The Meaning of Life (4^th Ed.)

The Meaning of Life is the preeminent anthology on the topic. Featuring twenty-five insightful selections by prominent philosophers, it serves as an ideal core text for courses on the meaning of life and introduction to philosophy courses where the topic is emphasized. In Part I the articles defend the view that without faith in God, life has no meaning or purpose. In Part II the selections oppose this claim, defending instead a nontheistic, humanistic alternative?that life can have meaning even in the absence of theistic commitment. In Part III the readings address whether the question of the meaning of life is itself meaningful. A new Part IV on the end of life raises issues about how understanding death affects our understanding of the meaning of life.

The late E.D. Klemke was Professor of Philosophy at Iowa State University, where he taught for more than twenty years. Steven M. Cahn is Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center.