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Anti-Meaning and Why It Matters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2015

STEPHEN M. CAMPBELL  and
SVEN NYHOLM
STEPHEN M. CAMPBELL
Affiliation:
BENTLEY UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIAs.campbell80@gmail.com
SVEN NYHOLM
Affiliation:
EINDHOVEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGYs.r.nyholm@tue.nl
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Abstract:

It is widely recognized that lives and activities can be meaningful or meaningless, but few have appreciated that they can also be anti-meaningful. Anti-meaning is the polar opposite of meaning. Our purpose in this essay is to examine the nature and importance of this new and unfamiliar topic. In the first part, we sketch four theories of anti-meaning that correspond to four leading theories of meaning. In the second part, we argue that anti-meaning has significance not only for our attempts to theorize about meaning in life but also for our ability to lead meaningful lives in the modern world.

Keywords

meaning in lifeanti-meaningwell-beingharmmorality
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of the American Philosophical Association , Volume 1 , Issue 4 , Winter 2015 , pp. 694 - 711
Copyright
Copyright © American Philosophical Association 2015 

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