Abstract

How does meaningfulness relate to morality? Despite several works on this topic, the relationship remains not only controversial but also strangely undefined within the field of objectivist theories of meaning in life. Moreover, some authors define the relationship contradictorily: on one hand, moral action is understood as a branch of a meaningful life, and on the other, meaningfulness is understood as a distinct dimension of value that stands alongside morality. In this paper, I examine this contradiction to redefine the relationship between meaningfulness and morality. I resolve the contradiction by rejecting the distinctness claim and developing an understanding of meaningfulness as a comprehensive value that includes morality. The paper will also present the advantages that this approach offers and its defences against various possible objections.