Adams, Robert M., xv, 102, 107, 109–111, 112, 113n3, 114, 115
aesthetics, 68–74
And Where Were You, Adam? (Heinrich Bölls), 81
Annie Hall (Woody Allen), 92
Apollinaire, Guillaume, 69
Arpaly, Nomy, xv, xvi, xvii, 103, 115, 117, 120, 121, 122, 128, 130, 131
art: and the artistic endeavor, xv; and the avant-garde, xv, 68–74; and criteria for success, xv, 30, 108; and failed projects, xv, 30, 69–74, 108; and the scorned artist, 30, 68
Astaire, Fred, 44
atheism, 92
The Banquet Years (Roger Shattuck), 69
basketball, 19, 129, 130, 130n10, 131
Basque language, 90
Berrigan, Ted, 73–74; and the Iowa Writers Workshop, 73; and New York School Poets, 73
bipartite view, 18–25. See also Fitting Fulfillment View
Bölls, Heinrich, 81
bourgeois American values, 30–31, 39, 96. See also elitism
“Burnt Norton” (T. S. Eliot), 73
Calhoun, Cheshire, 20n9
Camus, Albert, 17n7, 56, 56n11
Cézanne, Paul, 11
chocolate cake recipe, 51n7
A Chorus Line, 86
Cocteau, Jean, 70
communication, 80
consequentialism, 7
cosmic insignificance, 28–29, 29n14, 92
Critique of Utilitarianism (Bernard Williams), 55
crossword puzzle solving, 9, 16, 130
Csikszentmihaly, Mihaly, 94
Dancing in the Streets (Barbara Ehrenreich), 99
Dante, 70
Darger, Henry, 70–71
Darwall, Stephen, 24n11
death: contemplation of, 8, 28; and despair, xiii, 28
delusion, xv, 23–25, 71–72, 87–88, 108, 125
detached perspective. See external point of view
Duchamp, Marcel, 70
duty, 2, 4, 51, 85, 89, 109. See also morality; reasons, of morality
Dylan, Bob, 44
egoism: psychological, 1; rational, xiii, 1, 7. See also reasons, of self-interest; self-interest
Ehrenreich, Barbara, 99
Einstein, Albert, 11
Eliot, T. S., 73
elitism, danger of, xiv, xvii, 30–31, 39–40, 63, 96
endoxa, 10
endoxic method, xiv, 10, 26–27
engagement: active, productive, or positive, xiv, 6–9, 26–27, 31, 58, 62, 104; with objects/projects of worth, 6–9, 27, 32, 35, 42, 58, 62, 93, 104; with values, 41; vital, xvii, 93–97, 120, 128. See also Fitting Fulfillment View; meaningfulness
enigmatology, 130
eudaimonia, 91
external point of view, 28–33, 42, 58–59, 129–132. See also objective value; view from nowhere
failure, xv, 30, 69–74, 76–84, 108. See also success of one’s projects
Father Knows Best, 43–44
feelings: of anxiety, 14–15; of disappointment, 14; of fulfillment, xvi, 13–16, 27–30, 76–79, 110–115; of love, 112–114; of pain, 14–15; of stress, 14–15; of suffering, 14
Feinberg, Joel, 122n7
“find your passion and go for it,” 10–18, 19–25. See also Fulfillment View
Fitting Fulfillment View, xiii, xiv, 25–33, 95; application of, 67–74; and the danger of elitism, 39–49; objective element of, 40–45, 67–74, 81–84, 86–91, 96–101, 104–109, 119–127; and questions about objective value, 35–39; subjective element of, 27–30, 67–74, 76–81, 109–115, 115–119
flagpole sitting, xvii, 47, 96–97, 120, 123
Foucault, Michel, 70
Frankfurt, Harry, 4n1
Friday Night Lights, 43
fulfillment: feelings of, 13–16, 27–30, 76–79, 110–115; human need for, 27–32
Fulfillment View (simple), 13–18, 19, 34–35, 62, 120–127
Gandhi, Mohandas, 11
Gide, André, 70
Girls on the Run (John Ashbery), 70
God’s-eye view, 28
goldfish caretaking/watching, xvi, xvii, 23, 36, 86, 119; and goldfish lover, 16, 25, 37; and Goldfish Nut, 87–88, 119–120; and retarded child, 88–89, 128, 130
good: feelings, 13–14; general, 7. See also morality
good life, xiii, 7, 12, 51, 118
Grieve, Bradley Trevor, 10n4
Group, concern for, xviii, 98–100. See also hive psychology; ultrasocial animals
Guinness Book of World Records, 47
