The Search for Meaning - Hardcover

Naylor, Thomas H.; Willimon, William H.; Naylor, Magdalena R.

3.53

15 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0687025869 ISBN 13: 9780687025862

Publisher: Abingdon Pr, 1994

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Close your eyes. Imagine that you are a European on a voyage of discovery during the time before Columbus. Your ship is destroyed by a violent storm. You are the lone survivor. Miraculously, the piece of ship's debris washes ashore onto an uninhabited tropical island.
The lush island is full of fruits, nuts, and berries; an abundance of wildlife; and plenty of fresh water. There are caves to protect you from storms and animals. Physical survival poses no problem.
There is only one hitch. Not only are you the island's only inhabitant, but no one knows you are there. You are presumed to have been lost at sea. There is no reason whatsoever to assume that another ship will ever pass your way before you die, since Europeans have not yet discovered America and such voyages are rare. You will never see another human being for the rest of your life.
What would you do? How would you survive emotionally? What would make your life worthwhile? Is meaning possible without any human connectedness?
Welcome to The Search for Meaning, a seven-step process that involves coming to grips with what it means to be a human being who lives, loves, works, plays, suffers, and dies. Will Willimon, Thomas Naylor, and Magdalena Naylor guide us as we review our life histories; come to terms with meaninglessness in our lives; confront separation from ourselves and others; contemplate the consequences of merely having; seek meaning through being; formulate a personal philosophy; and devise a personal strategy to address the most important quest human beings face - the need for our lives to have enduring meaning.

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About the Author:

Thomas H. Naylor, Ph.D., is Professor of Economics at Duke University.

From Library Journal:

This book grew out of an undergraduate seminar at Duke University, taught during Operation Desert Storm by an economist and a theologian; later, a psychiatrist from Warsaw joined the seminar faculty. These authors present very clearly not only the meaninglessness, alienation, and acquisitiveness of modern life but also its consequences--orthodoxy, hedonism, narcissism, and health fetishism. Believing that being, rather than having, is the key to meaning, the authors discuss meaningful work, helpful tools in the search for meaning (e.g., psychotherapy, literature, art, religion, education), and the development of soul. This book never imposes an ideology or doctrines of any religion, but it does guide the reader toward honest searching. Highly recommended for all libraries.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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