A Critical Analysis of Naturalist Anthropological Foundations in the Meaning of Life

Naturalist views are among the common views regarding the meaning of life which analyze and justify the problem in two approaches, i.e., internal and external approaches. The most important point in this view is its special intellectual bases about human which have driven naturalists towards this approach. This study investigates and criticizes the anthropological foundations of naturalists regarding the meaning of life that mostly have a humanistic approach. Our method of criticism was using religious anthropological bases with regard to the attitude of Ahl ul-Bayt. Spontaneous creation of man in the nature, denial of the spiritual dimension, lack of planning for the life of human and the absolute freedom of human are among the issues causing the failure of naturalists in presenting a proper meaning for life. In contrast, according to the views of Ahl ul-Bayt, human beings are created by a wise creator who has both goals and plans for their lives. Utilizing freedom, authority and divine nature, human beings can apply this goal to their lives and give meaning to them.