What makes a person's life meaningful? Thaddeus Metz offers a new answer to an ancient question which has recently returned to the philosophical agenda. He proceeds by examining what, if anything, all the conditions that make a life meaningful have in common. The outcome of this process is a philosophical theory of meaning in life. He starts by evaluating existing theories in terms of the classic triad of the good, the true, and the beautiful. He considers whether meaning in life might be about such principles as fulfilling God's purpose, obtaining reward in an afterlife for having been virtuous, being attracted to what merits attraction, leaving the world a better place, connecting to organic unity, or transcending oneself by connecting to what is extensive. He argues that no extant principle satisfactorily accounts for the three-fold significance of morality, enquiry, and creativity, and that the most promising theory is a fresh one according to which meaning in life is a matter of intelligence contoured toward fundamental conditions of human existence.

About the Author
Thaddeus Metz is Humanities Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He is the author of around one hundred professional journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopaedia entries, on a variety of topics in ethical, political, and legal philosophy.

Reviews
Meaning in Life has many good features. It is comprehensive, meticulous, and argumentative. Metz seems to have read everything anyone has ever written about the topic and has a thoughtful opinion on every claim. There is no volume that would work better as a textbook for a class on meaningfulness. * Antti Kauppinen, Ethics *
After decades of surprising neglect, the topic of life's meaning is again a central part of analytic moral philosophy. Thaddeus Metz can take much of the credit for this development and his new book is set to become the standard and indispensible reference point for the topic. * Samantha Vice, Mind *
The new account of meaningfulness he suggests in this book and the meticulous analyses he offers of previous accounts are a very significant contribution to the field. Future philosophical research on meaning in life will have to take account of his innovative and high-quality research. * Iddo Landau, Religious Studies *
there has been a resurgence of interest among professional philosophers in the meaning of life. No one has done more to contribute to the growing body of literature on the topic than Thaddeus Metz. His new book is an important, deeply engaging, and first-rate contribution to the literature on the meaning of life. * Stewart Goetz, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198748014
Author Thaddeus Metz
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 157mm * 16mm