God and the Meaning of Life

1
God and the Meaning of Life

• Most Urgent of Questions
• Why does the universe exist? Why is there
  something instead of nothing?
• Why do human beings in general exist?
• Why do I exist?

2
God and the Meaning of Life

• Are there any objective values which provide
  significance and a goal or purpose for the
  universe as a whole, human life in general, or my
  life in particular?

-What is the meaning of moral statements? -Why
should I be moral?
3
Metaethics and the Meaning of Moral Statements

• Definition That branch of philosophy which
  analyzes the meaning of certain moral terms
• (right, wrong, good, bad, ought, worth, and so
  forth)

4
Metaethics and the Meaning of Moral Statements

• Noncognitivist Theories - Statements are not
  indicative, or true or false

Emotivism the meaning of moral statements is in
the expression of emotion
Imperativalism moral statements are merely
moral commands
5
Metaethics and the Meaning of Moral Statements

• Cognitivist Theories - statements are indicative
  and give factual information

- Subjectivist Theories moral statements convey
information about the speaker - private
subjectivism moral statements describe the
psychological state of the speaker - cultural
relativism moral statements express
sociological opinions
6
Metaethics and the Meaning of Moral Statements

• Cognitivist Theories (cont.)

- Objectivist Theories moral statements convey
information by properties of people or acts -
ethical naturalism ethical terms can be
reduced to scientific properties - ethical
non-naturalism moral properties exist which
persons and acts have and which moral
statements ascribe to people and acts
7
Reasons for Being Moral

• Why should I adopt the moral point of view as a
  guiding force over my life?
• Justifications for morality
• moral should -Am I obligated to be moral?
• it is the morally right thing to be moral
• reasonable should -What rational justification
  can be given to me as to why it would be
  reasonable for me to adopt the moral point of
  view?

8
Four Views of the Meaning of Life
9
Nihilism and Naturalism

• Beliefs
• Human existence is totally meaningless
• There are no values, thus no reason to be moral
• God is dead
• Science has shown life to be meaningless

10
Nihilism and Naturalism

• Objections
• The belief that God is dead is diminishing
• Values may exist even though they cannot be
  proven
• Proof of everything is not necessary. Proving
  proof would continue ad infinitum.
• Nazi genocide and the torture of babies is
  obviously wrong.
• Questions of meaning and value are outside the
  limits of science
• Nihilism is unlivable and cannot be rationally
  recommended

11
Temporal Purpose and Optimistic Humanism

• Beliefs
• There is no reason for existence, but humans
  create values and give life their own meaning
• Life can be subjectively satisfying

12
Temporal Purpose and Optimistic Humanism

• Objections
• Suggests living a life of delusion
• No rational justification over nihilism
• No rational objection to obvious moral atrocities
  (ex. Nazis, torturing babies, etc.)

13
Immanent Purpose and Transcendentalism

• Beliefs
• There is no reason for existence, but life has
  objective meaning because objective values can be
  found within life
• Values are there as brute givens
• ethical non-naturalism
• meaning comes from objective values which are
  immanently realized in life itself

14
Immanent Purpose and Transcendentalism

• Objections
• Cannot account for moral guilt (Guilt requires a
  Person to feel guilty towards)
• Cannot account for retributive punishment
  (Necessitates Being to whom, we repay for moral
  wrong)
• Moral values without moral law-giver does not
  make sense

15
Immanent Purpose and Transcendentalism

• Objections (continued)
• If moral values are cosmic entities, why would
  they have do with us?
• It would seem inconsistent to allow moral values
  and not God
• Cannot explain how detailed aspects of morality
  can be known
• Has no adequate answer for why to obey morality
  over ones selfish interests

16
Cosmic Purpose and Christian Theism

• Beliefs
• The universe, man, and individuals have reason
  for existence and for living
• Cosmos exists to glorify God and promote the good
  of His creatures
• Human history has purpose, showing the struggle
  between good and evil
• Values come from God, through nature and the Bible

17
Cosmic Purpose and Christian Theism

• Beliefs (continued)
• Motives for morality
• the love of God
• the sake of doing right
• the rewards of obeying God

18
Cosmic Purpose and Christian Theism

• Popular Objections
• God complicates values
• Presence of God undercuts meaning of life
• Existence of God and an afterlife does not give a
  meaning to life
• Christian motive for morality collapses into
  personal egoism

• Rebuttal
• Morality is based on Gods nature
• Man has free will, was designed to find meaning
  in God
• They are necessary components to meaning value
  and purpose are based in Gods nature
• Rewards not sole motive, but a part

19
Conclusion

• Nihilism and Optimistic Humanism are empty and
  lacking purpose
• Immanent Purpose and Christian Theism affirm the
  existence of values and purpose
• Christian Theism has a better explanation
• Christian Theism has only weak objections

20
THE END

• Aaron Homoya and Josh Hedges