U4 AOS1 - WOLF

Question 1

according to wolf, what are the two commonly accepted philosophical models of humn motivation?

Answer 1

Egoism - ie. Humans are motivated by self interest and seek to maximise their own welfare.

Something higher - ie. beyond just ourselves, by what is morally good and reasonable from the point of view of the universe. (she calls this the dualistic model)

Question 2

what does Wolf say is left out by these two models?

Answer 2

reasons and motives that shape our lives.
That is, reasons and motives that engage us in the activities that make life worth living, and give us reason to go on.
She calls these reasons/motives reasons of love.

Question 3

to Wolf, what are impersonal reasons of love, give an example?

Answer 3

Those that are interpersonal in nature and come from our love for others whom we care deeply about.

For example, visiting a sick sibling, staying up all night sewing a costume for your daughter. In these cases you are not acting out of self interest or any sort of moral duty, rather you are acting out of love.

Question 4

to Wolf, what are non personal reasons of love, example?

Answer 4

Those that are non personal activities for which we feel a particular passion.

For example, writing philosophy, playing the cello, keeping your garden free of weeds. Again these can’t be because of self interest as they aren’t overly pleasant, nor are they a moral duty. Rather we are motivated by passion and love for the activity or its end.

Question 5

what does Wolf say are the three implications of doing things for reasons of love?

Answer 5

She asserts that not all actions motivated by reasons of love are good,

and our love for something or someone does not ensure that you know what is actually good for them. Eg. you may spoil your child, or over water your plants.

Also, love can be misplaced or misguided. Eg. a wonderful woman may give up her career and friendships to serve a man that others see as undeserving of her.

Question 6

how does Wolf define meaningfulness?

Answer 6

That which arises from loving objects worthy of love and engaging with them in a positive way.

Question 7

to Wolf, what are the two components of her definition of meaningfulness?

Answer 7

Firstly, love is at least partially subjective as it involves our own attitudes and feelings.

Secondly, worthy of love however implies an objective standard.

Thus, meaning arises when subjective attraction meets objective attractiveness.

Question 8

what is the subjective condition for meaning according to Wolf?

Answer 8

The subjective condition - it doesn’t matter what you do as long as it’s something you love. Don’t get stuck into doing something just because it is conventionally recognised as good or expected of you, you must do what you’re passionate about.

Question 9

what is the objective condition for meaning according to Wolf?

Answer 9

The objective condition - a good life involves being a part of something larger than one self. Contributing to something whose value is independent of oneself. Eg. sports, community service.

Question 10

what human views does Wolf say support her claim that subjective and objective conditions are necessary for meaning?

Answer 10

When we consider our own life, we would say it lacks meaning because we are dissatisfied with the subjective quality, but when we consider the lives of others, we determine its meaningfulness based on objective value.

Question 11

what is the myth of sysiphus in Wolfs text?

Answer 11

perfect example of a meaningless existence. Condemned to the endless cycle of rolling a stone up a huge hill only for it to roll down again.

Question 12

what is the fulfilment view according to Wolf?

Answer 12

popular conception of meaningfulness as that which is discovered through finding one’s passion. This stresses the subjective element.

Question 13

what does Wolf say is good about the fulfilment view?

Answer 13

Wolf acknowledges the appeal/plausibility of this view, which she believes rests on the supposition that doing what one loves will engender positive feelings. The reason one should find passion is because doing so will give life a particular type of good feeling. Such feelings are the opposite of the very bad feelings of boredom and alienation.

the fact that we would put up with a great deal of stress, anxiety, and vulnerability, in order to pursue our passions, seems to substantiate the view that fulfilment is a great and distinctive good in life.

Question 14

what does Wolf say is bad about the fulfilment view?

Answer 14

although fulfilment = good feelings, good feelings do not = fulfilment.
There are many good feelings that perhaps are classified more as pleasures that do not contribute to a sense of fulfilment, such as eating hot fudge, riding a rollercoaster, finding a dress on sale.
Further, someone whose life is fulfilling doesn’t guarantee that they are happy in the conventional sense of the term. Many things that grip us make us vulnerable to pain, disappointment and stress eg. writing a book, training for a triathlon.

Question 15

why does Wolf say that the fulfilment view alone is inadequate? What examples does she us?

Answer 15

it is inadequate as it suggests the only thing that matters is the subjective quality of one’s life. Ie. the subjective feeling of fulfilment. There could be worthless or bad activities that nonetheless give fulfilment to a person.

To back this she uses her examples
1. potsmoker
2. crossword devotee
3. man who devotes his life to producing handwritten copies of war and peace.
4. women who is extremely dedicated to her pet gold fish

Even if we agree that these people are experiencing genuine fulfilment, are their lives really the best they can be?

Question 16

what is Richard Taylors Myth of Sisyphus thought experiment?

Answer 16

Sisyphus in the ancient myth is condemned to an existence that is generally thought to be awful and meaningless.
Taylor however suggests a thought experiment in which the Gods take pity on Sisyphus and inject a substance into him that transforms him into someone who loves stone rolling more than anything else, and is completely fulfilled by it. It is his passion. So what do we think of him? Has his life changed from unfortunate to exceptionally good? Taylor thinks so, but Wolf disgarees.

