Religion, Meaning, Truth, Life

Abstract

First presented at a conference, “Is Religion Outdated,” held at the University of San Diego Law School February 28 & March 1, 2014, this essay provides an ontological and experiential critique of Professor Steven D. Smith’s argument that only religion provides the transcendent meaning necessary for human beings to conceptualize themselves as persons. The author argues instead that ontology should be premised on being-in-the-world rather than the Cartesian separation of mind and world employed by Smith, and illustrates this with his experience of a personal tragedy, concluding that nontranscendent experiences and commitments can provide life meanings as powerful as those supplied by religion.

Keywords: being-in-the-world, Cartesian dualism, death, Heidegger, life meaning, meta-narrative, mind, religion, transcendence, truth, world