Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Master's Student of Art Research, Faculty of Arts, Ferdows Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Art Research, Faculty of Arts, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The meaning of life is a philosophical concept, and literature shares a common ground with philosophy, as their ultimate ends converge in the depths of "human existence." This study has selected, as its case study, an analysis of this philosophical concept in the poetry of Omar Khayyam, the great 11th-century Persian poet, whose work is inherently philosophical. This research seeks to investigate the philosophical interpretation of the category of 'the meaning of life' from the perspective of Omar Khayyam. It aims to answer the following question: What is the meaning of life according to a sage like Khayyam? Moreover, what are the characteristics of a meaningful life in his view? The nature of this research is applied. The methodology is analytical-descriptive, with data collected through library research. Data analysis is qualitative and employs a philosophical-mystical approach. The case study for this research is Khayyam's Rubaiyat. This seminal work was selected using a non-random, purposive sampling method. This study demonstrates that, from Khayyam's perspective, the meaning of life falls under the framework of subjective naturalism, which is considered a primary source for understanding meaning-creation. According to Khayyam, it is the individual human being who, based on their own mental framework, can bestow meaning upon life. Furthermore, regarding the ten principal components related to the meaning of life, his work offers strategies for making life more meaningful.
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