Torfinn Huvenes: "Subjectivity and Objectivity in the Evaluation of Meaning in Life"
Torfinn Huvenes will give a talk at the semester's first department seminar on Wednesday 15 September 18.15-20.00
Main content
An important debate in the contemporary literature on meaning in life is the debate between subjectivism and objectivism. According to
subjectivism, whether a life is meaningful depends exclusively on the mental states of the subject and their satisfaction. According to
objectivism, whether a life is meaningful depends at least in part on some further mind-independent factors. Objectivists argue that there is something missing from subjectivist views. I am going to argue that even if it is correct that there is something that is missing from
subjectivist views, it does not follow that meaning depends on something that is objective in the relevant sense. Instead, it could be that what is missing is something subjective in the evaluation or attribution of meaning in life.
