The philosophical question "What is the meaning of life?" means different things to different people. The vagueness of the query is inherent in the word "meaning", which opens the question to many interpretations, such as: "What is the origin of life?", "What is the nature of life (and of the universe in which we live)?", "What is the significance of life?", "What is valuable in life?", and "What is the purpose of, or in, (one's) life?". These questions have resulted in a wide range of competing answers and arguments, from scientific ...

Including:

• Meaning of life - Popular beliefs
• Meaning of life - Scientific approaches and theories
• Meaning of life - Philosophical views
• Meaning of life - Value as meaning
• Meaning of life - Atheist views
• Meaning of life - Existentialist views
• Meaning of life - Humanist views
• Meaning of life - Nihilist views
• Meaning of life - Positivist views
• Meaning of life - Pragmatist views
• Meaning of life - Transhumanist views
• Meaning of life - Religious beliefs
• Meaning of life - Spiritual views
• Meaning of life - Humorous treatments
• Meaning of life - General philosophy topics
• Meaning of life - General philosophy lists

Read more here: » Meaning of life: Encyclopedia - Meaning of life

See also:

Meaning of life, Meaning of life - Popular beliefs, Meaning of life - Scientific approaches and theories, Meaning of life - Philosophical views, Meaning of life - Value as meaning, Meaning of life - Atheist views, Meaning of life - Existentialist views, Meaning of life - Humanist views, Meaning of life - Nihilist views, Meaning of life - Positivist views, Meaning of life - Pragmatist views, Meaning of life - Transhumanist views, Meaning of life - Religious beliefs, Meaning of life - Spiritual views, Meaning of life - Humorous treatments, Meaning of life - General philosophy topics, Meaning of life - General philosophy lists

Read more here: » Meaning of life: Encyclopedia II - Meaning of life - Philosophical views

Where scientists and philosophers converge on the quest for the meaning of life is an assumption that the mechanics of life (i.e., the universe) are determinable, thus the meaning of life may eventually be derived through our understanding of the mechanics of the universe in which we live, including the mechanics of the human body. There are, however, strictly speaking, no scientific views on the meaning of biological life other than its observable biological function: to continue and to reproduce itself. In this regard, science simply addresses quantitative questions such as: "What does it do?", "By wha ...

See also:

Meaning of life, Meaning of life - Popular beliefs, Meaning of life - Scientific approaches and theories, Meaning of life - Philosophical views, Meaning of life - Value as meaning, Meaning of life - Atheist views, Meaning of life - Existentialist views, Meaning of life - Humanist views, Meaning of life - Nihilist views, Meaning of life - Positivist views, Meaning of life - Pragmatist views, Meaning of life - Transhumanist views, Meaning of life - Religious beliefs, Meaning of life - Spiritual views, Meaning of life - Humorous treatments, Meaning of life - General philosophy topics, Meaning of life - General philosophy lists

Read more here: » Meaning of life: Encyclopedia II - Meaning of life - Scientific approaches and theories

Ultimate Pinnacle of The Human Quest

The stream of consciousness we experience within ourselves throughout our lives ties together all events of physical existence like the silken string that holds together a necklace. In its realisation, man and woman will meet their journey's end, the Omega point, a place of final rest and the dawn of a new existence in the divine self and the beautiful, blissful Lord within. As Lord Swaminarayan says in his Vachanamrutam sermons: "The human soul perpetually peers outward towards mundane objects of the five senses, but never looks inwards to see himself. Such a soul is the most ignorant and wretched of all.''

Read more here: » Meaning of Life: Ultimate Pinnacle of The Human Quest

We live in a world of opposites where gain and loss, good and bad, pleasure and pain, life and death are as inevitable as the two sides of a coin. Yet, there is an underlying unity between the two contrasts.

One of the principal polarities in life is the one between the male and female side of human nature. The sublime union between these two aspects is symbolised by Lord Siva's depiction as a dynamic unification of the two, as the half-male, half-female Ardhanareeshwar.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Purusharthas, Dharma, Artha, Karma and Moksha

Purusha means human being and artha means object or objective. Purusharthas means objectives of man. According to Hindu way of life, a man should strive to achieve four chief objectives (Purusharthas) in his life. They are: 

1.    dharma (righteousness), 

2.    artha (material wealth), 

3.    kama (desire) and 

4.    moksha (salvation). 

