Julian Baggini - What's It All About?: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Granta Books (16 Sep 2004)
ISBN: 1862076618
Buy from: amazon.com amazon.co.uk

In this book, subtitled Philosophy and the Meaning of Life, Julian Baggini attempts to provide a rational, humanist account of the meaning of life. He starts with a story about a taxi driver, in which T. S. Eliot attempted to puncture the pretensions of  philosophy: 'Only the other evening I picked up Bertrand Russell', said the taxi driver,' and I asked him, "Well, Lord Russell, what's it all about?" And, do you know, he couldn't tell me.'  

What's it All About? is aimed at the reader who wants to confront the big issues in life but is turned-off by religion and New Age spirituality. It shows how philosophy does not provide pat answers to our questions, but provides us with resources to help find provisional answers that fit our particular needs and circumstances.

In defence of Russell, and against T. S. Eliot and the taxi driver, Julian Baggini shows there is no single, simple answer to the question "What is the meaning of life?" Certainly none that could be given in the course of a taxi journey. If there were, word would have got around and we would all know the one and only meaning.

Of course, Christianity used to offer a single, all encompassing meaning of life. But few modern philosophers are likely to accept its claims, and Baggini hardly bothers to argue against the Christian case. Instead, he refers you to the literature. This is a useful tactic, as most of his prospective readers will have been well versed in anti-Christian arguments from books like Richard Dawkin's The God Delusion and his own Atheism: A Very Short Introduction.

One of the highlights of What's it All About? is Julian Baggini's take on another religion: Buddhism. He demolishes vague, unsubstantiated ideas like rebirth and karma with the kind of relish that Dawkins demolishes arguments for a Christian god. His PhD was on personal identity, and he attacks the Buddhist notion that the self is an illusion. The suggestion is that losing your self leads to death rather than enlightenment. He also points out that meditation is a highly selfish pursuit. Should we be meditating in a monastery when there is much work in the world that needs doing? 

He also argues that the Western tradition provides more than enough material to master, without trying to seek wisdom elsewhere. He suggests we narrow our minds, rather than broaden them. Otherwise we are at risk of our brains dissolving into a New Age soup of no nutritive value. Although his point is well made, he forgets that some major Western philosophers, like Schopenhauer, found great value in Buddhism. So if some, like me, find some meaningful activities in the Buddhist tradition, surely we can narrow our minds in that direction. We can ignore some minor Western philosophers to make room for, say, Nagarjuna or Matthieu Ricard.

Baggini should be praised for providing illuminating sketches of several "difficult" philosophers and their thoughts on meaning. Sometimes he brings in stories form his own life, which makes them memorable. For instance, in a youthful quest for meaning, he mentions that he joined a student group to help the homeless. What he found were gushing do-gooders hindering official procedures. Also, their main motivation seemed to be to "do good to feel good." Baggini brings in Kant to help him argue that "feeling good" is far from what should be the main aim. The point is to actually do some good for people who need help, never mind how you feel. Having said that, though, Baggini (not Kant) relents a little in admitting that if people feel good, as well as doing good, they might be more motivated. 

Of course, some people find meaning in merchant banking, rather than charity work. Baggini allows such broad claims to meaning, as long as the people making them are being "authentic". In using this term Baggini flags his entry into existentialism, and he brings in more hard philosophers like Sartre and Kierkegaard, to support him. Here, as in the other discussions, he provides many references that will take people further. This includes depths like Wittgenstein's Tractatus, but extends to Monty Python's The Meaning of Life and Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Julian Baggini brings in literary greats, as well as philosophical favourites, when justifying his main points. For instance, he uses the Seagull by Anthon Chekhov very effectively when discussing authenticity and success. In this marvellous play, a young man attempts suicide after failing in the world of literature. A Buddhist might say he had placed too much investment in the world, and should meditate on success and failure thereby treating them both the same. But Baggini suggests that the playwright was being authentic in pursuing his dream of writing. Where he went wrong was in placing too much emphasis on success, and on looking good in the eyes of others. He suggests you can be an unpublished but happy writer as long as you are authentically pursuing a calling. The problem with this, and perhaps the strength of the Buddhist case, is that achieving a balance between authenticity and doing drone work is likely to lead to angst. This might need a significant amount of mental training to overcome. As in much of this book, I wished that Baggini had said more about these matters. Indeed most of the chapters in this book deserve a book length treatment. Hopefully Julian Baggini will turn his hand to writing lengthier treatises on many of these matters. 

About the Author
Julian Baggini is founding editor of The Philosopher's Magazine and writes regularly for the Guardian, Independent, and Times Educational Supplement.