Why the indifference of the universe is irrelevant to life’s meaning

Abstract: When pessimists claim that human life is meaningless, they often also assert that the universe is “blind to good and evil” and “indifferent to us”. How, if it all, is the indifference of the universe relevant to whether life is meaningful? To answer this question, and to know whether we should be concerned that the universe is indifferent, we need a clearer and deeper understanding of the concept of “cosmic indifference”, which I will seek to provide. I will argue that the lives of many individuals are meaningful and that human life, in general, is somewhat meaningful, despite the indifference of the universe. Furthermore, I will seek to demonstrate that even if the universe cared about us, or had preferences for how we live our lives, that this likely would not enhance the quality of our lives.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Why the indifference of the universe is irrelevant to life’s meaning ; volume:29 ; number:4 ; year:2019 ; pages:453-461 ; extent:9 ; Human affairs ; 29, Heft 4 (2019), 453-461 (gesamt 9)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Trisel, Brooke Alan

Further information

• DOI: 10.1515/humaff-2019-0040
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022111813431017186538
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:38 AM CEST