Showing papers on "Meaning of life published in 2013"
TL;DR: The Good Cause Account (GCA) of the meaning of life as mentioned in this paper is one of the most well-known theories in the literature, which is based on the idea that one's life is meaningful to the extent that one promotes the good.
Abstract: I defend the theory that one's life is meaningful to the extent that one promotes the good. Call this the good cause account (GCA) of the meaning of life. It holds that the good effects that count towards the meaning of one's life need not be intentional. Nor must one be aware of the effects. Nor does it matter whether the same good would have resulted if one had not existed. What matters is that one is causally responsible for the good. I argue that the best theory of the meaning of life should clearly distinguish between subjective fulfillment and objective meaningfulness. The GCA respects the distinction. And it is superior to its leading rivals in the recent literature, most notably those of Erik Wielenberg and Susan Wolf.
55 citations
Book•
16 Dec 2013
TL;DR: Experimental Life as mentioned in this paper explores the role of experimentation in the Romantic movement in defining the meaning of life and the importance of vitalism in literature and art, and proposes the concept of experimental vitalism to show both how Romantic authors appropriated the idea of experimentation from the sciences and the impact of their appropriation on post-Romantic concepts of literature and arts.
Abstract: If the objective of the Romantic movement was nothing less than to redefine the meaning of life itself, what role did experiments play in this movement? While earlier scholarship has established both the importance of science generally and vitalism specifically, with regard to Romanticism no study has investigated what it meant for artists to experiment and how those experiments related to their interest in the concept of life. Experimental Life draws on approaches and ideas from contemporary science studies, proposing the concept of experimental vitalism to show both how Romantic authors appropriated the concept of experimentation from the sciences and the impact of their appropriation on post-Romantic concepts of literature and art. Robert Mitchell navigates complex conceptual arenas such as network theory, gift exchange, paranoia, and biomedia and introduces new concepts, such as cryptogamia, chylopoietic discourse, trance-plantation, and the poetics of suspension. As a result, Experimental Life is a wide-ranging summation and extension of the current state of literary studies, the history of science, cultural critique, and theory.
52 citations
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TL;DR: Displacement activity this article has also been reported in this article, but with a different focus, but with different objectives.Displacements activity.Disparity activity. Disparity.
Abstract: Displacement activity.
52 citations
TL;DR: Results of an experimental study showed that mortality salience increased appreciation of a meaningful film, but only for those who rated highly for search for meaning in life, and a reverse pattern was found: Participants who intensely search formeaning in their lives enjoyed the film when their own mortality had not been made salient before watching.
Abstract: Appreciation is an audience response associated with entertainment portrayals concerned with the meaning of life and human existence. Appreciation has been shown to be conceptually and empirically different from enjoyment, which is characterized as pleasure and fun. Drawing upon terror management theory, this research investigates first the influence of reminders of one’s own death on appreciation and enjoyment of a meaningful film and second, the influence of the search for meaning in one’s life on these outcomes. Results of an experimental study (N = 60) showed that mortality salience increased appreciation of a meaningful film, but only for those who rated highly for search for meaning in life. Concerning enjoyment, a reverse pattern was found: Participants who intensely search for meaning in their lives enjoyed the film when their own mortality had not been made salient before watching. Results are discussed in the light of theoretical considerations about entertainment experiences and meaning.
48 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present alternative definitions of spirituality grounded in Max Scheler's philosophical anthropology, and explore the connection of sport and education with the notion of the spirit of the human way of being.
Abstract: Spirituality is often perceived as a synonym for religion. In this article, I would like to point to some alternative definitions of spirituality grounded in Max Scheler’s philosophical anthropology. Scheler states that the essence of a human being is not exhausted by practical intelligence, as though it was the culmination of a gradational anthropology. The distinctive principle characterizing the human way of being, is “the spirit” (der Geist). At the centre of its various manifestations is a person, with its freedom, its “openness to the world.” Spirituality can therefore become a symbol of searching for the meaning of life. Thus, the spiritual dimension (also called the vertical dimension, in the light of “deep” ideas and “high” ideals) of human life, represents an area for the development of our potential. The paper outlines this understanding of spirituality, and explores in particular its connection with sport and education.
