The Transcension Project

“You know, if it weren’t for Earth’s beauty- the birds-flowers-trees- I would never go back. It’s too much trouble.” (Newton, 1994, p. 46) This was the philosophical view of earthly existence for Dr. Michael Newton. For centuries, philosophers have had a long-lived debate over the meaning of life. From Camus’s belief that life has no inherent meaning to quantum physicist David Bohm’s blossoming proof of predeterminism, the one thing in common between all viewpoints and opinions is that they do not know for sure. No one knows- but perhaps this is the entire point. As life has no inherent meaning, we are allowed to discover many different ways that humans have found their meaning. These include the absurd, reincarnation, karmic purposes, and lastly, quantum physics and its ties to the metaphysics of life’s meaning. 

Philosophers such as Albert Camus reject metaphysics and believe that life has no inherent meaning. Instead, he teaches that we must embrace what is known as the absurd. The absurd is the idea that we sense that there is a meaning, yet the universe provides none.  Is this because there is no meaning, or because we are not meant to know it? Camus believes that we should not be frightened by existence’s meaninglessness, but that we must embrace the freedom and opportunities that this meaninglessness offers. In a way, this meaninglessness is the meaning. We must imagine a world in which we knew all there was to know. We have our truths, and we know our purpose. We know whether we live in a finite or infinite existence. We know whether we have only a short amount of time or forever. If we knew we lived forever, we might not live with such gratitude. We may not see the world with grateful eyes that see its temporary beauty. Everything would just simply be, but this is no way to live, for these questions of the absurd are what give us our meaning.  By embracing the absurd, we acknowledge that life is purely a mystery. Why we are here is a mystery- where we go is a mystery- and where we came from is a mystery. This should not frighten us- it should give us the motivation to make the most of what we have been given. To embrace the beautiful mountains of the earth, the friendships and relationships we may form, and even the pain we may endure. Human life may not always be the best, and it certainly may not always go smoothly, but there is one constant that eternally remains: we are alive, and that is a blessing in itself. Yes, we don’t know why. But we don’t have to know why we are here to live a meaningful life, and this is exactly what Camus’s absurdity teaches. We must not live according to faith in a higher power, as that calls for inauthenticity. Absurdity, especially when linked to Camus, is aligned with atheist and agnostic beliefs. It is the idea that we are in full control and that we live for no one but ourselves. Religion and spiritual beliefs may disagree with the absurd as the meaning of life, but they can still coexist with one: reincarnation. 

In Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as general spirituality, reincarnation is known as the idea that our soul has lived before, and will live again. With these religious and spiritual teachings most often telling us that our reincarnations are karmic, meaning that our lives are predetermined, the great debate stands regarding free will vs predeterminism. If reincarnation and predeterminism are true, are we still free to be the creators of our meaning, just as Camus believed? Spiritual pioneers and researchers such as Dr. Michael Newton held the philosophy that the meaning of life is linked with reincarnation. He teaches that we do have meaning and purpose, but that our specific purpose is different for every human in every incarnation. He believes we cannot become the best version of ourselves until we have experienced all that there is to experience. We must be harmed- but we must also be the ones to harm. We cannot truly grow as souls until we have experienced it all. Reincarnation and predeterminism go against many major religions, such as Christianity,  as they believe that the meaning of life is to live according to God’s will, in hopes of attaining eternal life in heaven. This goes against both Camus’s absurdity, as well as reincarnation and Hindu or Buddhist beliefs, as Camus rejects the idea of living according to a higher power, and Hindus and Buddhists believe that we live multiple lives, instead of one eternal heavenly life. However, once again, the truth remains- all of these have one thing in common: they provide some form of meaning.  Even further in truth, we are still left with no concrete answer. With religion, spirituality, and philosophy providing no concrete proof of an inherent meaning to life, we must turn to scientific philosophy.

In quantum physics, Niels Bohr of the Copenhagen Interpretation believed that the quantum mathematical ‘limit’ where we can no longer go any further is exactly that: a limit. Bohr rejected metaphysics, as he believed that we can only talk about what we can observe. On the other hand, we have David Bohm of Bohmian Mechanics. Bohm believes that this limit is not the end, but the beginning of something new. Bohm believes that we must approach these questions of what lies beyond the limit from a different view, a nonphysical one. We must look for a deeper, hidden order. Or, a deeper, hidden meaning. Dr. Michael Newton once said, “We cannot define the soul in a physical way because to do so would establish limits on something that seems to have none.” (Newton, 2000, p. 85)  It cannot be defined with earthly words, and most certainly cannot be defined by quantum equations. Science attempts to answer metaphysical questions with physical answers, hence Bohr’s stubborn point of view on accepting metaphysics, and going beyond the ‘limit’ of what can be physically observed. The soul and the meaning of existence are titled ‘unknowable’ by the scientific world, just as it is in the philosophical world. Bohr’s view on the limit may seem stubborn and close-minded to the idea that there is something metaphysical beyond, but he believes that his unknowing of what lies beyond the limit is what gave his life beauty. This was his meaning. Bohr’s meaning was the absurd- the disconnect between human intuition of purpose, and the silence of the universe in answers. The finite existence in which we all live.  Bohmian Mechanics introduces the idea of the ‘Pilot Wave’. Through experimentation, he discovered that it seems that particles follow this first Pilot Wave. There is one beginning Pilot wave, in which all particles follow for their entire existence. Bohm is all about the implicate order, and that there is a deeper hidden meaning to life, as well as to the world of quantum physics and the way things work on the atomic scale. He believes that it is all hidden for a reason, and that we should not overlook this as Bohr did. Bohm believes that the meaning of life is to acknowledge the beautiful and eternal interconnectedness of everything that has ever existed. Bohm’s quantum physics theories and experiments support predeterminism and that we do have inherent meaning. It shows that we do not assign meaning to life, but because it is simply woven into the very nature of human physical existence. 

In this essay, we explored all the different interpretations of the meaning of life. From Camus’ absurdity to David Bohm’s quantum determinism, we can see that there truly is no one inherent meaning to life. We can theorize religions and spiritual beliefs, we can analyze philosophical beliefs, or even interpret quantum physics, but we are still left with no fixed answer. This is exactly the point. There is no answer- and there will never be an answer, for it is up to us to interpret. Perhaps existence was built this way- whether it be by simple biology and atheism, spirituality and ‘The Source’, or religion and God. I can say that the meaning of life is to be interpreted however by whoever, but that does not make it the ultimate truth; it is my truth. My purpose in life has been built upon predeterministic ideas of reincarnation and spirituality, while managing to coexist with the absurd. I can believe in reincarnation all that I want- but we will never know the truth, and that is beautiful. My interpretation of the meaning of life is the awareness that it is finite. It may begin again through reincarnation, but it also may not. The uncertainty, the mystery, and the unknowable questions are what have given me my purpose and my passion. 

References

Faye, J. (2024, May 31). Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-copenhagen/ 

Goldstein, S. (2021, June 14). Bohmian Mechanics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-bohm/ 

Newton, M. (2024a). Journey of souls: Case studies of life between lives. Llewellyn Publications. Newton, M. (2012). Destiny of souls: New case studies of life between lives. Llewellyn Publications.