Summary of Man's Search for Meaning

"Man's Search for Meaning" is about the experiences and philosophy of Viktor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor. As a psychiatrist who endured many atrocities, he uses his observations in the camp to claim that life remains meaningful and worthwhile even under the most extreme circumstances. As we have freedom, not in conditions of life, but in how we respond to life, we get to choose to become a saint or a swine, not as the effect of the environment, but because of our freedom to choose. One's attitude is the ultimate liberty that cannot be taken away from us, and what makes life meaningful under the most extreme circumstances.

His answer to the famous question of "life's meaning" is similar to that of Tolstoy's famous 'Three Questions' story. Just like a chess game that has no best move in general, but a best move at every moment, so does life. The best thing we can do, and the meaning of our life is determined by the moment we are facing now and how we decide to respond to life's circumstances. Therefore, it is not that we ask what's the meaning of life, but that we get to know what life asks of us, and whether we wish to endure hardships and live it with much dignity.

He claims that human life usually derives its meaning from one of these:

1. Being creative and actually creating something, such as authoring a book
2. Interpersonal relationships, like the joy of seeing one's child, or loving another person
3. While the most important thing is to be creative and change the root cause of our suffering, if need be, just facing an unchangeable hardship with great dignity and courage, learning to change ourselves and grow spiritually as a result is a worthy meaning.

As a result, life remains valuable in all circumstances, and we can "say yes to life, in spite of everything". One reason that every life is valuable and meaningful is that we don't know everything. He points out that since we do not know everything about this world, there might be a supermeaning to our life, a meaning beyond our comprehension. Therefore, we must try our best at all times.

He also warns against trying to live in the past. While one can do so in moderation, doing so excessively may cause us to lose sight of the opportunity of growth that is in front of us. Every difficulty is a chance to test our inner strength and a chance to grow and reach inner triumph. It is of utmost importance that we believe (a belief, a kind of faith as William James would put it) in the future. "The prisoner who had lost faith in the future—his future—was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay."

Frankl believes that human's main concern is not to seek pleasure or avoid pain, but to see a meaning in one's life. He reports that it wasn't the bulky men who survived at the end, but those who had a goal beyond themselves such as writing a book only they could write, or seeing their children again.

That is why people sometimes even choose to suffer. And it is how one can restore a man’s inner strength in the camp, by showing him some future goal. Nietzsche’s words, “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how,” could be the guiding motto for all psychotherapeutic and psychohygienic efforts regarding prisoners. Whenever there was an opportunity for it, one had to give them a why—an aim—for their lives, in order to strengthen them to bear the terrible how of their existence. Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on. He was soon lost. The typical reply with which such a man rejected all encouraging arguments was, “I have nothing to expect from life any more.” What sort of answer can one give to that?

What was really needed was a fundamental change in our attitude toward life. We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual."

Frankl's philosophy extends beyond the camps. Jerry Long is another logotherapist. He, a quadriplegic who became a university professor, says:

Once, after speaking to a large audience, I was asked if I ever felt sad because I could no longer walk. I replied, "Professor Frankl can hardly see, I cannot walk at all, and many of you can hardly cope with life. What is crucial to remember is this - We don't need just our eyes, just our legs, or just our minds. All we need are the wings of our souls and together we can fly.

Reading this book I think I found my answer to a question I have had for a long time. While people are equal and cannot be compared due to different circumstances, ceteris paribus, what makes another person better than the other? "It is a question of the attitude one takes toward life’s challenges and opportunities, both large and small." People should be an active designer of their life story by making good decisions in every single moment of their life, determining how they want their life to look like.