26 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, ten undergraduate students from psychology classes were interviewed regarding their beliefs about the meaning of life (definition, goals, limitations to goals, sources of meaning, and development of development).
Abstract: Ten undergraduate students from psychology classes were interviewed regarding their beliefs about the meaning of life (definition, goals, limitations to goals, sources of meaning, and development o...
25 citations
TL;DR: Bayanova et al. as discussed by the authors introduced the concept of the existential dialectic of the subject and the object in the context of art psychology and applied it to the field of psychology of art.
Abstract: The topicality of L. S. Vygotsky's research in the sphere of psychology of art is connected to the methodological potential of his works, in which a special role belongs to his work on Hamlet. The historical context for the creation of art psychology by Vygotsky during twenty years of the last century has been associated with active philosophical discussion on the topic of the interaction between people and the world. The idea of the birth of personality and self-identity through resistance and creativity was the main line of the theoretical thought of those years; Frank (1971) called this line "the problem of the subject." The need for personal selfrealization through creativity was at the heart of Russian philosophy in the first third of the twentieth century, and, in my opinion, the spokesperson for that idea was the philosopher N. A. Berdyaev, who formulated the concept of the existential dialectic:Self-realization of the individual suggests resistance, requires struggle against the enslaving power of the world, against conformity with the world. Rejection of identity, disagreement with the dissolution in the surrounding world, may reduce the pain, and a person can easily go that way. Consent to slavery reduces pain, disagreement increases pain. (Berdyaev, 2000, p. 23)For Berdyaev, a person is born into resistance for the sake of creativity: "Personality is essentially rebellious and disobedient; it is resistance, a continuous creative act" (Berdyaev, 2000, p. 37). The dialectics of the personality's birth through art are shown in the works of the Russian philosopher and psychologist M. Rubinstein, who is, unfortunately, almost forgotten. One of my articles is devoted to his oeuvre (Bayanova, 2009).In the beginning the problem of the interaction between people and the world arose in Russian philosophy from the opposition of the subject and the object. The analysis of this opposition began in epistemology. "The human is in the world, or thrown into the world," wrote Berdyaev. "He stands before the world as before a mystery, requiring permission. The existence of a human depends on the world, and he dies in the world and because of the world" (Berdyaev,2000, p. 241) The object confronts the subject, but objectivity is in the subject, in the dominant purpose of the subject, in the existence of the object in the name of the subject. Berdyaev describes two views of the world: the cosmocentric view and the anthropocentric view. According to the cosmocentric view, people, as part of the world, located in space, experience the world, and at the limit of knowledge they turn to an object. According to the anthropocentric view, people are located not in space but in time, and they create while overcoming the limits of space.The problem of the interaction of people and the world, initiated by the historical context, acquired a dramatic character as a problem of personal survival within culture. This problem has been presented by the art theorist, literary critic, and philosopher M. M. Bakhtin. From the general issues of human existence in the culture, Bakhtin comes to the problem of human existence in the historical and cultural situation. For Bakhtin an individual being is a "life event." He understands "the world as an event (not as existence in its readiness)" (Bakhtin, 1979, p. 364).Rubinstein in On the Meaning of Life (1927) expresses the following thought: Each animal is what it is; only a person is initially nothing. What he may be, he has to make himself... and to make by his freedom. I can only be what I make from myself. At this height... new perspectives have been opened by themselves, and as a logical consequence the man-person stands before us as the main creative force, the creator of the essence of the world (Rubinstein, p. 72).Finding the essence of people in their involvement in the creation of culture, Rubenstein shows this fact as a turning point of cosmic significance. It opens up a new kind of freedom that is different from the natural one. …
23 citations
Book•
08 Jan 2013TL;DR: For instance, the authors argues that simple and selfish mental mechanisms we inherited from our ancestors ultimately give rise to the multifaceted social lives that we humans lead today, and to the most positive features of humanity, including generosity, artistic creativity, love, and familial bonds.
