Man's Search for Meaning | Andrew Huberman and Lex Fridman 

“Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.” -Viktor Frankl

This is actually a very good answer to the unanswerable question. It made me smile. Thank you, both!

I love that this answer is raised in every podcast! Someone should make a compilation.

Lex is just an impressive man. I look up to him. Highly intelligent yet Humble, soft spoken, respectful. We need more examples like him today.

This blew me away, I feel lucky to have come across this video. Thank you both.

Great podcast Lex ! One of my favorite presenters. Really enjoy the questions you ask, the way you ask them and this was a really really awesome guest, I've watched a few with him. I love how you know when to speak and never ruin the flow of the conversation. Amazing.

I never really thought about the meaning of life until I saw my father lifeless two years ago. It rocked me to my core. I have a hard time now deciphering whether or not I should care about anything.

Fantastic book, attitude is everything, you always have the chance to choose one's own attitude, one's own way no matter what the circumstances you find yourself in.

What a wonderful answer to the 'meaning of life'. The best I have heard to date, partly because it is so practical, 'it changes in time and space'. I was always searching for the one defining answer, there is none. I can live comfortably with what you have described and can now listen to people like Neil Tyson Degrasse and not feel totally insignificant in the immense galaxy before us, or at least enjoy the slide up and back! Thank you for this gift.

What a wonderful mind to listen to

Lex, you have a great intuition for choosing guests and topics.

Thank you so much for the beautiful answer!

Wow!! Amazing answer! Brought so much clarity! Unbelievable

I've never heard it said like that before, but I can relate for sure. Great answer!

I really loved this, it's a wonderful way of putting it.

"The dance of dilation and contraction of meaning" - what a succinct way to look about what is essentially all life.

It's so amazing how you can make this.....make sense. Love it

Good clip. I find his idea of a "space-time bubble" helpful. Sometimes, perhaps most times, a crisis might be inflated within the mind because a person's space-time bubble has become too small. An event or experience becomes too imbued with meaning because of its immediacy. I think many suicides occur due to a person's inability to manage their sense of perspective.

I love your answer, Andrew! It gives me great peace to hear another person voice the belief that I have regarding finding meaning. There is meaning in a time and space. But that time and space changes as do the meanings. Knowing that, opens up limitless meanings in one’s lifetime. And the capacity to carry those meanings with you after they no longer are relevant in your current space, simply because of the respect of what the meaning was during its time. Similar to carrying a respectful memory of a failed marriage/relationship in high regard for what it was at that given point in time. Life continually changes :)

I needed this, thanks

Very well said!

I've been going up and down that ladder all my life. What a beautiful way of explaining this perspective

"That which does not kill me, makes me stronger" -Nietzsche "Man's search for meaning" is a book dear to me. It is a must-read.

Excellent words!

This really is a very beautiful answer to this question.

Really interesting take!

Man I've loved that book for so long. Really need to reread it.

The answer was deeply profound. Meaning is what you make you it essentially. I think i will live with this realization from this moment forward. Thank you

What a wonderful answer.

Well done! An great articulation of where I have also ended up. With some rock climbing and Zen Buddhist influence :)

What a great visual answer! Thanks, Andrew & Lex for the question.

Lex is a human treasure.

Excellent answer, which can be understood. I will zoom out now from writing, and prepare for another snowstorm.

Loved this book, Man’s Search for Meaning. Saw Victor Frankel at my university years back where he spoke. It was fascinating. Suffolk University.

I have to watch the full interview with Andrew. Love everyone of these clips. The 'staircase' is a wonderful conceptualization of pondering the meaning of existence. On a micro level this is my world of computer science or IT application building. I manage this from task to task. Into the minutiae of syntax and object element values then out to the interrelations and flows of connected puzzle pieces. One of the most valued gifts bestowed through the mind/brain to human beings .

The last remaining freedom is always our ability to choose,no matter what . A great way to explain how to live in the moment

The Meaning of life is to Enjoy ourselves! Simple as that, think about it.

this is the best anwser ive seen for the question in all episodes i've watched

One of the best clips in the internet

That's was the best answer I've ever heard to that question.

deeply fascinating and an unexpected answer. Andrew Huberman is a deep fella. (as well as Lex, of course)

Really good

I always struggle to find balance between this two extremes. It’s exhausting. Now I’m liking this back and forth trip on the staircase ideas.

