The Meaning of Life
The Meaning of Life is Monty Python's third and final film, and it differs from the other two in many ways. The film's first distinguishing feature is that there are no central characters who can be followed from beginning to end (Python 3). There is no central location in the film, and the events are not presented in chronological order. The film is more of a collection of sketches, all of which are connected by the theme of human existence. The film's truth starts with a few skits about the stage of life's birth. At first, the mother gives birth and asks the gender of the baby. The doctor responds by saying that it is early to impose roles on it. The life of the main character Brian is born in the building near Jesus, and the wise men also mistake him for being Jesus. Throughout the film, Brian is mistaken for the Messiah, and in the end, he faces crucifixion, just like Christ. Brian is fated to die like the messiah since he was continuously mistaken for Jesus (Python 7). Did his place of birth seal his destiny?
Relationship with Logic
An important part of philosophy is logic, the field developed by Aristotle. There are various philosophical elements of logic represented in the film. Socrates set strong prominence on the need for examining a person's life that can be seen at the end of the "Meaning of Life." The meaning of life beyond the personal existence can be viewed in various dimensions (Jones 12). A person may have things to be sure and may be the source of significant individual satisfaction, but these seemed to fall far short of what we were expecting of the "meaning of life." There is much talk regarding life having the meaning that is bound up with the whole private experience. Based on the personal existence, the Meaning of Life is something that can be articulated as an internal monolog. It seems impossible to articulate the concept outwardly to the cogent satisfaction and dissatisfaction of the listener. In a nutshell, it seems unavoidable to see that some people have the real meaning of life and tell others what it implies and express it to the people. When a person answers the question of the meaning of life, others should be in the position to understand what he is saying and get their rational judgment about the meaning (Jones 14).
Based on Beyond the Social Existence
The meaning of life is how the communities get attached to specific meanings of existence as they discuss it with different people and developing the philosophical implications of their reasoning. But does the logic end there? And if it ends at that point, it seems that asking "Does existence get any meaning?" may seem equivalent to asking, "Do societies have shared meanings for existence?" Of course, the communities do have (Jones 16). In simpler terms to say that different communities have different meanings to existence begs the question of "What views?" Logically, it is never enough to say that different communities hold divergent views with regards to the meaning of life. Another outstanding question is whether there exists independent, objective meaning to existence, and not the recognized attribution of meaning. The implication of this would be great. For instance, bid a goodbye to the Existentialist account of the meaning of life, together with the Constructionist view, and the Cultural Relativism view (Python 44).
Conclusion
Perception vs. Reality
In a nutshell, if you haven't seen Monty Python's Meaning of Life, I am sure you do not expect the idea of Reality versus Perception. The idea is what Plato emphasizes in his philosophy that states that not all is the way it seems and the perception often fools you.
Works Cited
Jones, Terry. Jesus and Brian: exploring the historical Jesus and his times via Monty Python's Life of Brian. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015.
Python, Monty, et al. Monty Python's the meaning of life. Methuen, 1983.
