What is Life?

By mchen

  • Abraham 2000 BCE

    Judaism, 2000 BCE, Abraham. The meaning of life is to elevate the physical world and prepare it for the world to come.

  • Confucius in 500 BCE

    Confucianism, founded by Confucius in 500 BCE. Confucianism focuses on the practical, especially the importance of the family, and not a belief in gods or the afterlife.

  • Lao Tzu 550 BCE

    Toaism, Formed in 550 BCE, Lao Tzu. It emphasizes living in harmony with the way of the world.

  • Siddhara Gautama 520 BCE

    Buddhism, founded in 520 BCE, Siddhara Gautama. Escape the cycle of rebirth and attain nirvana. Bahayana, become a boddhistva then help others attain enlightenment.

  • Antisthenes 6th Century BC

    Cynicism, 6th Century BC, founded by Antisthenes. They believed that the purpose of life was to live in virtue, in agreement with nature.

  • Epicurus 307 BC

    Epicureanism, founded in 307 BC by Epicurus. Epicurus advocated living in such a way as to derive the greatest amount of pleasure possible during one's lifetime, yet doing so moderately in order to avoid the suffering incurred by overindulgence in such pleasure

  • Zeno of Citium 3rd Century BC

    Stoicism, founded in the early 3rd Century BC by Zeno of Citium. Stoicism taught that desctructive emotions resulted from errors in judgement. They also said that a sage, or a person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.

  • Mozi 470 BC

    Mohism, founded by Mozi in 470 BC. The oppose war and thought there was too much impartiality when it came to universal love.

  • Arstippus 4th Century BC

    Cyrenaics, founded in 4th Century BC by Arstippus. The Cyrenaics believed that pleasure was the supreme good in life, especially physically pleasure, which they thought more intense and more desirable than mental pleasures. Pleasure is the only good in life and pain is the only evil.

  • Antiochus of Ascalon 90 BC

    Middle Platonism, 90 BC, Antiochus of Ascalon. Believed that the world as a whole was a living thing with a soul.

  • Petrarch early 1300's

    Humanism, Petrarch, early 1300's. Emphasizes the value of human beings, individually and collectively, and prefers indiviual thought and evidence.

  • Baha'ullah early 19th Century

    Baha'i Faith. Early 19th Century by Baha'ullah. They believe in the unity of mankind.

  • Jeremy Bentham Early 19th Century

    Utilitarianism, early 19th century, founded by Jeremy Bentham. nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasur

  • William James late 19th century

    Pragmatism, founded in the late 19th century by William James. Pragmatic philosophers suggest that the more useful understanding of life is more important than an abstract truth. To pragmatist, the meaning of life is discoverable only by experience.

  • Friedrich Nietzsche 19th Century

    Nihilism, founded by Friedrich Nietzsche in the early 19th century. Nihilism suggests that life is without objective meaning.