Abstract: "Kenrick writes like a dream."-Robert Sapolsky, Professor of Biology and Neurology, Stanford University; author of A Primate's Memoir and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers What do sex and murder have to do with the meaning of life? Everything. In Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life, social psychologist Douglas Kenrick exposes the selfish animalistic underside of human nature, and shows how it is intimately connected to our greatest and most selfless achievements. Masterfully integrating cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and complexity theory, this intriguing book paints a comprehensive picture of the principles that govern our lives. As Kenrick divulges, beneath our civilized veneer, human beings are a lot like howling hyenas and barking baboons, with heads full of homicidal tendencies and sexual fantasies. But, in his view, many ingrained, apparently irrational behaviors-such as inclinations to one-night stands, racial prejudices, and conspicuous consumption-ultimately manifest what he calls "Deep Rationality." Although our heads are full of simple selfish biases that evolved to help our ancestors survive, modern human beings are anything but simple and selfish cavemen. Kenrick argues that simple and selfish mental mechanisms we inherited from our ancestors ultimately give rise to the multifaceted social lives that we humans lead today, and to the most positive features of humanity, including generosity, artistic creativity, love, and familial bonds. And out of those simple mechanisms emerge all the complexities of society, including international conflicts and global economic markets. By exploring the nuance of social psychology and the surprising results of his own research, Kenrick offers a detailed picture of what makes us caring, creative, and complex-that is, fully human. Illuminated with stories from Kenrick's own colorful experiences -- from his criminally inclined shantytown Irish relatives, his own multiple high school expulsions, broken marriages, and homicidal fantasies, to his eventual success as an evolutionary psychologist and loving father of two boys separated by 26 years -- this book is an exploration of our mental biases and failures, and our mind's great successes. Idiosyncratic, controversial, and fascinating, Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life uncovers the pitfalls and promise of our biological inheritance.
23 citations
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: Generative striving is the desire that emerges in adult development to promote the well-being of younger and future generations via behaviors that establish a self legacy as discussed by the authors, which is one potential path to the experience of meaning in life.
Abstract: This chapter examines the manner in which generativity is one potential path to the experience of meaning in life. Generativity is the desire that emerges in adult development to promote the well-being of younger and future generations via behaviors that establish a self legacy. The author reviews relevant research in this area and presents a theoretical model that articulates the interconnectedness of generativity and meaning in life. A brief psychobiographic exploration of Victor Frankl’s life demonstrates the significance of generative striving as an avenue to a felt meaning in life.
21 citations
23 Jan 2013
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the use of arts-based methods within organizations and the meaning of life in the context of organizational aesthetics, and the question of what organizational aesthetics means to them.
Abstract: I am often asked, "what is organizational aesthetics?" I usually start my answer by talking about the use of arts-based methods within organizations. Then, if there is still interest I gradually make my way to taking an aesthetic perspective on organizations and organizational phenomena and if there is still interest we end up in a discussion about epistemology, art, and the meaning of life. But I almost never tell my story, the story of what organizational aesthetics means to me.
19 citations
21 Oct 2013
TL;DR: It is generally assumed that people from all walks of life want happiness as mentioned in this paper and that happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and the end of human existence.
Abstract: It is generally assumed that people from all walks of life want happiness. Human beings have aspired to live a happy life since time immemorial. Brooks (2008) cited Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, who once asked his students, “Do not all men desire happiness? One of the students answered: There is no one who does not” (p. 1). Similarly, Aristotle stated that “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” (Kesebir & Diener, 2008, p. 69).
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors define the level of meaning in life and the levels of religious experience (God's presence and God's absence) in groups of students with high and low levels of conscience sensitivity.
