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Single Idea 3263

[filed under theme 22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / f. Altruism ]

Full Idea

If no one's life has any meaning in itself, how can it acquire meaning through devotion to the meaningless lives of others?

Gist of Idea

If our own life lacks meaning, devotion to others won't give it meaning

Source

Thomas Nagel (The View from Nowhere [1986], XI.2)

Book Ref

Nagel,Thomas: 'The View from Nowhere' [OUP 1989], p.217

A Reaction

This is one of the paradoxes of compassion. The other is that the virtue requires other people to be in need of help, which can't be a desirable situation.

The 24 ideas from 'The View from Nowhere'

3240 There is more insight in fundamental perplexity about problems than in their supposed solutions [Nagel]
3242 Philosophy is the childhood of the intellect, and a culture can't skip it [Nagel]
3241 It seems mad, but the aim of philosophy is to climb outside of our own minds [Nagel]
22429 We achieve objectivity by dropping secondary qualities, to focus on structural primary qualities [Nagel]
3244 Personal identity cannot be fully known a priori [Nagel]
3245 The question of whether a future experience will be mine presupposes personal identity [Nagel]
3246 I can't even conceive of my brain being split in two [Nagel]
20989 Views are objective if they don't rely on a person's character, social position or species [Nagel]
22354 Things cause perceptions, properties have other effects, hence we reach a 'view from nowhere' [Nagel, by Reiss/Sprenger]
3248 Realism invites scepticism because it claims to be objective [Nagel]
3247 Epistemology is centrally about what we should believe, not the definition of knowledge [Nagel]
3249 Modern science depends on the distinction between primary and secondary qualities [Nagel]
3251 Observed regularities are only predictable if we assume hidden necessity [Nagel]
3252 Scepticism is based on ideas which scepticism makes impossible [Nagel]
3254 If we can decide how to live after stepping outside of ourselves, we have the basis of a moral theory [Nagel]
3255 We find new motives by discovering reasons for action different from our preexisting motives [Nagel]
3256 Pain doesn't have a further property of badness; it gives a reason for its avoidance [Nagel]
3257 Total objectivity can't see value, but it sees many people with values [Nagel]
3258 If cockroaches can't think about their actions, they have no duties [Nagel]
3261 Something may be 'rational' either because it is required or because it is acceptable [Nagel]
3262 Utilitarianism is too demanding [Nagel]
3264 We should see others' viewpoints, but not lose touch with our own values [Nagel]
3263 If our own life lacks meaning, devotion to others won't give it meaning [Nagel]
3265 We don't worry about the time before we were born the way we worry about death [Nagel]