Table of Contents

Preface
1: Introduction: The Meaning of life
Part 1: Meaning as One Part of a Good Life
2: The Concept of Meaning
3: The Bearer of Meaning
4: The Value of Meaning
Part 2: Supernaturalist Theories of Meaning in Life
5: Purpose Theory I: Questioning Motivations
6: Purpose Theory II: Advancing Objections
7: Non-Purposive Supernaturalism
8: Rejecting Supernaturalism
Part 3: Naturalist Theories of Meaning in Life
9: Subjectivism
10: Objectivism I: Being Attracted, Meriting Attraction, and Promoting Consequences
11: Objectivism II: Non-Consequentialism
12: Objectivism III: The Fundamentality Theory
13: Conclusion: the fine game of nil
Epilogue
Works Cited
Index

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*