Meaning in Life and Becoming More Fulfilled

Subjectivism about meaning in life remains a viable option, despite its relative unpopularity. Two arguments against it in the literature, the first by Susan Wolf and the second by Aaron Smuts and Antti Kauppinen, fail. Pace Wolf, lives devoted to activities of no objective value need not be pointless, unproductive, and futile, and so not prima facie meaningless; and, pace Smuts and Kauppinen, subjectivism is perfectly compatible with people being mistaken about how meaningful their own lives are. This paper elaborates a novel subjectivist view according to which becoming more fulfilled is what makes a life meaningful for a person. Becoming more fulfilled is a process that has being more fulfilled as its end-state, and, as with any process, it can come to a halt before it is complete. More substantively, this process is a dynamic interaction between a person and the activities she does that are of a goodness-fixing kind, wherein her doing them changes her cares in a way partly explained by her antecedently caring about doing activities of that kind. Finally, this paper shows why the becoming more fulfilled view is to be preferred to the standard subjectivist theory, the being fulfilled view, and how it produces intuitive results.

The Valuing Attitude

Ths chapter is the first of two that attempts to provide a theory of valuing, central to the subjectivist theory defended in Chapter Four. Against alternatives, this chapter argues that the best account of the nature of valuing is cognitive; a belief that the object or state in question is good.

Project-Oriented Subjectivism

This chapter presents a further refinement of the subjectivist theory of well-being defended here. I argue that we should treat a person’s long-term, valued projects as having special value; value that can outstrip the extent to which these projects are valued by the person in question. I outline and defend this view against more standard approaches to subjectivism with reference to the oft-theorized “shape of a life” phenomenon, and with reference to the lesser-theorized phenomenon of good deaths.

Many Roads Lead to Rome: How Human, Social, and Financial Capital Are Related to New Venture Survival

Given variance in entrepreneurs’ capital endowments, the question of sufficient (or insufficient) starting conditions enabling a pathway to survival is critical in entrepreneurship. Drawing on the subjectivist theory of entrepreneurship (STE), we adopt a configurational approach. Our results show how combinations of human and social capital are related to survival while overreliance on financial capital is not. From a subjectivist perspective, we reveal a potential gap between identifying and exploiting an opportunity. The findings provide some novel insights that help reframe conflicting results as to whether capital endowments are substitutes or complements.

A Stringent but Critical Actualist Subjectivism about Well-Being

Subjectivists about well-being claim that an object is good for someone if and only if this individual holds a certain type of pro-attitude toward this object. In this paper, I focus on the dispute among subjectivists that opposes those who think that the relevant pro-attitudes are actual to those who think that they are counterfactual under some idealized conditions. My main claim is that subjectivism should be stringently actualist, though our actual pro-attitudes may be criticized from an intrinsic perspective. To defend this claim, I first present three desiderata that a subjectivist theory of well-being should fulfil. Two of these desiderata result from the fact that a subjectivist theory of well-being should not be implicitly paternalist, while the other is that it should be able to play a normative role. I then show that several actualist theories that introduce light forms of idealization or other conditions that have a similar aim, fail to satisfy at least one of the antipaternalist desiderata. This gives some legitimacy to a very stringent version of actualism. I then describe three features of the kind of stringent actualism that I want to defend, which will explain the ability of what is good for someone to play its normative role. Finally, I show how these features allow us to deal with the classic objection that the objects of actual “defective attitudes” cannot be good for the holder of these pro-attitudes.

“Yes, the theory is abstemious, but...”

This article is a critique of Gal Yehezkel’s attempt to refute subjectivism about normative practical reasons, a school of thought inspired by Hume. Yehezkel believes reason, far from being, as Hume puts it, “the slave of the passions,” has the normative authority to be a critic of basic desires and argues that subjectivism lacks the theoretical resources both to acknowledge this alleged truth and to analyze the distinction between wanting an outcome and intending to pursue it. I contend his refutation fails, largely because it operates with a strikingly attenuated view of the subjectivist theory.

Multiple Perspectives on the Concept of Conditional Probability

Conditional probability is a key to the subjectivist theory of probability; however, it plays a subsidiary role in the usual conception of probability where its counterpart, namely independence is of basic importance. The paper investigates these concepts from various perspectives in order to shed light on their multi-faceted character. We will include the mathematical, philosophical, and educational perspectives. Furthermore, we will inspect conditional probability from the corners of competing ideas and solving strategies. For the comprehension of conditional probability, a wider approach is urgently needed to overcome the well-known problems in learning the concepts, which seem nearly unaffected by teaching.Conditional probability is a key to the subjectivist theory of probability; however, it plays a subsidiary role in the usual conception of probability where its counterpart, namely independence is of basic importance. The paper investigates these concepts from various perspectives in order to shed light on their multi-faceted character. We will include the mathematical, philosophical, and educational perspectives. Furthermore, we will inspect conditional probability from the corners of competing ideas and solving strategies. For the comprehension of conditional probability, a wider approach is urgently needed to overcome the well-known problems in learning the concepts, which seem nearly unaffected by teaching.

The Limits of Criminal Culpability

The authors of Crime and Culpability hold a subjectivist theory of criminal culpability according to which the core concept in culpability is subjective recklessness, negligence is not culpable, and it is irrelevant to culpability whether or not a criminal act results in harm. I argue against these three theses and criticize the authors’ views on the structure of criminal law, criminal defences, criminal attempts, and codification.

THE ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

This paper evaluates the contribution of creativity to entrepreneurship theory and practice in terms of building an holistic and transdisciplinary understanding of its impact. Acknowledgement is made of the subjectivist theory of entrepreneurship which embraces randomness, uncertainty and ambiguity but these factors should then be embedded in wider business and social contexts. The analysis is synthesised into a number of themes, from consideration of its definition, its link with personality and cognitive style, creativity as a process and the use of biography in uncovering data on creative entrepreneurial behaviour. Other relevant areas of discussion include creativity's link with motivation, actualisation and innovation, as well as the interrogation of entrepreneurial artists as owner/managers. These factors are embedded in a critical evaluation of how creativity contributes to successful entrepreneurship practice. Modelling, measuring and testing entrepreneurial creativity are also considered and the paper includes detailed consideration of several models of creativity in entrepreneurship. Recommendations for future theory and practice are also made.