Do human beings need illusions or fictions in order to live life Term Paper

Do human beings need illusions or fictions in order to live life meaningfully Why or why not Discuss by drawing on the work of two philosophers we have discussed this to defend your claim - Term Paper Example With this, it can be claimed that meaningfulness is often defined in relation to an ideal figure or state. While this may not necessarily imply that the ways to a meaningful life should be similar to all people, it highlights the fact that its primary characteristics should be. Thus, more often than not, we use certain standards to evaluate a person’s life. In our evaluation, however, we do not consider the four facets equally. Typically, we rank the facets this way, from most important to least important: spiritual, personal, social, and professional. Thus, it is our idea of morality that usually influences our judgment of a meaningful life. Simply put, to live a meaningful life is to live a moral life. Morality, loosely defined, is the practice of good habits, freely and knowingly. Indeed, for a person to be moral, not only must he know the conceptual differences between good and evil, he must also wholeheartedly do good acts. Through this example, we can see the interrelated roles of knowledge and freedom in the formation of good character in a person. With this, it is the formation of good character that is regarded to be the concrete manifestation of a meaningful life. It is in the acquisition of virtues, which is a result of having done wise decisions in life, that makes a person truly happy. While we all agree that it is natural for us to choose to do the good, understanding why and how we do so is hard. Thus, it is in the intention we possess and the quality of good acts we do that ultimately define our character. And this is where the big issue starts. In this essay, we aim to shed light on the nature of a meaningful life (in the context of moral life) by looking at theistic and existentialistic positions. As for the existentialistic positions, we examine the teachings of Sartre and Kierkegaard. In the end, we intend to prove that morality can be accessed and practiced