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Meaning in Life and Why It Matters Susan Wolf

Meaning in Life and Why It Matters By Susan Wolf

Meaning in Life and Why It Matters by Susan Wolf


$46.49
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Summary

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. This title states that this kind of meaningfulness constitutes a distinctive dimension of a good life.

Meaning in Life and Why It Matters Summary

Meaning in Life and Why It Matters by Susan Wolf

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.

Meaning in Life and Why It Matters 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

About Susan Wolf

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.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix Introduction by Stephen Macedo xi MEANING IN LIFE AND WHY IT MATTERS Meaning in Life 1 Why It Matters 34 COMMENTS AND RESPONSE John Koethe 67 Robert M. Adams 75 Nomy Arpaly 85 Jonathan Haidt 92 Response Susan Wolf 102 Contributors 133 Index 137

Additional information

NGR9780691154503
9780691154503
0691154503
Meaning in Life and Why It Matters by Susan Wolf
New
Paperback
Princeton University Press
20120325
162
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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