Victor E. Frankl Writes of the Meaning and Purpose of Life and Humanity
Victor E. Frankl is known both as an internationally famouspsychiatrist, and as the author of Man's Search for Meaning, noted as oneof the top 10 influential books in America by a Library of Congress survey. Frankl's work has been widely read, and 151 books have been publishedabout Frankl and his work in 15 different languages. He had received 29Honorary Doctorates, and lectured at 209 universities. He passed away in Man's Search for Meaning starts with a deeply descriptive look atFrankl's five-year imprisonment in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentrationcamps. The second section of his work is a detailed description oflogotherapy, the psychotherapeutic model developed by Frankl. He sees thehuman desire for meaning and purpose in life as the fundamental drivingforce of humanity. In Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl manages tosuccessfully marry an abstract psychological theory with a deeply human, Frankl's fundamental tenets of existentialism focus closely on the"will to meaning", which is simply humankind's need to find purpose andmeaning in life. Frankl sees humankind's basic underlying motivation in
As such, Franklclearly considers existentialism to be valuable to the quest for wisdom. It is through the creation of this meaning that man can experience wisdomand understanding. In Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl provides a great deal of understandingand inspiration for those seeking to find wisdom in their lives, but haslittle practical advice In short, while Frankl's views are useful inunderstanding what we need to be happy and find wisdom, they do little toserve as a practical guide to finding that wisdom. In conclusion, Frankl argues that man's experience of a good andhappy life lies directly upon his capability to create meaning in his life. " Here, Franklreveals that spiritual freedom is obtained through love. It seemssomewhat obvious to argue that we are responsible for our own happiness. UnlikeFreud, who saw man's basic desires as sexual and physical urges, Frankl sawman's basic need as a search for meaning in life. to live a purposeful and meaningful life. In essence, Frankl says that aperson is responsible for their own happiness, and can create happinessthrough developing meaning in their life, or succumb to depression byfailing to create meaning. Frankl writes, "A thought transfixed me: for the first time in mylife I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed asthe final wisdom by so many thinkers. Logotherapy is essentially a deeply personalexperience that suggests that personal wisdom can be found throughintrospection and creating meaning in life. Ultimately, Man's Search for Meaning provides afundamental understanding of the human need for meaning and purpose inlife, but offers little in terms of practical guidance in achieving meaningand purpose. Frankl embracesindividual freedom, the subjective understanding of life, and individualityin his discussions about the purpose and meaning of life. On the other hand, the simplicity and seeming obviousness of Frankl'sassertions are an indication of the power of his views as well.
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