TL;DR: The core of individual self-actualization (Maslow, 1986, 1998) found in individuals' spiritual identity, as illustrated through a case study, its debriefing, and identification of counterindications for the clinical use of spiritual interventions as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This article presents the core of individual self-actualization (Maslow, 1986, 1998) found in individuals' spiritual identity, as illustrated through a case study, its debriefing, and identification of counterindications for the clinical use of spiritual interventions. Future research possibilities on the topic of spirituality and self-actualization are provided. ********** As the 21st century unfolds, the practice of counseling seems to be buffeted by multiple conceptual forces that may appear incongruent. Two of these forces form the framework for this article. One pressure concerns the balance between a deficit-focused, pathology-oriented approach to counseling, as used through the practice of diagnosis for the purposes of third-party reimbursement, and a growth-focused actualization model of professional service, as espoused by the humanist tradition. A second divergence calls attention to issues of cultural diversity in the practice of counseling, without specification as to which issues are most salient to which clients and for which client issues. As a potential resolution to these two tensions, this article provides a rationale and guidelines for incorporating a growth-focused model integrating the attributes of spiritual identity. To accomplish this purpose, topics including the focus of counseling and distinguishing deficiency and growth needs within Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory lead to an exploration of the process of identity formation. This discussion of identity narrows to a focus on spiritual identity and maturity, including a brief consideration of eudaimonic well-being. The connotations of these philosophical and theoretical bases will describe the centrality of spirituality in a growth-focused model for clients. This description is illustrated through the use of a case study, its debriefing, and attention to counterindicators for using such interventions in counseling. In additions, the implications of this viewpoint for future research are provided. THE FOCUS OF COUNSELING The first identified pressure asks counselors to determine how they wish to balance the deficit and potential-focused belief systems about clients and their issues. This query invites counselors to bear in mind their underlying assumptions regarding the potential of individuals to transcend their current life situations. For those counselors who choose to adhere to the tenets of humanistic counseling, the Association for Humanistic Counseling (AHC; 2011) website specified such core beliefs as follows: Humanistic theories attempt to describe the phenomenologically constructed world of the client by exploring the potential of humanity through the nature and experience of values, spirituality, meaning, emotions, transcendence, intentionality, healthy relationships, the self, self-actualization, creativity, mortality, holism, intuition, and responsibility (among other topics) ... It is within the humanistic counseling tradition that the core conditions of counseling emerged: unconditional positive regard, empathy, congruence, authenticity, caring for the client, phenomenological assessment strategies, self-discovery, and insight. These core conditions permit therapeutic intervention in life areas which were previously inaccessible, such as love, hope, meaning of life, loss, relationships, creativity, holism, spirituality, freedom, transcendence, personal growth, social justice, multicultural and gender issues, responsibility, and interdependence. ("What Defines Humanistic Theories?") These values hold that reaching human potential comes not through curative measures, such as diagnosis and symptom amelioration, but through freeing innate impulses for personal growth. It is accessing of one's "true self" that reveals those canons germane to each individual. Among those values are one's spirituality, meaning, and transcendence. …
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the philosophical tradition for a reconsideration of organ transplantation and find that people who have experienced the decline of one of their organs and their own rebirth through the organ of someone else, arrive at the conclusion that they went through an extreme experience in which nothing appeared as before.
Abstract: Today, the frequency and the rate of success resulting from advances in medicine have made organ transplantations an everyday occurrence. Still, organ transplantations and donations modify the subjective experience of human beings as regards the image they have of themselves, of body, of life and of death. If the concern of the quality of life and the survival of the patients is a completely human phenomenon, the fact remains that the possibility of organ transplantation and its justification depend a great deal on the culture in which we live. The exploration of the philosophical tradition allows for a reconsideration of organ transplantation. If we listen to people who have experienced the decline of one of their organs and their own rebirth through the organ of someone else, we arrive at the conclusion that they went through an extreme experience in which nothing appeared as before. All those experiences intensify philosophical questionings on the meaning of life with respect to self fulfilment. The concept of nature as the experience of others can be an authentic source from which to nourish our thoughts about organ transplantation. However, and this is our hypothesis, we need something more if we are to decide something about our own life. We need a hermeneutical stance in relation to ourselves and to our world. Philosophical counselling, as a long established tradition originating with Pythagoras and later reframed by the German philosopher Achenbach could be useful in inspiring a reflection on the good life, chiefly as it takes the form of a Socratic dialogue.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: McLean et al. as mentioned in this paper explored associations between identity, attachment, and religiosity, and emerging adults' turning point faith narratives since college graduation using a mixed methods design and found that those who produced more mature and complex accounts of faith turning points were higher in identity exploration and intrinsic religiosity but not parental attachment.
