The Concept of “The Meaning of Life” in the History of Philosophical Doctrines: On the Problem of Finding Common Foundations of the Scientific Concept

Abstract

The article explores the phenomenon of “meaning of life” as the main construct of the institute of “life satisfaction”. The concept and characteristics of the meaning of life are given, the content of the meaning of life in a scientific retrospective is revealed. As long as humanity exists, people have been trying to find an answer to the question of what they live for. The search for meaningfulness of life is a deep human need, a part of his worldview, formed as a result of his awareness of his mortality. The paper examines the views of researchers on the problem of the meaning of life, starting from antiquity and ending with the works of modern authors; analyzes successive theories and hypotheses, competing approaches to the meaning of life, and also identifies modern institutions of well-being and life satisfaction. Conclusions are drawn about the variety of approaches to understanding the meaning of life, as well as about the likelihood of distortions that make it difficult for a person to truly understand life