A Comparative Study of the Views and Theories of Professor Morteza Motahhari and John Cottingham Concerning the Meaning of Life

This study descriptively and analytically examines and compares the meaning of life from the perspectives of Professor Morteza Motahhari and John Cottingham. Motahhari, rejecting nihilistic approaches, defines the meaning of life in relation to God and as a conscious and voluntary movement toward divine proximity. In contrast, John Cottingham, while emphasizing the importance of religion, stresses the central role of personal experience, continuous questioning, critical reflection, and recognition of individual values in the process of finding meaning. The study shows that, despite differences in their intellectual foundations and methodologies, both thinkers emphasize the spiritual and moral dimensions of a meaningful life and strongly reject absolute meaninglessness and nihilism. Motahhari, however, adopts a deeply teleological and God-centered approach, locating meaning in an objective, fixed, and universal goal—God—whereas Cottingham, with an existential and partly relativistic approach, emphasizes the more personal, dynamic, experiential, and chosen dimensions of meaning. These differences arise from fundamental differences in the philosophical, religious, anthropological, and epistemological foundations of the two thinkers. The findings can contribute to a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the concept of the meaning of life and present different ways of making life meaningful from diverse philosophical and religious perspectives.



This integrated perspective describes a human being who needs a transcendent origin while also playing an active and responsible role in shaping a meaningful life; a person who seeks absolute truth while navigating relative realities and personal experiences in order to give life direction and purpose. Such an approach can provide a richer and more practical response to the diverse needs of contemporary human beings in their search for meaning.

The study is, in fact, an invitation to reflect on different sources of wisdom for building a more meaningful life in today's complex world