Analysis Of Susan Wolf's Meaning In Life And Why It Matters

Susan Wolf’s book, Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, is a collection of her lectures and her own philosophical views on what makes a life meaningful. There is no doubt that life is meaningful, but what gives it meaning? Most people, if asked the question, “what is your life's meaning” would say “to be happy.” Wolf shuts down this answer, and states that living a happy life is not equivalent to living a meaningful life. For example, Mother Theresa and Ghandi did not always live a happy life, but their lives were very much meaningful. Wolf states that “meaning in life arises when subjective attraction meets objective attractiveness, and one is able to do something about it or with it” (Wolf 26). I agree with Wolf’s philosophy that someone

Wolf calls it the “Fulfillment View,” which tells us to “find our passion and pursue it” (Wolf 34). This is the subjective component, caring deeply about something, to a meaningful life. Personally, my passions are soccer, studying medicine, and my family, and that is exactly what I am pursuing in life. When you find something that you are passionate about, you have an urge to seek that passion and do something with it or about it. She explains that finding projects and activities that gives you fulfillment, joy, and positive experiences is a crucial step to having a meaningful life. A person who receives “no joy or pride from the activities that compromise it, can be said to lack meaning” in their life (Wolf 34). This is absolutely true. If you have no passion towards something, and get no joy out of the things you participate in in your life, it is meaningless to partake in those activities, and meaningless to your life. Someone's life is only meaningful when they find themselves loving something worthy of love and are able to do something positive about

This is the objective component, the measure of the worth of the things of which people care deeply about. Someone's life is only meaningful when they are “actively and lovingly engaged in projects of worth” (Wolf 35). Living for something larger than yourself is not about size, but about value. If you dedicate your life to a larger purpose, you life becomes meaningful. It becomes meaningful not just for you, but those around you as well. Both subjective attractiveness and objective attractiveness work together. If you lack one of the two you're life is meaningless. A life of passion could turn into a life of hedonism if you dedicate your time to living for the way you feel. Living a life worth something greater than yourself can become a tedious chore if you feel no passion towards it. I agree with Susan Wolf’s philosophy to what makes life meaningful because it makes