Haidt, Jonathan, xv, xvii, xviii, 103, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 130, 131
happiness, xiii, 2–7, 8, 13, 34, 49–51, 52, 68, 76, 93, 94, 118. See also self-interest
hedonism, 15, 15n6, 23, 52, 127
Hitler, Adolf, xvi, 77, 80, 81, 107
hive psychology, xviii, 93, 97–101
horseback rider, 95, 97, 124–128, 130
impartiality, xiii, xvi, 82–84
impersonal perspective, 2. see also external point of view; morality; reasons, of morality
intersubjectivity. See value
intimacy, need of, 121–122
intuition, level of, 36
Iowa Writers Workshop, 73
Janet, Pierre, 70
Jesus, 76
justification: of actions and choices, 50; by morality, 2, 82; of reasons of love, 6–7; by self-interest, 2
Kantians, 55
Karenina, Anna, 58n12
Koethe, John, xv, 102, 104, 108, 125n9
Kraut, Richard, 10n3
language: and communication, 80; and intentionality, 78–79; and structure, rational or intelligible, 80
larger-than-oneself view, xiv, 10–13, 18–25, 30n15, 34–35, 41, 62–63. See also objective attractiveness
Laurencin, Marie, 69
lawn mower racing, xvii, 47, 96–97, 119, 120, 123–124, 130
love: misguided, 6; objects worthy of, 6–10, 27; reasons of, 4–7, 90–91, 112–114, 115–116. See also subjective attraction
Mackie, J. L., 45
McNeill, William, 99–100
meaning: and language, xvi, 12–13, 79–80; and morality, xvi, 53–62
meaning-enhancing activities, 2, 31, 36–37, 53
meaningfulness, xiii–xviii, 1–33; objective conditions of, 9–33, 35–45, 67–74, 81–84, 86–91, 93, 96–101, 104–109,119–127; as a reason for action, xvii, 2–3, 118–119; subjective conditions of, 9–33, 67–74, 76–81, 109–115,115–119
meaning in life, xiii–xviii; and being mistaken about, 43–45, 71, 124–126; and failure, 30, 69–74, 76–84, 108; and feelings, xvi, 13–16, 27–30, 76–79, 110–115; and a higher purpose, xiii, 1, 18; and love, 113–114; and morality, xiii, xvi, 3, 8, 13, 34, 35, 49–51, 53–62, 76, 85, 90–91; and narrative, xiii, 83–84; paradigms of, 11–12, 105; paradox of, 52–53; and success, xv–xvi, 67–74, 76–84, 104–109; thought about, 48–49, 89–90; and why it matters, 48–63. See also meaningfulness
meaninglessness: feelings of, 7, 17; of lives, xiii, 34, 41; paradigms of, 11, 17. See also Sisyphus
meaning of life, 29, 29n14, 93, 98
meaning-relativism, 96
methodological individualism, 97
Mill, John Stuart, 15n6, 24, 46
modernism, 68–70
morality, xiii, xvi, 3, 8, 13, 34, 35, 49–51, 53–62, 76, 82–85, 90–91
Mother Theresa, 11
motivation: descriptive models of, 1, 3; dualistic model of, 1–2, 34
motives. See reasons
“Music Discomposed” (Stanley Cavell), 71
Myth of Sisyphus (Albert Camus), 17n7
New England Patriots, 85
Newtonian approach, 97
New York School Poets, 73
New York Times, 130
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 59
normalcy, privileging, 119–127
objective attractiveness, xiv, xv, 9–33, 34–35, 62, 118. See also objective component of meaningfulness
objective component of meaningfulness, 9–33, 35–45, 67–74, 81–84, 86–91, 93, 96–101, 104–109, 119–127
objective condition of meaningfulness. See objective component of meaningfulness
objective value: and challenges to, xv–xvii, 33, 35–45, 86–91, 96–101, 119; judgments of, xviii, 3, 43–45; and meaning in life, 3, 27–33, 119; and need of, 62–63; and need for criteria of, xv
objective worthiness. See objects worthy of love; projects of worth
objectivity, of values. See objective value; value, objectivity of
objects worthy of love, 6–10, 27, 32, 35, 42, 58, 62, 93, 104
“one thought too many,” xvii, 90
parochialism, 39–40
particularism, 91
passion. See “find your passion and go for it”
Picasso, Pablo, 69
pleasure, 14, 45, 109, 126. See also happiness; hedonism; self-interest
