Monday, July 4, 2011

What Meaning Means

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Of course, no reasonable man ought to insist that the facts are exactly as I have described them. But that either this or something very like it is a true account of our souls and their future habitations - since we have clear evidence that the soul is immortal - this, I think, is both a reasonable contention and a belief worth risking, for the risk is a noble one. We should use such accounts to inspire ourseves with confidence, and that is why I have already drawn out my tale so long. (from Plato's 'Phaedo')

What does meaning mean?

Nothing, if you can't do anything about it.

Which really means only: if there is nothing to be done about something we don't ask the question. We feel lucky that we don't have to. The question is work.

In other words, asking the question, What does it mean? is less meaningful than not asking the question at all!

And what does that mean?

It means that meaning is about doing things, and the last, most important, most meaningful thing to be done is to be able to stop looking for meaning.