Critical notice Baier and Cottingham on the meaning of life

I examine two recent books by analytic philosophers that address the underexplored topic of whether the meaning of life depends on the existence of a supernatural realm including God and a soul. John Cottingham’s On the Meaning of Life defends a supernaturalist conception of life’s meaning, whereas Kurt Baier’s Problems of Life and Death defends the opposite, naturalist perspective. I show that their respective arguments are worth serious consideration, indicate some potential weaknesses in them, and suggest some other argumentative strategies that those interested in this fascinating topic might pursue elsewhere in more depth. In this article I discuss two books by important analytic philosophers that explore the neglected topic of what makes a person’s life meaningful. A central part of a book by Kurt Baier takes up this topic, and an entire book by John Cottingham does so. Although Baier’s book explores topics such as religion and morality apart from their bearing on life’s meaning, I discuss his book solely in light of what it says on this latter issue. I do this not only because this will facilitate comparison and contrast with Cottingham, but also because it is largely on meaning that Baier has something new to say (though I also recommend his discussion of the deontological do/allow distinction). Beyond subject matter, the two books share an additional commonality, namely, they both address an audience larger than just academic philosophers. Baier’s book is composed of Prometheus