At least since Aristotle and probably long before him, people have wondered what the meaning of life might be.

Meaning is defined in various ways, but basically it refers to the end, purpose or significance of something, in this case a human life. 

For Aristotle, life has a purpose or function, which is earthly happiness, which can be achieved only through reason and virtue. The aim of life, he seems to be saying is to be a good person, a moral person, and that in being such a person we will find happiness.

Yesterday, I read through the Myth of Sisyphus to find the answer to that question that Camus proposed:  

"There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy."

For evolutionary biologists the aim of life is to reproduce. For humans, reproduction is not a simple thing. Our offspring, perhaps unfortunately, are altricial. They don't hatch out of eggs and race down the beach to the ocean where they, in turn, hopefully survive long enough to reproduce. If our offspring are, in turn, to be successful reproducers, we must make a huge investment of resources, including vast amounts of our time, into such things as teaching, nurturing, and protecting. Further, our offspring, particularly when they are young, are fragile or vulnerable. They have no teeth or claws. Their very survival depends on parents, and grandparents, either being there to protect them, or having invested enough in them to try to ensure that they have the wits (mental skills, but also physical skills to) to survive when facing a large predator looking for a meal. Another one of the important skills parents need to impart to their children is in the realm of social skills We are a highly social species, but strangers throughout  human history, have presented clear and present danger. Today, with systems of law, we have attempted to minimize the danger, but have not been totally successful. 

So, to cut to the chase, as I have other things that I need to be working on, it would seem that Aristotle has an important point, although only a partial answer. The aim of life is to reproduce and towards that end, we must be good kin. We are a link in a chain, a link that connects our ancestors to their future descendants. If we successfully reproduce, that line of ancestors who successfully managed to raise costly human offspring, does not end with us. Happiness lies in loving unselfishly and being loved. That love is the result of sacrifice, the hugh investment we must make. 

In sum, biologically speaking, Camus was not only full of hot air but he was wrong.