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book: Meaning in Life and Why It Matters
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Meaning in Life and Why It Matters

  • With contributions by:
  • Commentary: , , , and
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Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2010

About this book

A fresh reflection on what makes life meaningful

Most people, including philosophers, tend to classify human motives as falling into one of two categories: the egoistic or the altruistic, the self-interested or the moral. According to Susan Wolf, however, much of what motivates us does not comfortably fit into this scheme. Often we act neither for our own sake nor out of duty or an impersonal concern for the world. Rather, we act out of love for objects that we rightly perceive as worthy of love—and it is these actions that give meaning to our lives. Wolf makes a compelling case that, along with happiness and morality, this kind of meaningfulness constitutes a distinctive dimension of a good life. Written in a lively and engaging style, and full of provocative examples, Meaning in Life and Why It Matters is a profound and original reflection on a subject of permanent human concern.

Author / Editor information

Susan Wolf is the Edna J. Koury Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is the author of Freedom within Reason.

Reviews

"Given the unfortunate (but arguably necessary) divorce of psychology from philosophy more than a century ago, books like Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, which allow for dialogue between these disciplines, are a much-needed and much-welcomed development. . . . Wolf's essay is a psychologically sophisticated philosophical argument on the structure, reality, and importance of meaningfulness in life. Its psychological sophistication lies not in her mastery of any particular empirical literature but rather in her attentiveness to normal, everyday intuitions and feelings."---Russell D. Kosits, PsycCRITIQUES

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Frontmatter

    i
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  • Publicly Available

    Contents

    vii
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    Acknowledgments

    ix
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  • Publicly Available

    Introduction

    xi
    Stephen Macedo
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  • Meaning in Life and Why It Matters
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    Meaning in Life

    1
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    Why It Matters

    34
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  • Comments and Response
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    Comment

    67
    John Koethe
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    Comment

    75
    Robert M. Adams
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    Comment

    85
    Nomy Arpaly
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    Comment

    92
    Jonathan Haidt
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    Response

    102
    Susan Wolf
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    Contributors

    133
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    Index

    137
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
November 18, 2019
eBook ISBN:
9781400834594
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400834594
eBook ISBN: 9781400834594
Keywords for this book
Morality; Lecture; Meaningful life; Philosophy; Thought; Self-interest; Psychology; Reason; Philosopher; Feeling; Ethics; Jonathan Haidt; Patriotism; Well-being; Utilitarianism; Suggestion; Theory; Henry Darger; Politics; Good and evil; Requirement; Skepticism; Analogy; Narrative; Pleasure; Attractiveness; Intentionality; Oxford University Press; Practical reason; Collegiality; Bernard Williams; Boredom; Inquiry; Value judgment; The Happiness Hypothesis; Student (magazine); Gratitude; Moral luck; Qualia; Termite; Nazism; Rational egoism; Desire; Scientist; Ambivalence; Philosophical skepticism; Hedonism; Marcel Duchamp; Positive psychology; Henri Rousseau; Psychological egoism; The Myth of Sisyphus; Philosophy of mind; Basic Books; Recipe; Delusion; Intention; Analytic philosophy; Judith Jarvis Thomson; Sadness; Brain in a vat; Endoxa; Selfishness; Sympathy; Consequentialism; Obedience (human behavior); Motivation; Understanding; Optimism; Multiculturalism
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
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