What if happiness isn’t enough… and morality isn’t either?

Philosopher Susan Wolf argues that a meaningful life can’t be reduced to feeling good or being “good.” So what actually is meaning, and why do we need it?

Welcome back to Matters of Meaning. I’m Olivia Hicks, and today I’m joined by one of the most influential philosophers of our time: Susan Wolf. A Professor at UNC–Chapel Hill and author of the modern classic Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, Susan argues that meaningfulness is a distinct and vital dimension of a life well-lived.

In this warm and wide-ranging conversation, we explore:

• The Fitting Fulfillment View: Why meaning arises when subjective attraction meets objective attractiveness.

• The Trap of “Moral Saints”: How chasing moral perfection can lead us to overlook crucial non-moral goods.

• The Role of Love: Why devoting ourselves to things “worthy of love” shapes our existence.

Susan is as insightful as she is down-to-earth, and I hope this joyous conversation offers you as much clarity as it did for me.

Further Resources

• Meaning in Life and Why It Matters — Susan Wolf
• Moral Saints (essay) — Susan Wolf
• Sisyphus: The Meaning of Life — Richard Taylor
• Freedom and Fulfillment: Philosophical Essays (1992), especially “Absurd Self-Fulfillment” — Joel Feinberg