Every individual in a society is expected to achieve these four objectives and seek fulfillment in his life before departing from here. The concept of Purusharthas clearly establishes the fact that Hinduism does not advocate a life of self negation and hardship, but a life of balance, achievement and fulfillment. 

Read more here: » Purusharthas: Dharma, Artha, Karma and Moksha - The Purusharthas

Life expectancy is the average number of years remaining for a living being (or the average for a class of living beings) of a given age to live. Life expectancy is also called average life span or mean life span, in particular distinction to maximum life span (the life span of the most long lived members of a class of living beings). Although it is common usage to talk about life expectancy of any living being ranging from trees, insects, dogs, stroke victims, to mine workers, this article focuses on human life e ...

Including:

• Life expectancy - Overview
• Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy
• Life expectancy - Life expectancy over human history
• Life expectancy - Timeline for humans
• Life expectancy - Variations in life expectancy in the world today
• Life expectancy - Life expectancy of animals and plants
• Life expectancy - Evolution and aging rate
• Life expectancy - Calculating life expectancy
• Life expectancy - Other meanings
• Life expectancy - Increasing lifespan

Read more here: » Life expectancy: Encyclopedia - Life expectancy

Publius Vergilius Maro (October 15, 70 BC–19 BC), known in English as Virgil or Vergil, is a Latin poet, the author of the Eclogues, the Georgics and the Aeneid, the last being an epic poem of twelve books that became the Roman Empire's national epic. Virgil - Life. Virgil was born in the village of Andes, near Mantua in Cisalpine Gaul (Gaul south of the Alps; present-day northern Italy). Virgil was of non-Roman Italian ancestry, which he alluded to and defended in the < ...

Including:

• Virgil - Life
• Virgil - Early works
• Virgil - Composition of the Aeneid and death
• Virgil - Later views of Virgil
• Virgil - Mysticism and hidden meanings
• Virgil - Virgil's name in English
• Virgil - List of works
• Virgil - Bibliography

Read more here: » Virgil: Encyclopedia - Virgil

The value of life is an economic or moral value assigned to life in general, or to specific living organisms. In social and political sciences, it is the marginal cost of death prevention in a certain class of circumstances. As such, it is a statistical term, the cost of reducing the (average) number of deaths by one. It is an important issue in a wide range of disciplines including economics, health care, political economy, insurance, worker safety, environmental impact assessment, and globalization. Discussions about the value of li ...

Read more here: » Value of life: Encyclopedia - Value of life

"What is the meaning of life?" is a question many people ask themselves at some point during their lives. Some people believe that the meaning of life is one or more of the following: Survival and temporal success ...to accumulate wealth and increase social status ...to compete or co-operate with others ...to destroy others who harm you, or to practice nonviolence and nonresistance ...to gain and exercise power ...to leave a legacy, such as a work of art or a book ...to ...

See also:

Meaning of life, Meaning of life - Popular beliefs, Meaning of life - Scientific approaches and theories, Meaning of life - Philosophical views, Meaning of life - Value as meaning, Meaning of life - Atheist views, Meaning of life - Existentialist views, Meaning of life - Humanist views, Meaning of life - Nihilist views, Meaning of life - Positivist views, Meaning of life - Pragmatist views, Meaning of life - Transhumanist views, Meaning of life - Religious beliefs, Meaning of life - Spiritual views, Meaning of life - Humorous treatments, Meaning of life - General philosophy topics, Meaning of life - General philosophy lists

Read more here: » Meaning of life: Encyclopedia II - Meaning of life - Popular beliefs

The very concept "the meaning of life" has become such a cliché that it has often been parodied, such as in the radio series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, later released as a novel, a television series, a film, and a computer game. His answer was 42. As the story goes, an advanced race of hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings (mice) builds a gigantic computer called Deep Thought to find the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Seven and a half million years later, the computer gives the answer: "4 ...

