Section A: 1.1 Hindering the search for meaning


Each person’s search takes place in the context of their culture. Modernity has seen the emergence of a number of significant cultural developments – secularisation, individualism, technological worldview, instrumental rationality and liberalism. Each of these may prove to be obstacles for the individual in their search for meaning.

Modern society, defined by an individualist culture, has seen a loss of anchor points – both horizontal (connection to each other in the form of community) and vertical (connection to the divine/religion as a source of meaning). Indifference to ‘the search’ is evident in several contemporary phenomena. Secularisation is the result of increasing challenges to tradition and authority and the subsequent erosion of meaning. Discarding the values of the past requires us to establish new ones. This can prove difficult in a pluralist society, where an endless conflict of values leads to confusion.

This has the potential to contribute to the feeling of pessimism – an experience of emptiness. The turn to the individual as the creator of meaning may lead some to the conclusion that there is no one to believe and nothing to believe in – we are rootless, cast adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

Past Exam Question


1.1 Explain how two aspects of living in society today could block people from searching for the meaning of life. (2018)

Secularisation

This development leads to our meaning being framed in a ‘this-worldly’ context. Secularisation is the movement away from the spiritual/religious worldview. It is the result a number of cultural changes, most taking place during the Enlightenment. By rejecting the tradition and authority of religious belief, the secular movement has led to a greater focus on the material world – thereby framing the search for meaning in the context of the ‘here and now’.

How does secularisation lead to indifference to the search for meaning? It may not. Some people will continue to search for meaning in the absence of spirituality/religion. This search may lead to philosophies such as humanism, or a renewed focus on scientific enquiry. However, the rejection of religious doctrine may have the effect of severely impacting the individual’s ability to mediate meaning in the modern world. If the truths of religion (passed on from one generation to the next for centuries) are discredited and discarded, then some individuals may become apathetic – believing it’s futile to search for meaning in a world where none exists. (This is what Nietzsche hints at when he says ‘God is dead’).

Consumerism and instrumentalism

A by-product of focusing on the material world is an increasingly prevalent consumerist ethos. This has the dual effect of producing a preoccupation with material goods and personal satisfaction, while also sharpening our focus on economic effectiveness. 

What does this mean? And how does this contribute to indifference to the search for meaning? Preoccupation with material goods and personal satisfaction may prevent any true engagement with questions of meaning. You may also be precluded from any sense of  community – leading to a privatisation of beliefs and values. If the search feels too individual it’s unlikely to lead to any great satisfaction – and more likely to tend towards apathy and indifference.

The emphasis on economic effectiveness is also detrimental because it trains our focus on the outcome and ignores the process. Individuals are seen as merely instrumental – a means to an end – everyone and everything has a shelf-life; questions of meaning have no purpose in the culture of the marketplace – they are merely pointless diversions.

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