The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material WorldA noted philosopher proposes a naturalistic (rather than supernaturalistic) way to solve the "really hard problem": how to live in a meaningful way—how to live a life that really matters—even as a finite material being living in a material world. If consciousness is "the hard problem" in mind science—explaining how the amazing private world of consciousness emerges from neuronal activity—then "the really hard problem," writes Owen Flanagan in this provocative book, is explaining how meaning is possible in the material world. How can we make sense of the magic and mystery of life naturalistically, without an appeal to the supernatural? How do we say truthful and enchanting things about being human if we accept the fact that we are finite material beings living in a material world, or, in Flanagan's description, short-lived pieces of organized cells and tissue? Flanagan's answer is both naturalistic and enchanting. We all wish to live in a meaningful way, to live a life that really matters, to flourish, to achieve eudaimonia—to be a "happy spirit." Flanagan calls his "empirical-normative" inquiry into the nature, causes, and conditions of human flourishing eudaimonics. Eudaimonics, systematic philosophical investigation that is continuous with science, is the naturalist's response to those who say that science has robbed the world of the meaning that fantastical, wishful stories once provided. Flanagan draws on philosophy, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and psychology, as well as on transformative mindfulness and self-cultivation practices that come from such nontheistic spiritual traditions as Buddhism, Confucianism, Aristotelianism, and Stoicism, in his quest. He gathers from these disciplines knowledge that will help us understand the nature, causes, and constituents of well-being and advance human flourishing. Eudaimonics can help us find out how to make a difference, how to contribute to the accumulation of good effects—how to live a meaningful life. |
From inside the book
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... something useful , something in the right direction , something that might matter to contributing to the realization of what is true , good , and beautiful . Introduction Within mind science , “ the hard problem ” X Acknowledgments.
... matter than what there is . Unlike consciousness , meaning isn't a matter of what there is or isn't . Meaning , if there is such a thing , involves more than what there is . Minimally it involves a truthful assessment of what liv- ing a ...
... matter ? " Consciousness exists , and if we accept Darwin's theory it probably serves a biological function . But whether meaning exists is controversial . We tell stories about what it is to live a meaningful life . But it is not clear ...
... matters , that makes a positive and lasting con- tribution , if my life is exhausted by my prospects as a finite ... matter , if when I die I am gone forever ? I aim to address these questions here . There are surprisingly favorable ...
... matter because they play a pivotal role in how we self - conceive . How we self - conceive matters greatly to how life seems or feels first - personally . Thus , how these images hang together or fail to hang together matters to how we ...
Contents
1 | |
The Comparative Consensus | 37 |
Buddhism and Science | 63 |
4 Normative Mind Science? Psychology Neuroscience and the Good Life | 107 |
5 Neuroscience Happiness and Positive Illusions | 149 |
6 Spirituality Naturalized? A Strong Cat without Claws | 183 |
Notes | 221 |
Bibliography | 265 |
Index | 285 |