I left academia in the summer of 2022. Since then, I do philosophy in the world
The consensus view is that the two questions are fundamentally distinct and theoretically separate – you can have a meaningful life in a meaningless universe, and vice versa.
Pranay Sanklecha • I left academia in the summer of 2022. Since then, I do philosophy in the world
If you assume that meaning in life is something that is sometimes actually realised in individual lives, it makes perfect sense to try to find examples of those lives in which it is realised so that you can then start identifying some general features of meaningful lives.
Pranay Sanklecha • I left academia in the summer of 2022. Since then, I do philosophy in the world
No, nowadays – and ironically for a tradition that prides itself on ruthless thought and hard-edged precision – analytic philosophy is basically just a vibe
Pranay Sanklecha • I left academia in the summer of 2022. Since then, I do philosophy in the world
Questions about the meaning of life refer to the question of whether human life as such has a meaning, or whether the universe does. It’s a holistic kind of question. Meaning in life, on the other hand, refers to the ‘individualistic’ question of how and where and whether individuals can find meaning in their own lives.
Pranay Sanklecha • I left academia in the summer of 2022. Since then, I do philosophy in the world
good point to keep in mind when writing
For instance, Wolf, the doyenne of the field, proposes the theory that ‘meaningfulness consists in active engagement in projects or activities of worth’. She recognises the threat of nihilism and accepts that her theory ‘would be utterly destroyed if it turned out there were no such things as projects or activities of worth at all’. Her response is
... See morePranay Sanklecha • I left academia in the summer of 2022. Since then, I do philosophy in the world
get as close as you can to that which sparks your curiosity
I had been enduring a crisis of meaning. I wanted to live a life that mattered, to do things that were valuable – and I was increasingly haunted by the suspicion that nothing really mattered, that everything was ultimately meaningless.
Pranay Sanklecha • I left academia in the summer of 2022. Since then, I do philosophy in the world
pkm as
The longer I spent trying to figure out what would be valuable to other people, the more lost I became
Pranay Sanklecha • I left academia in the summer of 2022. Since then, I do philosophy in the world
pkm is a way to retreat into yourself safely