[M-ZZ42] [JJ] Geoscience Studies: historical, philosophical and STS studies

[MZZ42-10] Meaning of life from the cosmological viewpoint

*Shigeyuki Aoki¹ (1.School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Aizu)

Keywords:philosophy of earth and planetary science, philosophy of science, philosophy

As we survey the literature on the meaning of life, a theme which looks so “philosophical”, we find that the arguer explicitly or implicitly appeals to cosmology. For example, T. Nagel, a famous philosopher who argues for the meaninglessness of life, concludes that both at the micro-level (the happiness of individuals, etc.) and macro-level (prosperity of human beings, advancement of civilizations and cultures, etc.) life is meaningless. The ultimate grounds he gives are that “eventually the solar system will cool or the universe will wind down or collapse, and all trace of your efforts will vanish.” (Nagel 1979; 1987) On the other hand, some cosmologists argue for the meaningfulness of organism or life as a philosophical consequence of contemporary cosmology. This talk will re-examine the cosmological assumptions and the argument structure of the type of nihilism which Nagel et. al advocate.