Analysis Of Irving Singer's Love And Meaning

Irving Singer discusses both what a meaningful life and what a meaningless life look like in his writing on Love and Meaning. For Singer, a meaningful life is sought out through love and never through any other means. This love can include a love for specific things, ideals or human relationships (Singer 1). For many, the word love is associated with romance and sexual relationships, but Singer takes the term to cover a broader spectrum of anything that has value and importance to a person (2). Humans can find meaning in their lives through many avenues such as: religion, hobbies, work, friendships, family, romance, or anything that they prioritize. The love that gives people meaning does not necessarily need to be returned in order for a meaningful

In summary, he defines a meaningful life as a life that perseus love. In his explanation of love he states that it can be towards anything that is of great importance to a person and holds a place as their top priority. He states that, “for a person in love…life is never without meaning. The beloved matters supremely to him or her, even if nothing else does” (Singer 2). Singer finds that people tend to require and give different amounts of love depending on what life stage they are in. Throughout his work his main focus is on romantic love, although he does recognize that other forms of love can bring meaning to a life. However, with changing trends Singer predicts a loss in the meaning of romantic love in people's lives. He notes that people are beginning to avoid romantic love and direct their focus on only satisfying their sexual desires (15). With a widespread decline in romantic love, people must look elsewhere for meaning in their lives. Many can find this through work, projects, friendships, or religious ideals (1). However, those who cannot find love elsewhere will feel a sense of meaninglessness in their lives that is not suppressible through sexual pleasure. The relationship changes occurring in today's society are causing a change in the ways that people define the meanings of their lives and Singer considers this to be a negative change (15). To conclude, Singer believes that people derive the meaning of their lives through the pursuit of genuine