University Press of America
Pages: 158
Trim: 6½ x 9¼
978-0-7618-5582-8 • Paperback • June 2011 • $44.99 • (£35.00)
Carlo Filice is professor of philosophy at SUNY Geneseo. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Champaign. His areas of expertise include philosophy of religion, ethics, and comparative religious ideas.
Part 1 Preface
Chapter 2 1. Why?
Chapter 3 2. Basic questions and basic answers
Chapter 4 3. The scientific no-purpose view
Chapter 5 4. The possible meaning of it all
Chapter 6 5. Divine motives
Chapter 7 6. Value as the key to it all
Chapter 8 7. The gods must recognize value
Chapter 9 8. Freedom is not arbitrariness
Chapter 10 9. Worlds as entertainment value
Chapter 11 10. Entertainment value leads to other forms of value
Chapter 12 11. Gods, imagined worlds, and participation
Chapter 13 12. Value is not merely in the eye of the beholder
Chapter 14 13. The gods must affirm the value of an inner life
Chapter 15 14. Feeling makes value
Chapter 16 15. Feeling makes value. Part two
Chapter 17 16. Feeling makes value. Part three
Chapter 18 17. Can we really imagine god-beings?
Chapter 19 18. Gods, longings, and action
Chapter 20 19. The life of an active god
Chapter 21 20. The gods as temporal beings
Chapter 22 21. Imagining a god and its temporal element. Part two
Chapter 23 22. Imagining a god and its temporal element. Part three
Chapter 24 23. A god needs worlds
Chapter 25 24. A god needs worlds. Part two
Chapter 26 25. More divine imaginings: variety
Chapter 27 26. More divine imaginings: surprise
Chapter 28 27. A first summary: we are here because we enhance value
Chapter 29 28. We are here because we enhance value. Part two
Chapter 30 29. The value of products
Chapter 31 30. The value of products. Part two
Chapter 32 31. Real versus phony accomplishing
Chapter 33 32. Agency
Chapter 34 33. Agency and advanced free will
Chapter 35 34. Reflection and multiple value standards
Chapter 36 35. Autonomy and the role of culture
Chapter 37 36. Autonomy and the sacred individual
Chapter 38 37. Sacred individuals
Chapter 39 38. Sacred individuals. Part two
Chapter 40 39. Human sacredness and divine sacredness
Chapter 41 40. Unfinished gods
Chapter 42 41. Human sacredness and animal sacredness
Chapter 43 42. Human sacredness and animal sacredness. Part two
Chapter 44 43. Sacredness and duties of moral agents
Chapter 45 44. Sacredness and institutional duties of moral agents
Chapter 46 45. Sacredness and the just society
Chapter 47 46. Sacredness and the just society. Part two
Chapter 48 47. Sacredness and the just society. Part three
Chapter 49 48. Sacredness and the just society. Part four
Chapter 50 49. If value drives this world, why is it such a mixed bag?
Chapter 51 50. Why a finite life?
Chapter 52 51. Why a finite life? Part two
Chapter 53 52. Combining finiteness and immortality
Chapter 54 53. Combining finiteness and immortality. Part two
Chapter 55 54. Why is this finite life so fragile and precarious?
Chapter 56 55. Why is life seemingly unfair?
Chapter 57 56. Why is life seemingly unfair? Part two
Chapter 58 57. Is a multiple-lives scheme itself fair?
Chapter 59 58. Is a multiple-lives scheme itself fair? Part two
Chapter 60 59. Is a multiple-lives scheme the best one?
Chapter 61 60. Child tragedies and one-life compensatory schemes
Chapter 62 61. Is a multiple-lives scheme the best one? Part two
Chapter 63 62. s a multiple-lives scheme the best one? Part three
Chapter 64 63. Is moral accomplishment the unique human purpose?
Chapter 65 64. Moral accomplishments and many lives: the multiple chances issue
Chapter 66 65. Moral accomplishments and many lives: fair and genuine testing
Chapter 67 66. We are here for more than moral purposes
Chapter 68 67. Our uniquely human purpose
Chapter 69 68. The end-game
Chapter 70 69. The horrors
Chapter 71 70. Massive harm to innocents caused by humans
Chapter 72 71. Massive harm to innocents caused by humans. Part two
Chapter 73 72. Natural massive harm to innocents
Chapter 74 73. Epilogue
Part 75 Selected Bibliography
Carlo Filice’s The Purpose of Life is an intriguing book for anyone who feels the pull of philosophy as the search for wisdom, and it would be a terrific book to use near the end of an introductory course in philosophy or even in a culminating experience for undergraduate majors. . . .[A] rich resource for teaching, as well as for personal reflection. . . .[The Purpose of Life is] exciting and very useful in drawing out the critical capacities and the imaginations of students.
— APA Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy
Filice's sweeping saga begins by assuming that the world bears inherent meaning and then works backwards to see what could make that possible. His approach is brilliant and innovative. Anyone interested in the topic of the meaning of life has strong reason to pay great attention to this account. . . . Believers in inherent cosmic meaning will relish the author's bold vision. Filice shoots the arrow of his longing heavenward and readers reap the rewards.
— Raymond Angelo Belliotti, distinguished teaching professor of philosophy, SUNY Fredonia, author of What is the Meaning of Human Life? and Happine