[atreestump]

What does ‘mean’ mean?

The same thing that it does in the question.

Never common sense! https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/meaning/  😉

Also see: https://youtu.be/k52wcLOKzkU

‘Mean’ comes from the statistical usage of the term, as opposed to averages, mean is the better way to measure what’s in between.

[notathoughtgiven]

What does ‘mean’ mean?

The same thing that it does in the question.

Never common sense! https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/meaning/  😉

Also see: https://youtu.be/k52wcLOKzkU

‘Mean’ comes from the statistical usage of the term, as opposed to averages, mean is the better way to measure what’s in between.

It could be the meaning by using the word mean.

[atreestump]

I know it looks like a silly question, but it really isn’t. Every word in a philosophical sentence that is composed of propositions can have presuppositions too – something tacitly assumed beforehand at the beginning of a line of argument or course of action. Also see: https://ontic-philosophy.com/Thread-What-are-propositions

I’ll take a few definitons of meaning here and we will see which one gives us the simplest possible means of explaining meaning.

1.

intend to convey or refer to (a particular thing); signify.

In this instance, meaning works only if there is a particular thing, but what if we decide to create a meaning that is not already defined, if it is synthetic and yet-to-be? How can you signify something that is yet to be created, or the possibility of it hasn’t yet materialised and upon reflection, there is a point in your life where there was the possibility and then the creation and then there was the ‘thing’, but at the same time upon reflection, your life would not having meaning without this thing.

Synthetic = the opposite to analytic. If something is analytic, then it is a matter of fact, something true by definition and present. Synthetic on the other hand, requires more information in order for it to be defined, it is something absent, it requires a relation of ideas in order for it to be true.

This is where values come into the picture, which again brings in the statistical element, as you have two states to compare, one with meaning, one without, or less meaning, irrelevant meaning etc. I remember seeing a few questions in an occult forum I was on that used to ask questions like ‘what is the meaning of this candle and how it has burned?’; immediately you can’t give an answer as it doesn’t relate to anything else.

intend (something) to occur or be the case.

This definition implies force, either from yourself or from others, or both. 

have as a consequence or result.

This one is after-the-fact, similar to the definition you gave before of what the meaning of life could be, imposed on by others.

Other definitions are in the ‘mean-spirited’ variety, which also includes skill, or lack of, unkindness, cruelty etc, but what is interesting here is that mean is still related to the other kind of mean mentioned above, it’s about give and take – what properties are left over to examine once force and supposing has occured, expectations of what comes next – future projection, all of these definitions require valuations.

Take a look at the statistical usage:

mean3
miːn/
noun
noun: mean; plural noun: means
[list=1]
[*]1.
the value obtained by dividing the sum of several quantities by their number; an average.
“acid output was calculated by taking the mean of all three samples”

[*]2.
a condition, quality, or course of action equally removed from two opposite extremes.
“the measure expresses a mean between saving and splashing out”
synonyms:
middle course, middle way, mid point, central point, middle, happy medium, golden mean, compromise, balance, median, norm, average
“trying to find a mean between frankness and rudeness”

[/list]adjective
adjective: mean
[list=1]
[*]1.
(of a quantity) calculated as a mean; average.
“participants in the study had a mean age of 35 years”
synonyms:
average, median, middle, halfway, centre, central, intermediate, medial, medium, normal, standard, middling
“the mean temperature”

[*]2.
equally far from two extremes.
“hope is the mean virtue between despair and presumption”

[/list]

As we pointed out earlier, life is not predefined, so meaning as definition only does not really work in the question. Also, if we consider our meaning of life to be what is the best possible outcome before we die and are dead, we enter another problem. Death is an unknown state and so can’t be compared with a known state – even though in common sense we will probably see life as better than death no matter what the meaning, or in some suicide arguments we may reverse that statement and proposition, it does not make it true.

Welcome to the world of philosophical logic! 😀

That’s what I meant by ‘never common sense’. In my opinion, the philosophical term ‘meaning’ is all about value equations and in common sense terms, we often say ‘my life on average has been like such and such and has always been about‘, but calculating averages can be problematic when one takes into account the third definition of meaning we looked at, which exposes inequality and instability, which is why mean calculation is a better means of calculation. Also, the variables will continue to change and eventually we ourselves will not be able to calculate the ‘mean’ and so it’s up to someone else to calculate the total mean of your life!

Note how here, ‘means’ is about getting from A-B and prior to that, we use average as about something up to now only, but sometimes meaning can be future projective.

Maybe it’s competely unknowable and so we can only say truthfully that meaning is not fixed and subject to valuation as oppositions change, valuations change and new possibilities emerge, either through our own creation or what is imposed upon us.

