Topic

meaning

6 essays on meaning from the Consilium journal. Featuring Aristotle, Henry David Thoreau, Abraham Maslow. Each pits three thinkers against one hard question.


Career

Should I Take the Job That Pays More or the One That Matters?

Three thinkers on money and meaning at work. Aristotle says flourishing is not a feeling but an activity. Thoreau measures the cost in life, not dollars. Maslow says you might be afraid of what you actually want.

AristotleHenry David ThoreauAbraham Maslowmoneymeaning

Career

Should I Work Harder or Am I Working on the Wrong Thing?

Three thinkers on effort and direction. Maslow asks if the work serves what you could become. Russell says effort may be overvalued. Chekhov says state the problem correctly first.

Abraham MaslowBertrand RussellAnton ChekhovAmbitionMeaningExcellence

Loss

How Do You Keep Going When the Thing That Gave You Purpose Is Gone?

Three thinkers on lost purpose. Baldwin says face what happened fully. Russell says expand what you care about. Confucius says begin a practice before you feel ready.

James BaldwinBertrand RussellConfuciusPurposeResilienceMeaning

Career

What Do You Do When the Work You're Good At Makes You Miserable?

Three thinkers on competence and misery. Aristotle says examine the relationship to the work. Watts says you made it a performance. Horney says skill and wound arrived together.

AristotleAlan WattsKaren Horneyexcellencemeaning

Identity

How Do You Know If You're Depressed or Just Living Without Meaning?

Three thinkers on the line between depression and meaninglessness. Frankl looks for what's missing. Ellis examines the belief. Kierkegaard says despair is a signal.

Viktor FranklAlbert EllisSoren Kierkegaardmeaningdespair

Career

Is Success Making Me Miserable?

Three thinkers on winning and feeling empty. Csikszentmihalyi says you optimized the wrong variable. Socrates says examine yourself. Watts says stop chasing.

Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiSocratesAlan WattsAchievementMeaning

Related

Abraham Maslow Alan Watts Albert Ellis Anton Chekhov Aristotle Bertrand Russell Confucius Henry David Thoreau James Baldwin Karen Horney Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Socrates Soren Kierkegaard Viktor Frankl Achievement Ambition Excellence Purpose Resilience despair excellence money

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