A Nihilist's Guide to Meaning

Kevin Simler · 11 Jul 2016

Kevin Simler did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
Something is perceived as meaningful in a given context to the extent that it is connected to other meaningful things in that context.

Their wordsA thing X will be perceived as meaningful in context C to the extent that it's connected to other meaningful things in C.
Our reading
Meaning is entangled with external reality, so a person can be mistaken about how meaningful something in their life actually is.

Their wordsMeaning, on the other hand, is entangled with external reality, making it possible to be wrong about it.
Our reading
Fame amplifies the meaning of work that is already meaningful, rather than creating meaning on its own.

Their wordsBut I think it's more accurate to say that fame enhances meaning, perhaps by acting as a scaling factor.

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