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
Results 6-10 of 83
Meaning in a Material World Owen Flanagan. grammatical relations , ethical relations ( action a is better than action b ) , and so on . There is nothing spooky about there being more relations that are real , and that matter , than ...
... ethics', 'science', and so on—is a superordi- nate term, as are 'vehicle' and 'job'. Cars, trains, airplanes, jets, motor- cycles, and rickshaws are all vehicles. A 2004 Vespa Serie Americana motor scooter is my vehicle. Fireman ...
... ethics ' and get into nitty - gritty discus- sions of , say , Plato's objections to poetry as it pertains to the moral ( mis- ) education of the youth , or of rap and hip - hop music as pernicious reinforcers of sexist or homophobic ...
... ethics and politics are , do , or are about . Similarly for the arts . Music , literature , poetry , painting , drama ( serious and comic ) , and dance are all ways in which and through which humans try to make meaning and sense ...
... ethics, religion, and politics are human practices. 5. The natural sciences and the human sciences can, in principle, describe and explain human nature and human practices. 6. Therefore, the sciences can explain, in principle, the ...
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 |