Abstract: Using a mixed methods design, this study explored associations between identity, attachment, and religiosity, and emerging adults' turning point faith narratives since college graduation. The maturity of their faith journey narratives was analyzed utilizing a qualitative measure of the complexity of their reasoning (McLean & Pratt, 2006). Participants were 119 recent graduates from two Christian liberal arts colleges. In addition to ratings for levels of maturity, categorization of emerging themes found in faith narratives rated as mature revealed three prevailing themes: perspective changes, relational challenges, and experiences of grace. Participants also completed standard measures of ego identity, parental attachment, and intrinsic religiosity. Emerging adults who produced more mature and complex accounts of faith turning points were higher in identity exploration and intrinsic religiosity but not parental attachment. However, parental attachment was related to intrinsic religiosity. Our mixed methods design was valuable in capturing emerging adults' meaningful articulation of their faith journey.(College transition) has given me quality time to figure out who I am and what I believe and you know how to go about living...and then deciding to go back to church after I figured it out. And now I don't always enjoy the church I go to ...but believe now that we're a part of the body of Christ and we have an obligation to the people and to keep it up and...it just gives us a sense of purpose instead of a sense of enjoyment. So I'm starting to learn that faith isn't always about enjoying yourself but understanding all the time it's about commitment and sometimes it's a struggle but you're rewarded in certain ways for the struggle and for the commitment (Mary1, 2008 graduate).One of the salient features of a mature life story is the integration of one's experiences, particularly the stress and challenges of transitional experiences, into a coherent and reasoned conception of the self. With our stories, we make sense of our experiences, bring clarity to our perceptions, and provide meaning to our life situations. Maturity, measured in the current study by high levels of complexity in meaning making, is readily apparent in Mary's narrative as she reflects on her faith journey in her transition from college life to her current working life. In contrast is a narrative from Anya, another 2008 graduate, where a more limited expression of meaning, lower in complexity, is evident:Ultimately what made the big turning point, what made me question things was when I went abroad and all I had was churches of a different background and I met different people who taught me a lot and then... when I came back I also met more influential people. ...so when I came back I was already into a new idea of faith I guess.Anya notes the influences from others that helped her begin to ask faith questions, and while highlighting this change she speaks primarily of the lessons learned from others, without elaboration on what those lessons might be. The voices of Mary and Anya illustrate different ways in which these emerging adults have found meaning during distinct turning points in their faith story during their post-college years.In the context of our paper, meaning is best conceptualized as a story's deeper significance that expresses personal value. King, Scollon, Ramsey, and Williams (2000) found that stories of life challenges during transition were useful as they provide "evidence of a hard-won battle to make meaning of life circumstances" (p. 510). Those who create a coherent story, expressing meaningful insights and integration of life's challenges, experience a sense of wellbeing and perceived growth from the challenges, as well as ego development (King et al., 2000). The purpose of this study was to examine how emerging adults represent meaning in their faith narratives in a way that connects and integrates their experiences of life with the transitions they are now facing. …
TL;DR: The Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the University of California Los Angeles conducted a seven-year study that surveyed more than one hundred thousand college students, matriculat- ing freshmen attending 236 diverse colleges and universities across the country, and reported that today's college students have very high levels of spiri- tual interest and involvement as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Contemplative pedagogies in higher-education classrooms employ methods adapted from meditative practices in great religious traditions in order to enhance student learning and to fulfill the historic purpose of a liberal arts education: to discover the nature of human life. Our Western education systems were originally derived from religious settings in which questions about what it means to be human were paramount. Over the centuries, through the influences of the European Enlighten- ment, modern science, and postmodernism, questions about personal identity and the meaning of life increasingly have been removed from our classrooms and deemed inappropriate for the university. Now, in a rebalancing of priorities in higher educa- tion, the pendulum is swinging the other direction, largely