See also:

Meaning of life, Meaning of life - Popular beliefs, Meaning of life - Scientific approaches and theories, Meaning of life - Philosophical views, Meaning of life - Value as meaning, Meaning of life - Atheist views, Meaning of life - Existentialist views, Meaning of life - Humanist views, Meaning of life - Nihilist views, Meaning of life - Positivist views, Meaning of life - Pragmatist views, Meaning of life - Transhumanist views, Meaning of life - Religious beliefs, Meaning of life - Spiritual views, Meaning of life - Humorous treatments, Meaning of life - General philosophy topics, Meaning of life - General philosophy lists

Read more here: » Meaning of life: Encyclopedia II - Meaning of life - Humorous treatments

It is often suggested that religion is a response to humanity's need to simply stop being confused, or to the fear of death (and the concomitant desire not to die). By defining a realm outside of life (the spiritual realm), these needs are fulfilled by providing a meaning, purpose, and hope for our otherwise pointless, directionless, and finite lives. Most people who believe in a personal God would agree that it is God "in whom we live and move and have our being". The notion here is that we ought to seek a higher authority who will give our ...

See also:

Meaning of life, Meaning of life - Popular beliefs, Meaning of life - Scientific approaches and theories, Meaning of life - Philosophical views, Meaning of life - Value as meaning, Meaning of life - Atheist views, Meaning of life - Existentialist views, Meaning of life - Humanist views, Meaning of life - Nihilist views, Meaning of life - Positivist views, Meaning of life - Pragmatist views, Meaning of life - Transhumanist views, Meaning of life - Religious beliefs, Meaning of life - Spiritual views, Meaning of life - Humorous treatments, Meaning of life - General philosophy topics, Meaning of life - General philosophy lists

Read more here: » Meaning of life: Encyclopedia II - Meaning of life - Religious beliefs

"What is the meaning of life?" is a question many people ask themselves at some point during their lifetime. Some people believe that the meaning of life is one or more of the following: Survival and temporal success ...to accumulate wealth and increase social status ...to compete or co-operate with others ...to destroy others who harm you, or to practice nonviolence and nonresistance ...to gain and exercise power ...to leave a legacy, such as a work of art or a book ... ...

See also:

Meaning of life, Meaning of life - Popular beliefs, Meaning of life - Scientific approaches and theories, Meaning of life - Philosophical views, Meaning of life - Value as meaning, Meaning of life - Atheist views, Meaning of life - Existentialist views, Meaning of life - Humanist views, Meaning of life - Nihilist views, Meaning of life - Positivist views, Meaning of life - Pragmatist views, Meaning of life - Transhumanist views, Meaning of life - Religious beliefs, Meaning of life - Spiritual views, Meaning of life - Humorous treatments, Meaning of life - General philosophy topics, Meaning of life - General philosophy lists

Read more here: » Meaning of life: Encyclopedia II - Meaning of life - Popular beliefs

Mitch Albom wrote about his dying professor Morrie and their last lessons together in the bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie in which some interesting questions were raised. Albom's life as a writer was until then in vain because he chased the wrong things in life: bigger houses, bigger SUVs, and bigger paychecks. No matter how big they were, they still could not fill his emptiness. The reality that we all have to confront eventually is the same thing Morrie realized when he learned he had Lou Gehrig's disease: that the world was as gree ...

See also:

Meaning of life, Meaning of life - Popular beliefs, Meaning of life - Scientific approaches and theories, Meaning of life - Philosophical views, Meaning of life - Value as meaning, Meaning of life - Atheist views, Meaning of life - Existentialist views, Meaning of life - Humanist views, Meaning of life - Nihilist views, Meaning of life - Positivist views, Meaning of life - Pragmatist views, Meaning of life - Transhumanist views, Meaning of life - Religious beliefs, Meaning of life - Spiritual views, Meaning of life - Humorous treatments, Meaning of life - General philosophy topics, Meaning of life - General philosophy lists

Read more here: » Meaning of life: Encyclopedia II - Meaning of life - Spiritual views

Human life expectancy at various ages and under different circumstances is carefully studied by the insurance and actuarial professions, and is calculated on the basis of historic data as shown on the mortality or annuity table used as a reference. By way of example, if people that are aged 60 live 10 more years on the average in a country, the life expectancy of people aged 60 in that country is said to be 10. If an age is not specified, life expectancy is understood to be from birth, so that "life expectancy of white Americans is hi ...

See also:

Life expectancy, Life expectancy - Overview, Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy, Life expectancy - Life expectancy over human history, Life expectancy - Timeline for humans, Life expectancy - Variations in life expectancy in the world today, Life expectancy - Life expectancy of animals and plants, Life expectancy - Evolution and aging rate, Life expectancy - Calculating life expectancy, Life expectancy - Other meanings, Life expectancy - Increasing lifespan

Read more here: » Life expectancy: Encyclopedia II - Life expectancy - Overview

The different lifespans of different plants and animals, including humans raises the question of why these lifespans are found. The evolutionary theory is that organisms that are able by virtue of their defenses or lifestyle to live for long periods whilst avoiding accidents, disease, predation etc. are likely to have genes that code for slow aging- good repair. This is so because if a change to the organism (for example a bird might evolve stronger wings) may mean that it is exceptionally capable of escaping from predation, th ...

