Meaningfulness and its links with experience, language and emotion
In this thesis I am concerned with the possibility of meaningfulness of life: I examine sceptical problems which threaten the possibility of meaningfulness and then outline the basis of an account of meaningfulness. In part I I look at sceptical problems concerning the relationship between experience and reality. I argue that global scepticism about the external world can be ruled out. I then offer an inclusivist account of reality according to which the relationship between experience and reality is taken to be a relationship of part to whole and a corresponding 'containment' account of objectivity, enabling a number of problems concerning objectivity to be resolved and scepticism about the objectivity of meaningfulness and value to be refuted. In part III introduce language into the picture, considering the relationship between language and experience and also that between language and reality. In particular I look at sceptical problems concerning the relationship between our conceptual world and reality. In part III I argue that there is a need for emotional experience as a basis for meaningfulness of life, that without some deep or emotional experiences, whether personal, religious, aesthetic, epiphanic,
Kraus, Sharron A.
Life
Meaningfulness and its links with experience, language and emotion. In this thesis I am concerned with the possibility of meaningfulness of life: I examine sceptical problems which threaten the possibility of meaningfulness and then outline the basis of an account of meaningfulness. In part I I look at sceptical problems concerning the relationship between experience and reality. I argue that global scepticism about the external world can be ruled out. I then offer an inclusivist account of reality according to which the relationship between experience and reality is taken to be a relationship of part to whole and a corresponding 'containment' account of objectivity, enabling a number of problems concerning objectivity to be resolved and scepticism about the objectivity of meaningfulness and value to be refuted. In part III introduce language into the picture, considering the relationship between language and experience and also that between language and reality. In particular I look at sceptical problems concerning the relationship between our conceptual world and reality. In part III I argue that there is a need for emotional experience as a basis for meaningfulness of life, that without some deep or emotional experiences, whether personal, religious, aesthetic, epiphanic,
meaningfulness link experience language emotion concerned possibility meaningfulness life examine sceptical problem threaten possibility meaningfulness outline basis account meaningfulness part_look sceptical problem_concern relationship experience reality argue global scepticism external world rule out offer account reality accord relationship experience reality take relationship part_whole correspond containment account objectivity enable number problem_concern objectivity resolve scepticism objectivity meaningfulness value refute part_iii introduce language picture consider relationship language experience also language reality particular look sceptical problem_concern relationship conceptual world reality part_iii argue need emotional_experience basis meaningfulness life without deep emotional_experience whether personal religious aesthetic