An Investigation of the Meaningfulness of Life from the Perspective of Molla-Sadra and Kierkegaard

One of the main factors regarded in the definition of the meaningfulness of life among the presented definitions, is being purposeful. Being unaware of this purpose and consequently lack of a schedule to reach to this purpose has made some human pessimist and has made them feel absurd. Among Islamic thinkers, Molla-Sadra who has grown in the school of Islam, has presented a system in which the relation between human and the origin and the world is well explained. Inspired from religious teachings, there is a kind of connection, in the transcendental theosophy, between human, God and the existence in which the main factor which creates this connection is that God is the final purpose and destination. A correct understanding of this meaningful relation and putting a great effort in this regard, is the key of meaningfulness of human's life in Sadra's thought. The founder of the school of existentialism, S. Kierkegaard (1855- 1813), is also one of the Christian thinkers who seek for a noble destination and purpose for life inside Christianity. Having a critical approach to the present Christianity and criticizing the method of rationality in the field of religion, he tries to achieve a meaningful life; this is because he believes religion is superior compared with reason and human may achieve a noble and meaningful life only when he realizes his special 'existence' through an inward course. He believes option is inevitable for human because he is in authority and is a free creature. Therefore he elaborates the different steps of life to introduce a noble and meaningful life. Kierkegaard believes a meaningful life is equivalent with a religious and faithful life and considers achieving enthusiastic faith of God as the main condition of a meaningful life. In this article I have tried to present a comparative study of the perspectives of the two Muslim and Christian thinkers regarding human and meaningfulness of his life.