Survey: Do You Think Our Predecessors Ever Asked 'What Is The Meaning Of Lif

Question: Survey: Do You Think Our Predecessors Ever Asked 'What Is The Meaning Of Life'!.!.!.!?

!.!.!.or where they to busy living to ask such existential questions!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I don't think so!. As far as I'm aware, I've never read any old philosophical works implying such a question!. I could easily be wrong here, but I think the question began with Nietzsche (or around that time perhaps)!.

However, it depends on whatis meant by "What is the meaning of life"!. Quite a few people (I think) seem to think it means "What is the best way to live"!. In which case, I think all human societies (that we have enough cultural records of) have approached this question!. Notably, Aristotle used an argument for how humans should live, by appealling to "ergon", which is sometimes translated as "function", which may imply some sort of purpose to life, but ergon can just as easily be translated as task or work!.

And I don't think religion arose as a need to answer the purpose of life!. I think a number of religions originally began as a means to explaining why certain phenomena happened (e!.g!. lightning being attributed to YHWH, Thor, Zeus etc!.), and I think other religions began as a means of opposing certain moral characteristics of societies!.

At the end of the day, though, "the meaning of life" is such a vague question that, whether or not people have asked it in the past, it's not worth answering until someone tells you what they actually mean by it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

"The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the [true] God and keep his commandments!. For this is the whole obligation of man!."

Ecclesiastes 12:13

King Solomon wrote these words over 3000 years age!. It seems he not only asked the question but found the answer also!.

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yes of course!. We naturally question!. For example think about Religion, why do you think that people began to believe in religion!? to find a meaning!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

i think they did like check out stuff like the bible or Koran those books where writin a long time ago before me and you where born so yes unless i missed your point then i apologiseWww@QuestionHome@Com

I think it depends how far back you go!.!.!.
I mean the "cavemen" probably didn't but i'm sure that over the past 500 years people have!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Religion proves that the question has always been there!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'm sure that those with pretty hard lifes did, especially when watching rich people go by!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

back then i think they knew!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

yesWww@QuestionHome@Com