The Meaning of Life - Softcover

Klemke, E.D.; Cahn, Steven M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0190674199 ISBN 13: 9780190674199

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2017

Synopsis

Featuring twenty-five insightful selections by prominent philosophers, literary figures, and religious thinkers, The Meaning of Life: A Reader, Fourth Edition, 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. The fourth edition adds selections reflecting Buddhist and Confucian thought and also features a new Part IV on the end of life, raising issues about how our perspectives on death affect our understanding of the meaning of life.

About this title

About the Author

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 Emeritus of Philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books. Most recently, he authored Religion Within Reason (2017) and coauthored Happiness and Goodness (2015). Dr. Cahn is the editor of Exploring Ethics, Fourth Edition (OUP, 2016) and The World of Philosophy (OUP, 2016).

Review

"The Meaning of Life is the preeminent anthology of classic and contemporary readings on the meaning of life and the philosophy of death. It offers a rich and profound discussion of some of the most fundamental questions of humanistic inquiry. What was already a stellar collection of essays is now even better in this new edition."--Lawrence Nolan, California State University, Long Beach

"The Meaning of Life, Fourth Edition, includes in one affordable volume all of the most important and influential writings on the meaning of life."--Erik Wielenberg, DePauw University

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0190674199
• ISBN 13: 9780190674199
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 272