Lauener Foundation for Analytical Philosophy
Symposium
Thursday 25 August - Friday 26 August 2022
Haus der Universität, Bern, Switzerland
9th International Lauener Symposium on Analytical Philosophy
on Themes from Susan Wolf
Professor Samuel Scheffler
(New York University)
Wolf on Meaning
In the first section of this talk, I will summarize Susan Wolf’s account of meaningfulness in life. As I will indicate, I agree with some of the central claims she makes in the course of her discussion, and I believe those claims are both true and important. In the second section of the talk, I will explain how, in my own work, I arrive at similar conclusions by a different route, and I will briefly trace that route. I hope that doing so may serve both to reinforce Wolf’s arguments and to underline the appeal of her position by showing how different lines of thought converge on some of her main conclusions. In the final section, I will explain why, despite these important areas of agreement, I am reluctant to follow her in using the language of meaning and meaningfulness to formulate my view.
