Anti-meaning and Meaning of Meaning Theories

The concept of "anti-meaning" or "negative meaning" has emerged as a novel idea in contemporary philosophy and discussions about the meaning of life. Scholars such as Metz, Landau, and particularly Nyholm and Campbell have explored and expanded on the theory of anti-meaning. Nyholm and Campbell have formulated the theory based on existing normative theories regarding life's meaning. This article aims to advance the discourse on anti-meaning by framing the concept within a meta-normative domain. At the meta-normative level, the term "meaning" in "the meaning of life" encompasses three distinct interpretations:1) Meaning as purpose 2) Meaning as value3) Meaning as comprehensibility.The concept of anti-meaning is structured according to these three interpretations:
- **Anti-meaning based on purpose** refers to a life characterized by conflicting and scattered goals.
- **Anti-meaning based on value** signifies a life that possesses negative value.
- **Anti-meaning based on comprehensibility** occurs when elements of anti-comprehension, such as contradictions in life and its narrative, are present. This framework provides a nuanced understanding of anti-meaning across different dimensions of life's meaning.