What kind of life is the philosophical life? Is it, as Socrates proclaimed, the best life? Or is the philosophical life even capable of being a genuinely meaningful life? In this article, I will give an account of the philosophical life following two very disreputable guides: the popular scholar of mythology Joseph Campbell, and the controversial political philosopher Leo Strauss. I will argue that the philosophical project, eventually fails to bring meaning to the lives of those who practise it. This article has elements of intellectual autobiography, and is written in particular for others like myself who have struggled with the vocation of philosophy and the problems of meaning it presents. Many of the claims I make here are grounded in experience, and will be convincing only to the extent that they accord with the reader’s own experience or imaginative sympathy.
The Meaning of Life
この記事は Philosophy Now の December 2021 / January 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Philosophy Now の December 2021 / January 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Metaphors & Creativity
Ignacio Gonzalez-Martinez has a flash of inspiration about the role metaphors play in creative thought.
Medieval Islam & the Nature of God
Musa Mumtaz meditates on two maverick medieval Muslim metaphysicians.
Robert Stern
talks with AmirAli Maleki about philosophy in general, and Kant and Hegel in particular.
Volney (1757-1820)
John P. Irish travels the path of a revolutionary mind.
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Becky Lee Meadows considers questions of guilt, innocence, and despair in this classic Christmas movie.
"I refute it thus"
Raymond Tallis kicks immaterialism into touch.
Cave Girl Principles
Larry Chan takes us back to the dawn of thought.
A God of Limited Power
Philip Goff grasps hold of the problem of evil and comes up with a novel solution.
A Critique of Pure Atheism
Andrew Likoudis questions the basis of some popular atheist arguments.
Exploring Atheism
Amrit Pathak gives us a run-down of the foundations of modern atheism.