The best books for insight and ideas into the meaning of life

Ernest Becker is one of the few authors to tackle to problem of being a human being in a strange, unknown universe head on. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, The Birth and Death of Meaning covers a variety subjects that are at times uncomfortably intimate, yet also incredibly affirming, as if Becker is staring into your very soul to articulate all the things you feel yet fail to properly express. The writing is both accessible and stimulating, with some beautiful passages that are still stuck with me years after reading them.

A rather short, yet rich reading experience. Albert Camus comes right out of the gate by condensing all of philosophy to one single problem: suicide. “Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy,” he writes. Everything else comes second. He engages some of the existentialist philosophers that came before him, but distinguishes himself by avoiding to take ‘the leap of faith’. He seeks for answers in the here and now, in the things we know without having to appeal to some higher power or higher source for meaning, which makes this an excellent exploration of the meaning of life in our more secular times, while still taking the problem of existence seriously.

Viktor Frankl’s quintessential search for the meaning of life is as much defined by his logotherapy, his school of thought which proposes that what human beings desire more than anything is purpose, and his experiences in the concentration camps. As a Holocaust survivor, Frankl offers unique observations through a detailed account of witnessing humanity at its worst, which gives tremendous weight to the discussion on our search for meaning in the second half of the book. Both heartbreaking as well as uplifting, this is an essential read for everyone wanting to engage with life’s fundamental problems.

In this fundamental work of Stoic philosophy, Marcus Aurelius discusses not so much the meaning of life, as much as he offers a practical guide for engaging with it. Meditations, as well as Stoicism in general, emphasizes that life isn’t just something that needs to be pondered or engaged with intellectually, it also needs to be lived practically. And for that, Aurelius offers, in beautiful writing (personally, I recommend the George Long translation which in my opinion best preserves the books poetic qualities) useful and easily applicable tips for managing yourself in day to day life.

While at first glance this book is about disasters and how we cope with them, what Rebecca Solnit really offers here is a painfully relevant work on human nature in which she breaks down many of the false beliefs and assumptions we have about ourselves in times of calamities. Through extensive research, she argues that human beings are actually far more altruistic, communal and overall good that we give ourselves credit for, and emphasizes the importance of those beliefs as we move forward and progress as a society. A must read for anyone who desires an effective antidote to the cynicism that seems so rampant nowadays.