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6 - The Divine One

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

Clifford Williams
Clifford Williams
Affiliation:
Trinity International University, Illinois
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Summary

Chapter 6 unpacks a main thesis of the book: believing in God can significantly enhance the meaning of life. There are four ways it can do so: with believing in God there is a larger context for meaning, one can have additional virtues and emotions, the urge to “transcend” oneself can be satisfied better, and existential boredom can be cured. The chapter ends with an “existential move”: those who do not believe in God should be distressed by the claim that their lives could be significantly enhanced if God were to exist and if they were to believe in God.

Keywords

God and the Meaning of LifeTranscending OneselfCuring Existential BoredomBelieving in God and the Meaning of LifeEnhancing the Meaning of One’s Life
Type
Chapter
Information
Religion and the Meaning of Life
An Existential Approach
 , pp. 97 - 111
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • The Divine One
  • Clifford Williams, Trinity International University, Illinois
  • Book: Religion and the Meaning of Life
  • Online publication: 23 March 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108377317.007
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  • The Divine One
  • Clifford Williams, Trinity International University, Illinois
  • Book: Religion and the Meaning of Life
  • Online publication: 23 March 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108377317.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Divine One
  • Clifford Williams, Trinity International University, Illinois
  • Book: Religion and the Meaning of Life
  • Online publication: 23 March 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108377317.007
Available formats
×