See also:

Life expectancy, Life expectancy - Overview, Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy, Life expectancy - Life expectancy over human history, Life expectancy - Timeline for humans, Life expectancy - Variations in life expectancy in the world today, Life expectancy - Life expectancy of animals and plants, Life expectancy - Evolution and aging rate, Life expectancy - Calculating life expectancy, Life expectancy - Other meanings, Life expectancy - Increasing lifespan

Read more here: » Life expectancy: Encyclopedia II - Life expectancy - Evolution and aging rate

Human life expectancy at various ages and under different circumstances is carefully studied by the insurance and actuarial professions, and is calculated on the basis of historic data as shown on the mortality or annuity table used as a reference. By way of example, if people that are aged 60 live 10 more years on the average in a country, the life expectancy of people aged 60 in that country is said to be 10. If an age is not specified, life expectancy is understood to be from birth, so that "life expectancy of white Americans is hi ...

See also:

Life expectancy, Life expectancy - Overview, Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy, Life expectancy - Life expectancy over human history, Life expectancy - Timeline for humans, Life expectancy - Variations in life expectancy in the world today, Life expectancy - Life expectancy of animals and plants, Life expectancy - Evolution and aging rate, Life expectancy - Calculating life expectancy, Life expectancy - Other meanings, Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy

Read more here: » Life expectancy: Encyclopedia II - Life expectancy - Overview

The different lifespans of different plants and animals, including humans raises the question of why these lifespans are found. The evolutionary theory is that organisms that are able by virtue of their defenses or lifestyle to live for long periods whilst avoiding accidents, disease, predation etc. are likely to have genes that code for slow aging- good repair. This is so because if a change to the organism (for example a bird might evolve stronger wings) may mean that it is exceptionally capable of escaping from predation, th ...

See also:

Life expectancy, Life expectancy - Overview, Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy, Life expectancy - Life expectancy over human history, Life expectancy - Timeline for humans, Life expectancy - Variations in life expectancy in the world today, Life expectancy - Life expectancy of animals and plants, Life expectancy - Evolution and aging rate, Life expectancy - Calculating life expectancy, Life expectancy - Other meanings, Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy

Read more here: » Life expectancy: Encyclopedia II - Life expectancy - Evolution and aging rate

There are great variations in life expectancy worldwide, mostly caused by differences in public health, medicine and nutrition from country to country. There are also variations between groups within single countries. For example, in the US in the early 20th century there were very large differences in life expectancy between people of different races, which have since lessened. There remain significant differences in life expectancy between men and women in the US and other developed countries, with women outliving men. These differe ...

See also:

Life expectancy, Life expectancy - Overview, Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy, Life expectancy - Life expectancy over human history, Life expectancy - Timeline for humans, Life expectancy - Variations in life expectancy in the world today, Life expectancy - Life expectancy of animals and plants, Life expectancy - Evolution and aging rate, Life expectancy - Calculating life expectancy, Life expectancy - Other meanings, Life expectancy - Increasing lifespan

Read more here: » Life expectancy: Encyclopedia II - Life expectancy - Variations in life expectancy in the world today

There are great variations in life expectancy worldwide, mostly caused by differences in public health, medicine and nutrition from country to country. There are also variations between groups within single countries. For example, in the US in the early 20th century there were very large differences in life expectancy between people of different races, which have since lessened. There remain significant differences in life expectancy between men and women in the US and other developed countries, with women outliving men. These differe ...

See also:

Life expectancy, Life expectancy - Overview, Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy, Life expectancy - Life expectancy over human history, Life expectancy - Timeline for humans, Life expectancy - Variations in life expectancy in the world today, Life expectancy - Life expectancy of animals and plants, Life expectancy - Evolution and aging rate, Life expectancy - Calculating life expectancy, Life expectancy - Other meanings, Life expectancy - Increasing life expectancy

Read more here: » Life expectancy: Encyclopedia II - Life expectancy - Variations in life expectancy in the world today