An Analysis of Wiggins's Viewpoint on the "Meaning of Life"

Abstract

"Invention" and "discovery" can be seen as two responses to the question of what from the "meaning of life". During the last few centuries, this state of question-response has been one of the most significant issues related to humanities including whether or not one can simultaneously take for granted the inventory (secondary) meaning of life while adopting the objective (real) meaning of life. This research tries upfront to respond to this question by drawing conclusions from the contemporary philosopher David Wiggins. According to Wiggins, the meaning of life follows as the result of concomitance between human mental powers and objective values. He places this view on a phenomenological discernment into morality thereby he can put forward moral values as not entirely independent of the subject and its interests and sensitivities not entirely interrupted of reality. Human sensitivities have a strong impact upon moral language; agreement on them stabilizes moral judgments, and the truth of moral judgment relies on reality. That is why one can maintain that meaning is something discovered-invented per se when human interests and sensitivities accord with the world and human perspective reveals the objective characteristics of his/her existence and the world.

Keywords

• meaning of life
• invention
• subjectivism
• cognitivism
• truth
• david wiggins