driven by the insistence of our students, who indicate the centrality of religion and spirituality in their expecta- tions of college curricular and cocurricular offerings. The Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the University of California Los Angeles conducted a seven-year study that surveyed more than one hundred thousand college students, matriculat- ing freshmen attending 236 diverse colleges and universities across the country, and reported this: The study reveals that today's college students have very high levels of spiri- tual interest and involvement. Many are actively engaged in a spiritual quest and in exploring the meaning and purpose of life. They are also very engaged and involved in religion, reporting considerable commitment to their religious beliefs and practices. As they begin college, freshmen have high expectations for the role their institutions will play in their emotional and spiritual develop- ment. They place great value on their college enhancing their self-understand- ing, helping them develop personal values, and encouraging their expression of spirituality. 1
TL;DR: The meaning of life and the philosophy of religion have meant different things to different people, and so I do well to alert my reader to what these phrases mean to me and thus to the subject area of this review as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: ‘The Meaning of Life’ and ‘The Philosophy of Religion’ have meant different things to different people, and so I do well to alert my reader to what these phrases mean to me and thus to the subject area of this review of recent work on their intersection. First, ‘The Meaning of Life’: within the analytic tradition, an idea has gained widespread assent; whatever the vague and enigmatic nature of the phrase ‘the meaning of life’, we may sensibly speak of meaningfulness in a life as a particular, positive, normative feature that some individuals’ lives may well have, and this feature is to be distinguished from, though closely related to, other positive features – satisfaction, wellbeing, virtue and so forth. There has been much work done on these assumptions in recent years. An excellent summary of this work up to its date of publication is given by Thaddeus Metz (in his 2007 a). Many – though by no means all – philosophers retain an instinctive scepticism toward the phrase ‘the meaning of life’ and a reluctance to engage with it, for it seems to connote vague and/or impossible-to-fulfil cosmic expectations. (See Thomson 2003, chapter 11 and Seachris 2009 for attempts to engage with it nonetheless.) But philosophers are not generally now so sceptical about talk of meaningfulness in life and thus not so sceptical about the phrase ‘the meaning of life’ if it is taken to be referring merely to this. And that is how I shall be taking it. Secondly, ‘The Philosophy of Religion’: in the analytic tradition, this has usually been taken to be philosophical reflection on the rational acceptability or otherwise of classical theism and on what God's existence, should He exist, entails ontologically, metaphysically, metaethically and so forth. Therefore, I shall be talking about recent reflection in the analytic tradition on the relationship between the God of classical theism's existence (or lack of it) and meaningfulness (or lack of it) in human lives.
Posted Content•
TL;DR: The data format to be used, the idea of Undef and Nothing symbols, various ways for defining the "meaning of life", and finally, a new notion of "incorrect move" are treated here.
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence - what is this? That is the question! In earlier papers we already gave a formal definition for AI, but if one desires to build an actual AI implementation, the following issues require attention and are treated here: the data format to be used, the idea of Undef and Nothing symbols, various ways for defining the "meaning of life", and finally, a new notion of "incorrect move". These questions are of minor importance in the theoretical discussion, but we already know the answer of the question "Does AI exist?" Now we want to make the next step and to create this program.
TL;DR: The authors argue that Kronman's history proves particularly problematic if one wants to understand the reasons for American higher education's treatment of matters of meaning and purpose, and that his prescription to return to the golden age of secular humanism is ultimately misguided.
Abstract: Recent scholarship claims that American colleges and universities give less and less attention to the meaning of life. In this article we critically evaluate the historical arguments for this claim, focusing primarily on the account given by Anthony Kronman. We argue that Kronman’s history proves particularly problematic if one wants to understand the reasons for American higher education’s treatment of matters of meaning and purpose. His historical analysis of the rise of secular humanism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, followed by its decline over the last half century, is missing key components. Because of these missing elements, his prescription to return to the golden age of secular humanism is ultimately misguided.
