Nothingness and the Meaning of Life : Philosophical Approaches to Ultimate Meaning Through Nothing and Reflexivity

"What is the meaning of life? Does anything really matter? In the past few decades these questions, perennially associated with philosophy in the popular consciousness, have rightly retaken their place as central topics in the academy. In this major contribution, Nicholas Waghorn provides a sustained and rigorous elucidation of what it would take for lives to have significance. Bracketing issues about ways our lives could have more or less meaning, the focus is rather on the idea of ultimate meaning, the issue of whether a life can attain meaning that cannot be called into question. Waghorn sheds light on this most fundamental of existential problems through a detailed yet comprehensive examination of the notion of nothing, embracing classic and cutting-edge literature from both the analytic and Continental traditions. Central figures such as Heidegger, Carnap, Wittgenstein, Nozick and Nagel are drawn upon to anchor the discussion in some of the most influential discussion of recent philosophical history. In the process of relating our ideas concerning nothing to the problem of life's meaning, Waghorn's book touches upon a number of fundamental themes, including reflexivity and its relation to our conceptual limits, whether religion has any role to play in the question of life's meaning, and the nature and constraints of philosophical methodology. A number of major philosophical traditions are addressed, including phenomenology, poststructuralism, and classical and paraconsistent logics. In addition to providing the most thorough current discussion of ultimate meaning, it will serve to introduce readers to philosophical debates concerning the notion of nothing, and the appendix engaging religion will be of value to both philosophers and theologians."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 7 Introduction: A Crisis in Meaning 8 Part 1 Getting Us Nowhere – The Geography of Nothingness 14 Chapter 1 Heidegger and the Evolution of das Nichts 16 Chapter 2 Strange Bedfellows: Carnap and Derrida’s Critiques of the Heideggerian Nothing 36 Part 2 Think Nothing Of It – The Conceptuality of Nothingness 54 Chapter 3 Nothing Under the Microscope 56 Chapter 4 To Be AND Not to Be – Is that the Answer? 92 Chapter 5 Feeling Nothing: Is the Affective Effective? 109 Chapter 6 Arguing – Avoid! 132 Part 3 Nothing To Do With Me – The Application of Nothingness 166 Chapter 7 The Quest for Meaning 168 Chapter 8 Divine Inspiration? On Religion as a Source of Meaning 200 Concluding Speculations 235 Notes 240 Bibliography 294 Index 304 Machine Generated Contents Note: Pt. 1 Getting Us Nowhere -- The Geography Of Nothingness -- 1. Heidegger And The Evolution Of Das Nichts -- 2. Strange Bedfellows: Carnap And Derrida's Critiques Of The Heideggerian Nothing -- Pt. 2 Think Nothing Of It -- The Conceptuality Of Nothingness -- 3. Nothing Under The Microscope -- 4. To Be And Not To Be -- Is That The Answer? -- 5. Feeling Nothing: Is The Affective Effective? -- 6. Arguing -- Avoid! -- Pt. 3 Nothing To Do With Me -- The Application Of Nothingness -- 7. The Quest For Meaning -- 8. Divine Inspiration? On Religion As A Source Of Meaning. Nicholas Waghorn. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.