Conatus: THIRD EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

C O N A T U S

universe.

OR:

Quality/value/meaning/purpose is transcendent (as in the Platonic forms) but not supernatural.

OR:

Quality/value/meaning/purpose is given by God or gods (and therefore of a supernatural origin).

OR:

Quality/value/meaning/purpose is innate to humans (and possibly other sentient creatures). In this sense we define our own quality/value/meaning/purpose.

OR:

Quality/value/meaning/purpose is partly innate and partly derived from rational thought.

OR:

Quality/value/meaning/purpose is wholly derived from our own rational thought.

OR:

Quality/value/meaning/purpose is explained in some way we haven’t yet thought of.

People, I’d suggest, are okay with a personal meaning but are sceptical of this leading to any moral rules. Meaning can be personal (a personal narrative) but ethics and morality are not. Nonetheless, finding a meaning to one’s life can certainly be a step towards finding a purpose. The purpose here could be the concept of a life well-lived. The purpose remains just personal however — so I’m describing this as a ‘parochial purpose’.

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