...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!
The Meaning of Life
- 115 statements
- 21 feature instances
- 24 referencing feature instances
| The Meaning of Life | type |
FeatureClass | |
| The Meaning of Life | label |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life | page |
themeaningoflife | |
| The Meaning of Life | comment |
What is the meaning of life? Is it to create? To discover? Or is it to feel pleasure? Or to live an exciting and fulfilling life? Or is it to be pure and righteous to prepare oneself for the afterlife? Or is there no reason? Is the point of life just to live? Or to perpetuate as many of one's own genes as possible? Somehow, we're looking for it. Or is it 42? For the most part, there is no set in stone answer, and you could argue this with professors, colleagues, and internet-dwellers for hours. But in some works, a Meaning of Life is set in stone, whether it's by God or simply by the people living. Of course, this can also be parodied with a Godly Sidestep. Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_content_3'); })Shows up commonly in stories with some form of Enlightenment Superpower, Ki or Right Makes Might; all of which provide a reward system for finding the correct meaning to life. Frequently, this is made into An Aesop. Just as often, it's also an Author Tract (the author giving opinion on what the meaning of live is through his work). Related to the Straw Nihilist, who believes life has no meaning, and the Anti-Nihilist, who believes that you can give life whatever meaning you want. See also Japanese Spirit and Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence. Compare and contrast Goal in Life. Not to be confused with that movie where the fat guy explodes. |
|
| The Meaning of Life | fetched |
2018-10-12T02:14:29Z | |
| The Meaning of Life | parsed |
2020-06-25T17:29:47Z | |
| The Meaning of Life | processingComment |
Dropped link to BaitAndSwitch: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| The Meaning of Life | processingComment |
Dropped link to ColdOpen: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| The Meaning of Life | processingComment |
Dropped link to TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy: Not an Item - IGNORE | |
| The Meaning of Life | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_261c8d3f | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_261c8d3f | comment |
The Simpsons: In "Homer the Heretic" Homer dreams he's up in Heaven with God. After which God proceeds to tell him "The secret of life is..." and the end credits start to play. |
|
| The Meaning of Life / int_261c8d3f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_261c8d3f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Simpsons | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_261c8d3f | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_44e0b783 | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_44e0b783 | comment |
Garfield: Jon and Garfield wonder about it sometimes. The September 9, 2014 strip has Garfield ask Odie to demonstrate it, which he does by falling asleep on his feet (which Garfield approves of); similarly, the January 11, 2017 strip has Garfield ask him to "fetch the meaning of life", and is very happy when Odie brings him Garfield's teddy bear Pooky. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_44e0b783 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_44e0b783 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Garfield (Comic Strip) | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_44e0b783 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_4c99197e | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_4c99197e | comment |
A "Pigs in Space" skit on The Muppet Show features the Swinetrek approaching the edge of the Universe, beyond which lies The Meaning of Life. Unfortunately, it's interrupted by a Muppet News Flash to announce that they're close to discovering The Meaning of Life. When we return to the sketch it's over, and the crew missed it as well (It was lunchtime, and apparently swill stroganoff is more important than the Meaning of Life). The narrator then reveals that he saw it, but when pressed further he chants "I know something you don't know!" | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_4c99197e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_4c99197e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Muppet Show | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_4c99197e | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_5cfb879b | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_5cfb879b | comment |
Inverted in the world of the New Gods by the Anti-Life equation, which (Depending on the Writer) basically proves that life has no meaning. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_5cfb879b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_5cfb879b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| New Gods (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_5cfb879b | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_70814599 | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_70814599 | comment |
The Replicators of Stargate SG-1 found the question very easy. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_70814599 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_70814599 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| StargateSG1 | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_70814599 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_92844ddb | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_92844ddb | comment |
In the Dinosaurs episode "The Greatest Story Ever Sold", Baby starts asking how and why all dinosaurs exist. Since this is the first time this question was ever asked, it sends all of Pangaea into a state of panic since no one knows the answer. The Council of Elders ends up creating a new cult to give cheap easy answers so that everyone will get back to work. The cult: Potatoism. Robbie is the only one who doesn't buy into it. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_92844ddb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_92844ddb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dinosaurs | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_92844ddb | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a183d57f | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a183d57f | comment |
In Futurama, while Fry, Bender and The Professor are watching the universe end. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a183d57f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a183d57f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Futurama | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_a183d57f | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a4420d22 | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a4420d22 | comment |
In The Venture Bros. while 21 is talking to the ghost of 24. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a4420d22 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a4420d22 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Venture Bros. | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_a4420d22 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a5f98cbf | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a5f98cbf | comment |
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life says this about the meaning of life. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a5f98cbf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a5f98cbf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Monty Python's The Meaning of Life | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_a5f98cbf | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a7a0b48b | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a7a0b48b | comment |
