Heidegger and Searching for the Meaning of Life

Searching for the meaning of life has a special significance in Heidegger's thought. He, fulfilling this, first criticizes the meaning of life in modern thought and metaphysics due to their ignorance of reality of Existence. Then by emphasizing on fundamental ontology, he asks the question of reality of Existence which links with ontological analysis of human as Desein that worldhood is of his/her essential virtues. In this case, reviewing of existential virtues of human makes possible to determine the meaning of life, but Heidegger's failure in establishing foundamental ontology is caused to pass over metaphysics and appealing to thought and poem. In his thought, in poem it is possible to speak of Existence and call for sacred worlds and gods through poets. Heidegger's struggling, however, for searching the meaning of life has no satisfied result, since most of fundamental questions concerning the meaning of life which are about the place and role of God in human's life, the aim of human's life, possibility and quality of resurrection, moral values and the problem of evil, have not reasonable responses. There is only the question of human place which finds clear answer. In this paper, it is tried to study and analyze some aspects of Heidegger's thought regarding searching for the meaning of life.