Life is a journey filled with many questions, some of which are never answered. One of the major questions that many people ask themselves is concerning the purpose of their lives. This question has led many individuals to travel long distances searching for the meaning of life. In his journal “Philosophy and the Meaning of Life,” Robert Nozick uses a traveler searching for life to demystify various typical answers on the topic.
The protagonist travels to the Himalayas mountains, where he meets a sage he believes has answers to the meaning of life. However, after a long pause, the sage states, “Life is a Fountain” (Nozick, 2018). After traveling for a long, the traveler did not expect this answer. Nozick (2018) criticizes the response offered by the sages by arguing that they are individuals who have detached themselves from the world and speak nonsensical words. Nonetheless, he argues that maybe there is more to the answer given to the man. In reaction to the man’s disbelief in the meaning of life, the sage says, “You mean it’s not a fountain” (Nozick, 2018). This issue raises the question of why the man questioned the answer offered to him, yet he had traveled the mountains believing that is where he would get the answers. If he knew so much about the meaning of life, then there was no need to take that long quest. This shows that people seek answers concerning the purpose of life, yet they fail to believe what they are told about life.
A sage is a person who disengages themselves from the rest of the world, looking for enlightenment. If Nozick’s claims are valid, why do many people seek council from the sages? Thus, it is wrong for Nozick to conclude that they speak nonsensical words without factual evidence since these are individuals who are believed to pose high levels of wisdom.
Reference
Nozick, R. (2018). Philosophy and the Meaning of Life. In E. Klemke & S. Cahn, The Meaning of Life (4th ed., pp. 197-199). Oxford University.