[英]John Cottingham: “Is Life Meaningful?”, translated by Wang Nan, Guangxi Normal University Press, May 2007, 16 yuan.
This is also one of the books in the “Xingsi Essays Series, Pocket Reading” collection; it was the third book I took with me to Shanxi, but I didn’t have time to read it there, so today I casually took care of it.
The theme is the meaning of life, and the author’s line of thought and point of view seem close to mine: from science to philosophy to religion. The range he covers is basically also within my own reach; it’s almost as if I wrote the article myself— which also means that this book is not especially brilliant. Unlike some other books that make me feel “as if I had written them myself,” in the sense that they put into words what I wanted to express but could not find the language for, this book gives me the impression that its philosophical depth is still basically within my reach, and is quite a distance from those works I admire profoundly. Of course, as an inspirational popular book, it is still quite good.
Page 159 Perhaps there are some people who can find the meaning of life beyond the contemplative state provided by spiritual admonition. But what this book tells us is the “careful solitude” strategy adopted when one is beset by doubt. We cannot create the value of our own lives, and we cannot obtain meaning in life merely by fabricating our own goals. The fulfillment of life depends on humanity’s capacity to systematically discover the wonder and joy of the beauty of the world, as well as to develop human emotions, compassion, and the moral sensitivity to engage in dialogue with others. However, because of the fragility of the human condition, reason alone cannot guide human beings toward goodness. We need faith to support our attainment of enlightenment in ultimate benevolence, and we need to live in hope. Such faith and hope, like the love that inspires both, are not established within the bounds of scientifically determined knowledge, and there are ample reasons to believe that we can attain them through spiritual cultivation. Nothing in life is protected, but if the path we pursue is, like the spiritual journey of benevolence, connected with right conduct, self-discovery, and respect for others, then we will not fail; and if the religious admonition is correct, then we will gain everything. For by imagining that life is meaningful and living in the world, we are bound to discover that life really is full of meaning, thanks be to God.////—I am merely excerpting the concluding summary and confession at the very end of the book.
July 20, 2007
Translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The original text is authoritative.
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