I think the only thing to do when someone asks this question, all you can do is start laughing at how impossible it is.
[hr]
This is another interesting wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaning_(philosophy_of_language)

Pay attention mostly to how ‘meaning is a relationship between two sorts of things: signs and the kinds of things they mean (intend, express or signify)’.

[Socrates]

Excellent question. The word meaning can be confusing as well as the word purpose or anything indicating a necessary reasoning.

It may be more beneficial while tagging the mystical line to speak of the apparent function which life, which in this sense I take to mean experience or consciousness appears to achieve, and that is it appears to achieve information, which here means that which informs, or in other words, expression, that which expresses.

That’s pretty good from an ‘I’ philosophy point of view, interior monologue and expression, but it is only an appearance. I like the phenomenological approach of to the things themselves!

What is expressing in the first is the only which to express. That means in its greatest form, experience appears to be Self Expression, expression of oneself through communicative material known as information or experience, to its own apprehension and which appears and is this known, to itself.
So even though such may not be necessary in this way, and may result in accepted absurdities like butterflies appearing to drink flowers from  a proboscis, it is all communication, from the Sole power to the Sole power. An expression of its self from itself to itself by itself.

For itself too?

Self Expression.

Now the other way one can answer is what is the best meaning one can make for their lives or purpose?

In that case, survival and increasing comfortable survival while pursuing what lacks suffering and penalties in pursuit of the best possible one can keep working for and improvements while avoiding harm and consequences.

I don’t think consequence can be avoided and I think there is more to life than just survival and reducing harm – however noble that is of course – but consequence is how we learn and have states to contrast with one another when we sum up meaning. I’m really starting to notice mathematical language in philosophy today!

Survival can in this sense mean continued motion and by extension continued expression and experience or ability to in at least some sense move or be animated which does not necessitate the appearance of bodily movement.

So life is a performance that seeks to express itself in the most powerful way possible?

[No1]

Well, I think that’s the WRONG Question.
Why do peoples think that there is a meaning to life ?
Life has no meaning at all. It just happens at random by chance.
But if it have, it would be something along the lines “You exist purely by chance, coincidently; you are self-aware of your meaningless existence that will soon end, but because you happened to exist and to think, you should enjoy whatever you can, whenever you can for as much time you have left on this rock floating around the sun”
The simplistic advice in theory. In practice it is hard to be happy, even if by happiness we meant luck of unhappiness.

[Socrates]

The meaning of life is overcoming disappointment then?

[No1]

Not overcoming, just accepting.

[Intellectus]

The most basic of questions that noobs and pros can give answers to. Please tell everyone what you think the meaning of life is and why you think so.

The meaning of life is one’s highest form of one’s “hologram,” in a particular “time”. In other words, its the best thing you can think of as you read this sentence if you read my interpretation of what a “hologram” is, in another thread. So, you would need to look at this objectively so lets identify the variable… “thing.” What is it? It can be anything but it is what you think is it. I have no power to make you “see” the thing but I can express it has something to do with my interpretation of the “hologram.” This is called context clues, basic understanding of a sentence from English class. This means that I want you to read that thread…do your research like you been taught….bold letters have meaning….If I lost you long ago in this paragraph then its ok. I will try to explain it in a noob way…..

Noob Way.

The meaning of life is reaching heaven for some, or enlightenment for some. It is not universal but independent in its attempt to be fullfilled. It maybe to pass a class or just to live to the age of 85. In other words, its whatever you want it to be…like a goal…this is why goals are important to have. if you dont have a goal then you are lost. But everyone has a goal, regardless if you think you have one. If you are reading this….and are a noob then your goal is to reach the end of this paragraph. Congratulations.

[Socrates]

The meaning of life is reaching heaven for some, or enlightenment for some. It is not universal but independent in its attempt to be fullfilled. It maybe to pass a class or just to live to the age of 85. In other words, its whatever you want it to be…like a goal…this is why goals are important to have. if you dont have a goal then you are lost. But everyone has a goal, regardless if you think you have one. If you are reading this….and are a noob then your goal is to reach the end of this paragraph. Congratulations.

Your writing has lots of teleological references, but I am not sure life is this linear. I like what you say here in a way, that we set goals depending what it is we apply ourselves to, which is the best we can do, but some of our ‘ends’ are very unrealistic and can hold us back from achieving far more beneficial practices.

I’m a very ‘here and now’ kind of person.

[Whisper]

Two things to consider implicit to the question:

What is meaning?

1) It could be “the teleological” end “purpose of life”. I agree that this is commonly based on values, and this is what people call “the meaning of life”

2) or meaning is “The Definition of Life”. This could be purely biological but on the other end it could mean the sanctity of life based on values

[Author]

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