A Question to Self: What is the purpose of life? We hear that question asked a lot. After a short thought or two, many will answer with something like “to find happiness”, “enjoy what life has to offer”, or “to raise a family”. These things and similar pursuits, are all fine and dandy. But is that really the PURPOSE of life? And what if the answers go a bit deeper? Do we get closer to a real purpose? Perhaps we are all living to: “serve others”, or deeper still, to “train our souls through the trials and tribulations of 3rd dimensional reality”. Ok so… then what? Our purpose then is to exist for entities/in dimensions other than our own? Seems like a definitional contradiction of ‘being’. To us: we wake up everyday. Spend time putting food and water into our bodies, exercising, and sleeping - so we can continue waking up. Repeat. We spend most of our time doing some kind of productive activity, that creates some amount of value for others (so that they can continue waking up), and receive resources in return - so that we can provide the things we need for our own sustained survival. Along the way, many of us choose to reproduce, bringing a new soul onto earth, so that it may experience this circuitous routine for daily survival. Interesting that these souls, in their human form, (usually) look and act a lot like us… Is this just a significant and lasting stroke to our ever present egos? Or something we do to ‘kill time’? Or could it be something our society ‘forces’ upon us? Subconsciously, subliminally? Then one day, we all die. And our children follow in our footsteps. In the cycle of human existence. With the purpose of…? Maybe our purpose is to ‘explore’ our physical reality? Visit space times other than the one we were born into? Colonize other revolving rocks in the infinite universe and… repeat the circuitous cycle of breathing, sleeping, dreaming. What if our purpose is “spiritual and physical ascension”? A kind of escape from quite literally, the world as we’ve known it to be? A return to our true home, in a place where there is no time, no space, only energy and love? Yes, that must be the purpose of life… to escape life as we know it. To transcend all that is; to exist in the ether; to be nothing, and everything, at the same time. Now. Get back to work.

Fascinating discussion, thanks! It reminds me how some people are petty, whereas others have broader mental scope.

This man is extremely inspiring

Life is not done with you yet lex keep it moving!

Fascinating

Beautiful. It's all about being present by way of taking the obstacles/challenges you face and trying to see the light in them. Be present by integrating that awareness and you will learn to be content- which is the true source of happiness. Develop perspective and hold yourself accountable through this journey of life. Be in control of your dopamine pathways by tapping into your parasympathetic nervous system via mindfulness. Take integrate this intrinsic ownership into your experiences and in that, you will find the beauty of life and who "you" are. much love

Never thought about it like that

The question of "the meaning of life" continues to be plagued by equivocation, especially the word "meaning." It can mean intent/purpose, value, definition. For most people I get the sense that when they're asking about the meaning of life they're implying there is some purpose or destiny to be discovered. I like that Andrew has focused on the value aspect of meaning in his response. But I still believe the better question is: What does it mean to be human?

You can tell Andrew really clung to dilating and contracting of meaning demonstrated in Frankl's book when he reflects on what his meaning was in the camp (waiting for the next meal, trying to not fall out of line) to his meaning as he lectured on his experience in a clean, comfy University lecture all.

I read this book. It’s a good one, no doubt. At times…it is explosively poignant, really. You just can’t help but feel for those captured souls whose subjected to inhumane conditions and cruelty.

I think about huberman's take on Man's search for meaning constantly and their is nothing I can agree with more, the way at which we view the world is based off the frame we view it by. I struggled with the prospect of if life is meanless or so incredibly full of beauty and meaning and for the most part life is what you make out of it

Listening to this while looking out at some yellow-blue contrast in the sky.

A very important and thoughtful response to an eternal question. Thank you. Charlie Munger also answered this question: Knowing that in the end we don’t win, we still have to make this time here matter [paraphrased].

woah! that's a beautiful answer.

I truly want to meet Dr. Huberman in the flesh before I die.. Meeting Lex would be pretty cool too.. but my heart is privy to Dr. Huberman..

Thanks for the video! Frankl was such a powerful & introspective person - I reference him in the last video my channel on overcoming racism! I hope videos like ours inspire people out there.

This was beautiful

We must look for meaning in the right place. When we find it, we have a life that belongs to us.

Life is a Near-death experience and it comes Nearer Each passing time.

Meaning is relative. Brilliant.

Great response - I really respect both of these great minds, but want to offer this: As Dr. Frankl taught, there are many ways to discover meaning in life, but "self-transcendence" - rising above ourselves in service of others or a cause greater than ourselves, is one of the 'highest' paths to meaning. Or, as he said, "the meaning of my life is to help others discover meaning" - much like Lex & Dr. Huberman do here.

amazing

wonderful

We are to give life meaning individually and collectively

One of THE greatest books I've ever read

Bravo Andrew!!!!!!!!

