Faith Provides Life’s Meaning In “Faith Provides Life’s Meaning,” Leo Tolstoy characterizes religious belief as to the relationships between the finite and infinite. The main argument is that genuine faith is the one that can single-handedly provide meaning for the possibility of life. Tolstoy argued that no matter how a person seeks to find a rational explanation for the purpose of life, faith alone supersedes all other mediums and options explored. While such an argument is understandable as human beings living on Earth had some irrational knowledge or faith, which made it possible for them to live and accept death, it has several flaws. Tolstoy begins his analysis by reflecting on his personal experiences that prompted him to answer the question of what gives life purpose. At first, he thought that his family gave life meaning but then realized that they are only humans and are likely to experience similar existential crises. Art or poetry could have also provided meaning to life, but their impact was not as profound as he thought; instead, they were “adornments” of life (568). Searching for a rational answer, Tolstoy drew parallels to the feelings that a man lost in a forest may experience. Thus, unable to find the answer, Tolstoy concluded that all knowledge that science possesses could not answer the question regarding life’s meaning. The answer to his question was always, “you are what you call your life; you are temporal, accidental conglomeration of particles. The interrelation, the change of these particles, produces that which you call life” (569). The obscurity, speculation, and the lack of clarity that rational knowledge provided prompted Tolstoy to seek the meaning of life in faith. Having faith and belief in the all-powerful deity, according to Tolstoy, is the most acceptable and positive way of finding meaning in one’s life. All living humanity had specific irrational knowledge and faith that made it possible to live and accept one’s death due to the promise of eternal life after it. Regardless of the answers that faith gives, it provides a sense of understanding that cannot be destroyed by the negative things that occur in life. Consequently, by believing, people can find a meaning of life in faith alone. The way in which Tolstoy has laid out his arguments for faith providing life suggests that those who do not believe in anything must then have no purpose or meaning to their existence. However, the long-standing philosophical tradition of humanism, which stretches back to Aristotle, provides ideas of truth, justice, hope, love, and compassion without involving the notions of God or religion. Besides, it is possible to have a purpose in life not based on faith but instead on experience. While Tolstoy’s arguments may have been relevant during the writer’s lifetime and onward, the current state of society and the fast pace of scientific development make it so that people do not have to agree that faith is the only thing that gives purpose to their lives. By embracing the fact that life can be absurd and may end in various ways, it is possible to find one’s own meaning and purpose in life without relying on religious teachings. To different peo