TL;DR: The Brain and the Meaning of Life: A Critical Review of Thagard's Argument against nihilism as mentioned in this paper argues that the rich neurological information presented throughout the book does not contribute at all to his arguments and that neurological research is irrelevant also to almost all other aspects of meaning of life research.
Abstract: The Brain and the Meaning of Life Paul Thagard Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010 274 pages, ISBN: 9780691142722 (hbk): $29.95 This paper criticizes central arguments in Paul Thagard's The Brain and the Meaning of Life, concluding, contrary to Thagard, that there is very little that we can learn from brain research about the meaning of life. The paper offers a critical review of Thagard's argument against nihilism and his argument that it is love, work, and play, rather than other activities, that make life meaningful. Moreover, the paper argues that the rich neurological information Thagard presents throughout the book does not contribute at all to his arguments and, more generally, that neurological research is irrelevant also to almost all other aspects of meaning of life research.
DOI•
30 Apr 2013
TL;DR: In this paper, it is argued that for ensuring social stability and sustainable development morals founded on the eternal and universal values enshrined in all the major religions can play a pivotal role, and it is also argued that Islam and all other revealed religions have the holy commitment to call all humans to bid the right and forbid the evil and establish the religious world order and the city of God, with piety, peace and prosperity as its centre piece.
Abstract: Modern human societies, floating on the so-called secular values, seem to be disoriented, despondent and disarrayed without having specific goals in life and commitment to God and His creation, and thus suffering from unprecedented level of moral decadence. Humanity is at the cross-roads of secular (atheistic) and sacred (religious) approaches to civilization. Secular humanism without any theology of its own and promising no answer to the riddle of death is hardly in a position to guide mankind about the meaning and purpose of life and what is universally good or bad for them. On the other hand, religious ethics and morality are commitments to safeguard social people from wrong doing and promote a world of universal good and brotherhood, peace and trust. Islam and all other revealed religions, for example, have the holy commitment to call all humans to bid the right and forbid the evil and establish the religious world order and the ‘City of God’, with piety, peace and prosperity as its centre piece. It is, therefore, argued that for ensuring social stability and sustainable development morals founded on the eternal and universal values enshrined in all the major religions can play a pivotal role.
Key words: Sustainable development, social stability, ethics, morality, religion, secularism, summum bonum.
TL;DR: Whether a gravely suffering patient intentionally refraining from causing the harm related to voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide would involve something to such a patient in the sense that it would promote the meaningfulness of his life is assessed.
Abstract: Opponents of voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide often maintain that the procedures ought not to be accepted because ending an innocent human life would both be morally wrong in itself and have unfortunate consequences. A gravely suffering patient can grant that ending his life would involve such harm but still insist that he would have reason to continue living only if there were something to him in his abstaining from ending his life. Though relatively rarely, the notion of meaning of life has figured in recent medical ethical debate on voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. And in current philosophical discussion on meaning of life outside the medical ethical debate on voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide several authors have argued that being moral and having a meaningful existence are connected to each other. In this article, I assess whether his intentionally refraining from causing the harm related to voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide would involve something to such a patient in the sense that it would promote the meaningfulness of his life.
08 May 2013
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the way meaning interacts with patients value and psychological and social context and define a general model involving the interaction beween these parameters, with the assumption that meaning is often a neglected issue in recovery-oriented care.
Abstract: The role of values and meaning of life in the recovery of severe mental disorders. Restoring meaning in one's life is a major issue for psychological recovery, in the context of the psychological and social consequences of severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Recovery indeed denotes the development of a fulfiling life and a positive sense of identity founded on hopefulness and self-determination. Only a little research has been devoted to meaning. Here we describe the way meaning interacts with patients value and psychological and social context and define a general model involving the interaction beween these parameters. Finally, the way to address the issue of meaning is detailed according to existential literature, with the assumption that meaning is often a neglected issue in recovery-oriented care. Meaning can be found, for example, by considering the way one copes with his/her suffering, or by inversting in hedonism or altruism. These goals should be oriented by the values which are important to the patients.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the characteristics and relationship of adolescents' sense of life meaning and well-being, in order to provide basis for adolescents' life education, and found that the adolescents' satisfaction with their lives was lower in the senior high school students than in the junior high school and the college students.
