The Birth of Meaning

It is interesting to speculate (speculation being the only tool at our disposal in this case) on the origins of the desire and oft stated apparent need to find meaning in things larger than ourselves. We do not waste much effort pondering the meaning of reading novels or eating food as both give us pleasure and one helps keep us alive. We no longer ask advice on the meaning of storms or the position of the stars in the sky – although the continued popularity of newspaper horoscopes signifies that at least some of the general population still do so. Yet we still brood over not only the meaning of our own lives but the meaning of all life, of all existence. As far as we know we are the only creatures on Earth to do this. Neither mice nor ants appear to give any thought or expend any energy examining the ‘meaning of it all’ as they gaze into a night sky full of stars. They are in fact incapable of such musings because they are incapable of self-reflective thought. They may be acutely aware of their surroundings in order to prosper in their environmental niche but they are not, at least as far as we can tell, aware of themselves being aware. They are neither conscious nor self aware and are, as far as we are able to ascertain, blissfully ignorant of their place in the universe. It is only man that asks himself why he is here and what it all means. It is entirely possible that the universe acquired any meaning at all only though a supreme act of arrogance on the part of a self-aware humanity when one of its earliest thinkers asked the question: How can such a universe be meaningless when I am in it? As soon as such a question is posed it is but a short journey to the construction of ideologies and religions which provide the desired meaning that can now be imposed on a previously uncaring, silent and indifferent universe. Such ‘meaning’ serves apparently deep psychological needs which may account for its widespread nature. There is seemingly something within the self-aware mind that requires meaning to exist in order to function. Such a desire often seems overwhelming and explains why many hold onto whatever meaning they have derived or bought into with such fervour. The idea that life is essentially meaningless is not only anathema to many but also deeply terrifying.

[Extracted – slightly amended - from my MA dissertation: The death of God and the Challenge of Nihilism.]