Save on pre-loved TVs
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
FREE 30-day refund/replacement
FREE 30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Susan R. Wolf
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Meaning in Life and Why It Matters (The University Center for Human Values Series) Paperback – March 25, 2012

by Susan Wolf (Author), Stephen Macedo (Introduction), John Koethe (Commentary),

Purchase options and add-ons

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.

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Part of series
    University Center for Human Values
  2. Print length
    162 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  5. Publication date
    March 25, 2012
  6. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0691154503
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0691154503
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Customers also bought or read

Page 1 of 1Start over
Previous page
  4. What Is Ancient Philosophy?
    Paperback
    Delivery Friday
  12. On Being Authentic (Thinking in Action)
    Paperback
    Delivery Mon, Nov 3
  13. Transformative Experience
    Paperback
    Delivery Friday
  15. Nicomachean Ethics
    Paperback
    Delivery Friday
  16. Mortal Questions (Canto Classics)
    Paperback
    Delivery Friday
  17. Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming
    Paperback
    FREE delivery Friday
  18. Death (The Open Yale Courses Series)
    Paperback
    Delivery Friday
  19. Republic (Hackett Classics)
    Paperback
    Delivery Friday
  27. On Beauty and Being Just
    Paperback
    Delivery Friday
  28. The Sovereignty of Good
    Paperback
    Delivery Friday
Next page
Loading...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

Review

"Susan Wolf's picture of what makes life meaningful is at once powerful and down to earth, deeply argued but unpretentious. Part of Wolf's persuasive force comes from her stylish prose and cool treatment of profound concerns. This book is absorbing and a pleasure to read."―Kieran Setiya, University of Pittsburgh

"Susan Wolf is one of the clearest, most thoughtful, and most incisively elegant writers in contemporary ethics. She has an uncanny knack for putting her finger on important points and expressing them in ways that capture the imagination. In this book, she develops her ideas about meaningfulness in life with considerable subtlety, creating a work of genuine depth and importance."―John Martin Fischer, University of California, Riverside

Product details

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Susan R. Wolf

Susan R. Wolf

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.