One of the main themes of NieR: Automata revolves around the philosophical concept of existentialism, and explores the overwhelming despair that accompanies self-consciousness in the face of an absurd and seemingly meaningless world. It's also about accepting that meaninglessness, choosing to emphasize the importance of constructing one's own meaning, rather than succumbing to despair and living in Bad Faith. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a7a0b48b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a7a0b48b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| NieR: Automata / Videogame | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_a7a0b48b | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a8e4ca16 | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a8e4ca16 | comment |
Subverted on Step by Step. J.T, Dana, Karen, and Cody try to see who can go without sleep the longest. Somehow, Cody becomes smarter as a result and has several epiphanies. At the end of the episode, J.T, Dana, and Karen all finally pass out and Cody suddenly realizes the meaning of life. He's about to state it when he passes out too. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a8e4ca16 | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_a8e4ca16 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Step by Step | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_a8e4ca16 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b2ac2311 | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b2ac2311 | comment |
Peanuts: | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b2ac2311 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b2ac2311 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Peanuts (Comic Strip) | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_b2ac2311 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b3a0ec29 | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b3a0ec29 | comment |
Discussed in Book of Ecclesiastes. The author of the book (believed to be King Solomon) laments about the meaning of life, but he finds them vanity. However, he eventually comes to this conclusion: | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b3a0ec29 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b3a0ec29 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Book of Ecclesiastes | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_b3a0ec29 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b9cc7496 | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b9cc7496 | comment |
Bethany asks the question when she meets God at the end of Dogma. God responds by tweaking her nose. This can be interpreted as either a polite snub or an answer to the effect that the point of life is to be silly and enjoy yourself. Bear in mind that God's voice would cause any mortal's head to explode, so there's a limited range of responses in this case. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b9cc7496 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_b9cc7496 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dogma | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_b9cc7496 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_bb7d6a95 | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_bb7d6a95 | comment |
In one episode of Duckman, Duckman dies and meets God, who before sending him back to Earth gives him an Etch-A-Sketch. Duckman is angry about getting such a lame gift, until God tells him that it has the Meaning of Life written on it. By then, however, Duckman's angry gesticulating had erased it completely. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_bb7d6a95 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_bb7d6a95 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Duckman | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_bb7d6a95 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_bb8d2f1a | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_bb8d2f1a | comment |
In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a machine is fed information to calculate the meaning of life. The answer? 42. The computer then goes on to point out that the problem is that no one really knows what the Ultimate Question is, and decides to design a computer to calculate that. Unfortunately, that computer was the Earth, which the Vogons destroyed at the beginning of the first book. Arthur and Ford eventually figure out what the Ultimate Question is: "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?" Note that six times nine doesn't even make 42. |
|
| The Meaning of Life / int_bb8d2f1a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_bb8d2f1a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_bb8d2f1a | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_c3c1f1d2 | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_c3c1f1d2 | comment |
Near the end of The Matrix Revolutions, Agent Smith lectures Neo. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_c3c1f1d2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_c3c1f1d2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Matrix Revolutions | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_c3c1f1d2 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_c90faa8c | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_c90faa8c | comment |
Subverted in Hägar the Horrible. We see the old wise man sitting on his mountaintop meditating. Suddenly, he has an epiphany. He stands up and announces "The meaning of life is..." He's interrupted by a loud buzzer and a voice from the sky says "I'm sorry. Your answer must be phrased in the form of a question.'' | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_c90faa8c | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_c90faa8c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Hägar the Horrible (Comic Strip) | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_c90faa8c | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_ecc8f1de | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_ecc8f1de | comment |
In The Left Hand of Darkness, it is mentioned that some person once asked a group of seers "what's the meaning of life". Some seers went mad, some died, one killed the guy who asked the question, and the leader went on to found his own religion, claiming that during his attempts, he saw everything that was, is and shall be. No answer to the original question was ever provided. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_ecc8f1de | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_ecc8f1de | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Left Hand of Darkness | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_ecc8f1de | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_fa49fd7a | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_fa49fd7a | comment |
In Oracle of Tao, the meaning of life is defined twice. First, it's defined as bonds to nature, family, and love (but this is part of some religion). And then later, someone asks as a test what the meaning of life truly is. The answerer basically says that it's a self-defining question (as in the meaning of life is "the meaning of life", that is to say what life means to you is the meaning of life, making it a personal question). | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_fa49fd7a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_fa49fd7a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Oracle of Tao (Video Game) | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_fa49fd7a | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_ff9ab17f | type |
The Meaning of Life | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_ff9ab17f | comment |
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Offspring," the android Data constructs a "daughter" named Lal who asks him what her purpose or function is. He replies that it is to "contribute in a positive way to the world in which they live." This just raises further questions. | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_ff9ab17f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| The Meaning of Life / int_ff9ab17f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation | hasFeature |
The Meaning of Life / int_ff9ab17f |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.