How to Live a Meaningful Life

Summary

In this insightful discussion, a Catholic bishop, along with Jordan Peterson, Jonathan Pageau, and John Verveiki, delves into the crisis of meaning among young people. They explore the impact of scientism and the culture of self-invention, which has led to a loss of objective values. The bishop emphasizes the need for great Catholic scholars, artists, and saints to guide the youth back to a meaningful life by embodying and teaching the wisdom tradition and objective values.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing and pursuing objective values in life for a meaningful existence.
• 🎨 The conversation involves influential figures like Jordan Peterson, Jonathan Pageau, and John Vervaeke, discussing the crisis of meaning, especially among young people.
• 🌟 The speaker defines a meaningful life as one that is in a purposive relationship with values, and a religiously meaningful life as one oriented towards the highest value or supreme good.
• 📚 The script references Dietrich von Hildebrand's philosophy, which speaks to the intuition of objective values that transcend subjective satisfaction.
• 🔍 The speaker discusses the concept of 'scientism' as a reductionist view that limits knowledge to the scientific form, potentially obscuring the realm of objective values.
• 🤔 The crisis of meaning is attributed to scientism and the culture of self-invention, which views claims to objective value as disguised power plays.
• 🏛 The speaker calls for great Catholic scholars, artists, and saints to embody and teach the wisdom tradition and objective values.
• 🛡️ The speaker argues against the post-modern framework that reduces truth, goodness, and beauty to subjective constructs or power dynamics.
• 🕊️ The solution to the crisis of meaning involves cultivating a sense of objective value and a purposive orientation towards these values.
• 📖 The importance of the wisdom tradition, from figures like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas to contemporary thinkers, is highlighted for its role in guiding a meaningful life.
• 🌱 The script suggests that mentors and wisdom figures who live by and teach the objective values can help young people find a sense of meaning.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the conversation among the three gentlemen mentioned in the transcript?

The main topic of the conversation is the crisis of meaning, particularly among young people, and how it relates to the understanding of values and purpose in life.

Who are the three gentlemen involved in the conversation, and what are their respective fields of expertise?

The three gentlemen are Jordan Peterson, a cultural figure and psychologist; Jonathan Pageau, an artist in the Christian Orthodox tradition; and John Verveiki, a professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto.

What does the speaker define as a meaningful life?

A meaningful life, according to the speaker, is one that is in a purposive relationship to values, and a religiously meaningful life is one that is in a purposeful relationship to the highest value or the supreme good.

What is the intuition of objective values as described by Dietrich von Hildebrand?

The intuition of objective values refers to the recognition of values that go beyond merely subjective satisfaction, values that seize and rearrange our subjectivity, demanding attention and guiding our actions.

How does the speaker relate the concept of the 'sumo bonum' or the supreme good to a meaningful life?

The speaker relates the 'sumo bonum' to a meaningful life by suggesting that every act of will is grounded in a desire for something perceived to be the highest good, and being in a purposeful relationship with that value gives life its religious and ultimate meaning.

What role does scientism play in the crisis of meaning as discussed in the transcript?

Scientism, the reduction of all knowledge to the scientific form, is identified as a contributing factor to the crisis of meaning because it leads to the occlusion of the realm of objective values, which are not easily quantified or measured by physical sciences.

What is the 'culture of self-invention' mentioned in the transcript, and how does it relate to the crisis of meaning?

The 'culture of self-invention' refers to the belief that one's identity and values are entirely self-created, often leading to the dismissal of objective values as mere power plays. This perspective contributes to the crisis of meaning by undermining the recognition of objective truths, goodness, and beauty.

What solution does the speaker propose to address the crisis of meaning?

The speaker suggests that the crisis of meaning can be addressed by fostering great Catholic scholars, artists, and saints who can teach, reverence, and embody the wisdom tradition, objective aesthetic values, and moral values, thereby guiding young people back to a sense of meaningful life.

How does the speaker's understanding of a religiously meaningful life differ from a secular understanding of meaning?

The speaker's understanding of a religiously meaningful life is grounded in a purposeful relationship with the highest value or the supreme good, which is often tied to a transcendent reality. This differs from a secular understanding, which might focus more on subjective satisfaction and personal achievement without necessarily referencing a transcendent good.

What is the significance of the conversation's reference to historical figures like Plato, Aristotle, and Thomas Aquinas?

The reference to historical figures like Plato, Aristotle, and Thomas Aquinas is significant because it situates the discussion within a long-standing philosophical and theological tradition that has grappled with the nature of objective values and the supreme good, providing a historical context for the current crisis of meaning.