Definition
Ultimate meaning (Ger. Übersinn, “supra-meaning”) is the meaning of the whole: of the world, of history, of suffering. According to Frankl it exceeds the limits of human reason - it cannot be known, only trusted.
The image of the ape
Frankl used a comparison: an ape given painful injections to produce a vaccine cannot grasp the meaning of its suffering, because it has no access to the human world. Similarly, a human being may have no access to the “higher dimension” in which their suffering has meaning.
The meaning of the moment
In everyday practice logotherapy deals above all with the meaning of the moment - a concrete answer here and now. Ultimate meaning remains the horizon, and the decision to believe belongs to the person. Frankl developed this theme in his last book, Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning (1997).
Sources
V. E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning; Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning (1997).