... Pumpkin/Ringo Amanda Plummer .... Honey Bunny/Yolanda Maria de Medeiros .... Fabienne Ving Rhames .... Marsellus Wallace Eric Stoltz .... Lance Rosanna Arquette .... Jody Christopher Walken .... Captain Koons Bruce Willis .... Butch Coolidge Paul Calderon .... Paul Bronagh Gallagher .... Trudi Peter Greene (I) .... Zed

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