Question 17

what is wolfs response to taylors myth of sisyphus thpught experiment?

Answer 17

She argues that his existence remains meaningless, as the change of his perspective on stone rolling, doesn’t change stone rolling itself, it’s just as meaningless as before his view changed. So given that from Sisyphus’ perspective his life is as good as it can be, means that the thing his life is lacking must be objective in nature.

Question 18

what is the Larger than onself view in Wolfs text?

Answer 18

the best sort of life is one that is involved in, or contributes to, something larger than oneself.

Question 19

how does Wolf say we should interpret the larger than oneself view?

Answer 19

Wolf promotes the interpretation that we should get involved with something other than oneself, something the value of which is independent of, and has a source outside of oneself.

Question 20

what is Wolfs bipartite conception of meaningfulness?

Answer 20

a meaningful life is a life that:
1. The subject finds fulfilling.
2. Contributes or connects positively with something the value of which has its source outside the subject.

Although these, according to Wolf, are the criteria for a good life, they are not to be considered separately, they require each other. Wolf’s conception of meaningfulness sees subjective and objective elements fitting together to produce a coherent feature a life might or might not possess.

Question 21

what does Wolf say is a weakness of the larger than onself view?

Answer 21

its possible a person could be unintentionally contributiing to something larger than oneself

If the person contributing to the benefit of something other than himself was not aware of the value of his actions then you wouldn’t say they have a meaningful life.
Eg. If a pot smoker was unintentionally easing the pain of an AIDs victim with their secondary smoke, without realising or caring about the external benefit they are producing, it is hard to see why we would consider this life meaningful.

Question 22

according to Wolf, what is another weakness of the larger than onself view?

Answer 22

Even in cases where involvement with something larger is less accidental and the individual is well aware of the value of their work, there is limited increase in the quality of their lives if they are not engaged with the work in which they are involved or see its value, we would hardly call it meaningful.

Eg. people who do valuable work but don’t care or take pride in it. Alienated housewife, conscripted soldier, assembly line worker. They can know it’s valuable, but still feel like their lives lack meaning.

Question 23

whats something that Wolf sees as further support of her argument that subjective and objective should be seen as operating in conjunction?

Answer 23

when the recommendation to get involved in something larger than you is offered as a way to find meaningfulness, it is implied that it will make one feel good and they will find some subjective value. Similarly, when someone suggests that you find your passion and go for it, there is also a hope that it will have some objective value.

Question 24

according to Wolf, how does her view of meaningfulness correspond with human natures and needs?

Answer 24

She draws on the human tendency to try see ourselves from an external point of view - what Nagel calls the view from nowhere - as well as the human need for self esteem ie. We want to see ourselves and our lives as good, valuable, and a rightful source of pride. We also want to see that what we do is valuable to others and be a part of a community that recognises it and shares our values. She says these are products of the fact that we are social animals and desire not to be alone.

Question 25

how does Wolf defend her argument against the claim that it is a bourgeois preoccupation?

Answer 25

by saying that while it may be true that an interest in a meaningful life does not surface until our basic needs are met, it does not mean we should dismiss it.

Meaning in life is secondary to survival, however there is no reason to dismiss it

Question 26

what is a criticism of Wolfs argument that reasons of love don’t align with self interest or moral duty?

Answer 26

It is difficult to see that Wolf’s gets clear of self-interest or sense of duty when discussing love as a separate motivation. Do you not have a sense of duty to your family? Does it not make you feel good to help someone? Is there not some level of self interest or moral duty in doing things out of love

Has she really managed to separate reasons of love from both self interest and duty.

Question 27

what is a criticism of Wolfs argument that we should contribute to something larger than onself?

Answer 27

The potential conflict between our self-interest and activities ‘larger than oneself’ may see us ignore our own needs and do greater harm. Eg. needing to help other people as a doctor in a hospital may see you neglect your own health. Focusing too much on the objective, better thing to do, may see us neglect our own needs, so it should be okay to be selfish sometimes?

Question 28

what is a criticism of Wolfs argument that things are only worthy of love if they satisfy an objective standard?

Answer 28

Is it problematic to argue that activities pursued for enjoyment (i.e. pot smoking or doing crosswords) are not ‘worthy of love’ because they do not fulfil an objective standard?
Is it fair to judge what is worthy of our love based on an objective standard?Is it really about others making that decision? How do we know if others find it worthy?

Question 29

what is a criticism of Wolfs argument that the fulfilment view is inadequate?

Answer 29

It is problematic that a meaningful life must be somewhat decided by others.
A pleasant life can be a good life (avoiding suffering can be beneficial). We want to avoid trauma.

Question 30

what is a criticism of Wolfs argument that we can find meaning in non-personal activities?

Answer 30

It may be dangerous to argue we can find meaningfulness in non-personal activities (of object value) alone - we have social needs (Maslow’s Hierarchy). If we only found subjective value in non personal activities it would be lonely.

ie. we could satisfy the subjective condition with non personal only

Question 31

what is a criticism of Wolf saying that we should do things society approves of?

Answer 31

What if you don’t share society’s values? What if the society you live in discriminates against minorities.