Abstract: Objective:To explore the characteristics and relationship of adolescents' sense of life meaning and well-being,in order to provide basis for adolescents' life educationMethods:Totally 1,141 adolescents from different age groups were selectedThey were assessed with the Life Attitude Profile Scale(LAPS),the Ryff' Psychological Well-Being Scale(PWBS),the Student Life Satisfaction Scale(SLSS) and Positive-Negative Scale(PANA)The first 27% and the last 27% scorers in the LAPS were selected as high-score group and low-score group respectivelyResult:The scores of the LAPS [(35±42) vs(38±47),(37±40);Ps0001],PWBS,SLSS and PANA were lower in the senior high school students than in the junior high school students and the college studentsInteraction was found between gender and grade in two dimensions of LAPS,namely,will to meaning(F=367,P005),life control(F=720,P005) and PANA "positive emotion"(F=492,P005)The scores of PWBS,SLSS and PANA "positive emotion" were higher in those with higher level of life meaning than in those with lower level of life meaning [(45±76) vs(35±70),(33±40) vs(27±41),(36±25) vs(28±38);Ps001]The PWBS scores were positively correlated with the scores of LAPS "existence of filling","will to meaning","life control","death acceptance",and "purpose of life"(011-039,Ps0001)The SLSS scores were positively correlated with the scores of LAPS "existence of filling","purpose of life",and "adoption of suffering"(038,012,011,Ps001)The score of PANA "positive emotion" was positively correlated with the scores of LAPS "existence of filling","will to meaning",and "life control"(025,031,018,Ps0001)Conclusion:It suggests that the senior high school students may have lower level of sense of life meaning and well-being,and the sense of life meaning could promote one' s sense of well-being
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: McPherson as discussed by the authors examined the topics of ethics, religion, and their relationship in the work of Charles Taylor and provided a reading of Taylor's work as a whole and also examined his general evaluative framework based on his account of strong evaluation.
Abstract: RE-ENCHANTING THE WORLD: AN EXAMINATION OF ETHICS, RELIGION, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP IN THE WORK OF CHARLES TAYLOR David McPherson, B.A., M.A. Marquette University, 2013 In this dissertation I examine the topics of ethics, religion, and their relationship in the work of Charles Taylor. I take Taylor’s attempt to confront modern disenchantment by seeking a kind of re-enchantment as my guiding thread. Seeking re-enchantment means, first of all, defending an ‘engaged realist’ account of strong evaluation, i.e., qualitative distinctions of value that are seen as normative for our desires. Secondly, it means overcoming self-enclosure and achieving self-transcendence, which I argue should be understood in terms of transcending a ‘lower’ mode of selfhood for a ‘higher’ one in concern for ‘strong goods’. One of the main issues that Taylor raises is whether re-enchantment requires theism for its full adequacy. He advances – often as ‘hunches’ – controversial claims regarding the significance of theism (1) for defending strong evaluative realism and (2) for motivating an ethic of universal human concern. I seek to fill out his hunches in terms of a theistic teleological perspective that is centered on the ‘telos of communion’. I argue that such a view is important for overcoming the problem of what Bernard Williams calls the ‘radical contingency’ of ethical beliefs, which seems to undermine their normative authority. However, I argue that if a non-theistic view of cosmic purpose (e.g., Thomas Nagel’s view) can be regarded as a viable option, then it could also help to address this problem and support a kind of re-enchantment. Taylor also advances the controversial view that (3) there is an ineradicable draw to ‘transcendence’ in human life in connection to the quest for the meaning of life. Here he opposes certain mainstream theories of secularization that see it as a process involving the ineluctable fading away of the relevance of religion. I seek to fill out and defend Taylor’s view in this matter. Besides providing a reading of Taylor’s work as a whole and advancing further some of the issues he raises, I also examine his general evaluative framework based on his account of strong evaluation. In doing so I show how he provides a distinct and important perspective among contemporary moral philosophers.