Can the meaning of life arise from acting out of “reasons of love” and engaging with loving worthy objects (Wolf)? Meaning in life and why it matters, one of American philosopher Susan Wolf’s major works, discusses what it means for a life to be meaningful and proposes her structure for it—the Fitting Fulfillment View. This paper begins with a reconstruction of Wolf’s Fitting Fulfillment View. The remainder of the paper focuses on how an additional Positive Response component is required for the Fitting Fulfillment View to be sufficient, while considering objections to times when there is no response, and whether this amended view is too dependent on the evaluation of others. Thus, Wolf’s Fitting Fulfillment View is not sufficient for meaning to arise, as individuals’ subjective preferences can conflict with objective attractiveness. 

Wolf mentions two common philosophical models for evaluating human motivations: egoism, which involves acting in one’s self-interest, and dualism, which involves acting both for self-interest and for something “higher”, such as a sense of duty (Wolf). She argues that these two models omit motivations beyond happiness and morality, one of which is acting out of “reasons of love”. However, she acknowledges that acting out of passion alone is insufficient to create meaningfulness if the action itself is not worth doing, as these two components are inextricably linked. If something is subjectively attractive to a person, then pursuing it can be considered as acting out of “reasons of love”. If something is objectively attractive, it is worthy of love. If it is meaningful, then it is both done out of “reasons of love” and is worthy of love. The argument concludes that meaningfulness arises when something is both subjectively and objectively attractive. Wolf defines this as the Fitting Fulfillment View. 

The mere convergence of subjective attraction and objective attractiveness is not sufficient for meaningfulness to arise. Consider, for example, teaching your elderly grandfather how to use modern technology. You may be passionate about exploring new technology and it would be objectively worthwhile to help your grandfather keep up with societal changes. However, if he is used to living a technology-free life and despises anything that changes his lifestyle, the action would not be meaningful because the recipient would not benefit from it. Meaningfulness does not arise in scenarios where individual circumstances or preferences conflict with subjective attraction and objective attractiveness. Objective attractiveness suggests that an object is good, but does not guarantee a positive outcome. At the same time, it would not be subjectively fulfilling to pursue an action while knowing that it will not lead to a good outcome. 

Therefore, for the Fitting Fulfillment View to sufficiently create meaningfulness, an additional component is required—the Positive Response, which promises the confirmation of a good outcome. The idea of Positive Response appears to be similar to the concept of Good Cause in the Good Cause Account, which defines the meaning of one’s life by the amount of good they promote (Smuts 536). The Positive Response has been designed to contribute to the same objective evaluation while seeking to eliminate uncertainty about whether the good cause was done intentionally, by requiring a subjective attraction.  

It is possible that a certain degree of skepticism may arise in relation to an activity that has been done but not acknowledged. This could be because the occurrence had not been seen or observed, or the action is not directed at someone. Firstly, the occurrence does not necessarily have to be seen to cause an impact. If a person were to plant a tree in the wild, that person would still make an impact even if no one were there to see it. The Positive Response would be the growth of the tree. Secondly, the action does not have to be directed at a person; it can be directed at any given entity, such as a tree growing in the forest. 

For instance, if you are passionate about becoming a mathematician and studying mathematics is objectively valuable, then the Positive Response would be getting good math grades. An additional human recipient is not necessarily required to be there. It is important to be aware that even though there may be no response, everything we commit ourselves to has an impact. Even something as small as a butterfly flapping its wings could lead to a hurricane.

There may be other objections that the idea of Wolf’s Fitting Fulfillment View and Positive Response is overly dependent on the evaluation of others, which could make us take actions that are not virtuous. An example of this is whether someone will appreciate you for stealing test answers for them, which can bring a Positive Response to a not-so-positive action. In defense, this action does not seem objectively valuable. Thus, to avoid exploitation for obtaining a Positive Response, the components should be evaluated in a specific order: first, subjective attraction, to make sure the source of meaning is directed toward you; second, objective attractiveness, to guarantee that there is a morally good initiation; and lastly, a Positive Response, serving as a confirmation of impact.

The Fitting Fulfillment View becomes sufficient only when paired with the additional requirement that one’s pursuit results in a Positive Response, which eliminates the circumstance where individual preferences may conflict with objective attractiveness. This newly constructed view must be assessed in a specific order to prevent exploitation. Only when these conditions are all satisfied can meaningfulness genuinely arise. 

Works Cited

Smuts, Aaron. “The Good Cause Account of the Meaning of Life.” Southern Journal of Philosophy, vol. 51, no. 4, 2013, pp. 536-62, https://doi.org/10.1111/sjp.12044. 

“Susan Wolf.” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, philosophy.unc.edu/people/susan-wolf/.

Wolf, Susan. “Meaning in Life and Why It Matters.” Princeton University Press eBooks, 2010, doi:10.2307/j.ctt7t3cm.