It makes sense.

My take on this subject is: To simply find connection to the source (or core) of who we are - to go across or beyond the time-space continuum. Wether mind-body, brain- heart, concept-intuition, or science-religion, such paradoxical states may be transcended (or resolved) by coming up with wisdom, compassion or awakened state (of as-it-isness). So, no more argument/ conflict is there... So, what is the meaning? One may say that is in the subjective experience of being as it is. Do I have a connection to the source always? Not really. Or I may say, it comes and goes. (So, this may be possibly similar to what Prof. Huberman mentioned here. Why? Because it is a subjective experience -- of absolute affirmation.)

Blessings

This is beautiful

Interesting perspective. My way of expressing it is that there is not one "me", but many, so there can't be just one meaning for life. Inside us "we are legion": multiple genes, multiple memes -in Dawkins sense-, multiple organs, multiple mind structures, each one with their goals and frustrations. Anyone with little meditation training can feel "I am" the sufferer, the dictator, the actor, or the space where all of that happens, or even the universe itself. And no "me" is truer or more important than the other. So managing oneself feels to me more like being a coach of a team than anything else. Even so, emergence of life is proof that there is an overarching direction in the universe towards "increase posibilities + minimize energy/suffering", that proudly rebels against the default relaxation into entropy, a directon that walks towards "The Mystery", the unknown potential, rather than the well known future of just letting go in the hands of entropy which is plain death. So when confronted between the known and certain death, or the effort of keeping up to see if The Mystery have some hidden surprise in the sleeve, I'd try to listen to Trinity in the car talking to Neo "You know that road, you know exactly where it ends, and I know it's not where you want to be".

Do something that you know you're good at in order to feel useful (not necessarily your passion)

I like looking at things in a more simple way. As for the meaning of life, it is just to live.

“Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man” -Ecclesiastes

A lot of people when asked about the meaning of life respond instead to the question of "how can I feel life is meaningful". The meaning of life, or another way to put it, the purpose of life, exists even if you do not experience it. It is like asking what is the objective of chess. There is a clear answer to that, even if you can actually find meaning in losing the game or doing crazy moves just for the fun of it. Similarly, you can find meaning in life in almost anything, but that does not mean that your actions are aligned with the ultimate purpose and meaning of life itself. One way to come closer to answer that, is to ask yourself, what will have value when you die, and what has true value even now.

The dance of dilation and contraction. What a beautiful idea.

It’s the wrong question. The better question is the purpose of life? To serve God and serve others. Only that will bring meaning❤

Emerson... sometimes theres just no more room at the inn

Lex from the future growing a beard can't trick me.

Thank you friends.

Life has no meaning We give meaning in life Viktor Frankl

Beautiful

The allegory of moving up and down the staircase is reminiscent of Jacob's dream of angels going up and down the staircase in the point of his life where everything was falling apart

3:50

I Wouldve like to hear Yaron Brooks opinion to Victor Frankel

It's a juggle not a constant and it evolves/devolves with you. So quit feeling guilty about not realizing your goals when you were younger because you haven't fully realized your goals for your future self now either

Although it is an interesting answer I don't think it matches well with Frankl's philosophy. He thought about meaning of life more as our responsibility to answer the lifes questions (problems, events, conversations) on a daily (if not hourly) basis and look for meaning in them despite our initial judgment of them; and not as shifting our attention up and down some imaginary staircase of being.

There isnt one meaning, all of us find purpose through whatever gives us enthusiasm to wake up everyday which gives us meaning to our lives

The essential new idea is that the purpose of life is the creation of consciousness. - E. Edinger, Creation of Consciousness, Page 17

Our Professors loved this book probably because some were Jewish. It was an interesting read. Personally loved Jared Diamonds Collapse and Our Inner Ape by Frans De Waal. Evolution for everyone was dope too!

interesting

Nice

The best answer to this question I have heard so far.

What d name of book

My personal take on nihilism is that it's akin to wanting to watch a movie or TV program, but then after searching many hours through all the choices -- nothing catching your fancy -- instead, now, you just get pissed off, claim that there isn't anything at all on, and end up watching nothing, then. As is life, and humanity's experience, given far too many choices!

“Pale blue dot thing” 😂 any Physicist here?

I know what the meaning of life is , for me..