point of view of the universe, 1–2
pot-smoking, 9, 16, 19, 21, 25; and AIDS victim, 21
practical reason, 61; dualistic model of, 1, 4; egoistic model of, 4; prescriptive/normative models of, 1–2, 3
pride, in oneself, 28, 34, 104, 107, 115
projects of worth, xiv, 26, 31–32, 119, 125. See also engagement
psychology, xviii, 1, 34, 93–100, 120
Raz, Joseph, 40n1
reason: alone, 1; dualistic models of practical reason, 1, 4; models of practical reason, 1–4, 61
reasons: impersonal, 4–6, 34; of kindness, 50, 116–117; of love, 4–7, 50, 53, 89–90, 115–117; of meaning, 2–3, 118–119; of morality, 1–7, 34, 116–117; personal, 34; of pleasure, 50, 116–117; of self-interest, 1–7, 34, 50, 116–117
relationships: between objective dimensions of meaning and impartial morality, 82–84; between objective and subjective conditions of meaningfulness, 9–10, 20–25, 32, 128–132; between reasons, 57–58, 115–119; between values, 90–91; with friends and family, 37
Robbe-Grillet, Alain, 70
Rousseau, Henri, 69–70, 72, 102
Roussel, Raymond, 70
sacrifice, 56–57
Scanlon, Thomas, 32n17
science: enterprise of, 105; and failed projects, 69, 105–107; and quest for discovery, 68; and scorned scientist, 30, 105; and successful projects, 105–107
self-esteem, need for, 28
self-interest, 1–7, 16, 20, 34, 50–63, 85, 89, 123. See also morality
Shakespeare, William, 70
Shattuck, Roger, 69
Shortz, Will, 130
Sidgwick, Henry, 1–2
Singer, Peter, 10n5
Sisyphus Fulfilled, 16–18, 19, 20, 23–25, 43, 97; consequences of, 24–25; and vultures, 21
skepticism, 72
sociability, 29–30, 32, 130. See also hive psychology; ultrasocial animals
“Sortes Vergilianae” (John Ashbery), 73
Stauffenberg, Claus von, 77–84, 102, 107; and evil, xvi, 83; and guilt, 83–84; and Hitler assassination plot, 77–84, 107; and impartial moral virtue, 82–84; and patriotism, xvi, 82–84
Stein, Gertrude, 69
Stein, Leo, 69
stone-rolling, 21, 23, 36, 43, 96, 123
structure, rational or intelligible, 80
studying philosophy, 19, 50, 86, 93
The Study of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal (Henry Darger), 70
subjective attraction, xiv, xv, 9–15, 19–33, 34–35, 51, 62, 118
subjective component of meaningfulness, 9–33, 67–74, 76–81, 109–115, 115–119
subjective conditions of meaningfulness. See subjective component of meaningfulness
subjective value. See value
subjective worthiness. See subjective component of meaningfulness
subjectivity. See value
success of one’s projects, xv–xvi, 67–74, 76–84, 104–109
sudoku solving, 16, 19, 21, 23, 36
surrealists, 70
Taylor, Richard (Sisyphus Fulfilled), 10n4, 17, 17n8, 23
Toklas, Alice, 69
ultrasocial animals, xviii, 98–100. See also hive psychology
University of Virginia, 95; student of, 102
utilitarianism, 55
valuable activities. See projects of worth
value: independence of, 11, 21, 31, 32, 35, 37–38, 40–46, 56–59; instrumental, 127; intersubjectivity of, 46, 80; metaphysics of, 39, 41–48; non-subjective, 42; objectivity of, 33, 35, 41–48; subjectivity of, 37, 45–48
view from nowhere, 27–33. See also external point of view; value, independence of
The View from Nowhere (Thomas Nagel), 28n13
Waiting for Godot, 92
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy); handwritten copies of, 16, 23, 36; and Tolstoy copier, 16, 25, 37–38
well-being, 41–43, 68, 94, 117. See also self-interest
who’s to say? See elitism
Williams, Bernard, 31, 31n16, 55–59, 69, 90
Without Feathers (Woody Allen), 93
Wordplay, 130
worth. See objective value; objects worthy of love; projects of worth; value
Zagura, Anabella, 114n4