Iddo Landau
Biographic Data
| ID | 3955848 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Iddo Landau |
| GIVEN NAMES | Iddo |
| FAMILY NAME | Landau |
| SIGNATURE | LANDAU I |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Haifa |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6238-8632 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1996 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Competitive Value, Noncompetitive Value, and Life's Meaning
This paper explores the notions of competitive and noncompetitive value and examines how they both affect meaning in life. The paper distinguishes, among other things, between engaging with competitive value and participating in a competition; between competitive value and comparative value; between competing with others and competing with oneself; and between subjective and objective aspects of both competitive and noncompetitive value. Since an…
The Oxford Handbook of Meaning in Life
This volume presents thirty-two essays on a wide array of topics in modern philosophical meaning in life research. The essays are organized into six parts. Part I, Understanding Meaning in Life, focuses on various ways of conceptualizing meaning in life. Among other issues, it discusses whether meaning in life should be understood objectively or subjectively, the relation between importance and meaningfulness, and whether meaningful lives should …
Oxford Handbook of Meaning in Life
Is Meaning in Life Constituted by Value or Intelligibility
Several authors have recently argued that intelligibility, rather than value, constitutes life’s meaning. In this paper I criticize the intelligibility view by offering examples of cases in which intelligibility and meaningfulness rates do not coincide. I show this for both meaning in life and meaning of life; under both naturalist and supernaturalist assumptions; and in ways relevant to subjectivists, objectivists, and hybridists. I show why the…
Externalism, internalism, and meaningful lives
This paper argues that participants in the subjectivism/objectivism/hybridism debate, a central issue in recent meaning in life research, conflate two different distinctions marked by the terms objective and subjective , one having to do with the question of whether life's meaningfulness depends on factors internal or external to the agent, the other having to do with the question of whether there is any ‘absolute’ as opposed to ‘relative’ truth …
Problems in Levinas
Emmanuel Levinas is one of the most elaborately discussed moral philosophers of recent decades, and his philosophy has many adherents. I believe, however, that the scholarly literature on his work is overly expository and insufficiently critical. In this article I try to take some steps toward filling this gap in Levinas scholarship. My aim is not to present another exegetical account of Levinas’s philosophy but rather to point at under-discussed…
Two Arguments for the Badness and Meaninglessness of Life
Viktor Frankl on all people’s freedom to find their lives meaningful
According to Viktor Frankl, although people are not always free to choose the conditions in which they find themselves, they are always free to choose their attitude towards these conditions and, thus, are always free to find their lives meaningful. This basic tenet of Frankl’s theory is also often repeated approvingly in the secondary literature. I argue that the claim is wrong; not all people are free to find their lives meaningful. Counterexam…
The Case for Technological Mysticism
There is significant empirical evidence that some types of physical incitement may spur mystical enlightenment. In a matter of a few years, technology may well provide people with a reliable, easy, and safe way to attain mystical experiences. Suppose it were technologically very easy to attain mystical enlightenment by, say, activating an electronic device that temporarily stimulated certain areas in the brain. If such an option were available, s…
After postmodernism: Meaning of life and education
After postmodernism: meaning of life and education." Educational Philosophy and Theory, 50(14), pp. 1539–1540
Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World
After explaining what meaning in life is, the book moves to criticizing certain presuppositions about the meaning of life that unnecessarily lead many people to believe that their lives are meaningless. Among others, it criticizes perfectionism about meaning in life, namely, the assumption that meaningful lives must include some perfection or some rare and difficult achievements. It then responds to recurring arguments made by people who take the…
Recognizing
Some find their lives insufficiently meaningful because they do not sense the meaning already present in their lives. They accept that some things are meaningful only in an alienated, theoretical manner that leaves them empty. Terming the overcoming of this numbness or alienation recognizing, this chapter explains why we often fail to recognize meaning and suggests ways of resensitizing ourselves to it. Among other ways, the chapter discusses tak…
Death and Annihilation II
While the previous chapter responded to arguments that, it was claimed, fail to show that life can be meaningful despite our mortality, this chapter presents an argument that succeeds at showing this. True, death diminishes meaning, and an infinite life would have been more meaningful than a finite one. But this does not mean that a finite life is devoid of all meaning (unless, of course, one is a perfectionist). A finite life can have considerab…
Conceptualizing great meaning in life: Metz on the good, the true, and the beautiful
This article is a reply to Thaddeus Metz's ‘The good, the true, and the beautiful’ (2011). I suggest that Metz's theory is too broad since it entails that merely understanding Einstein's or Darwin's views can make a life highly meaningful. Furthermore, it is unclear whether ‘fundamental conditions’, toward which highly meaningful lives are oriented, may or may not be necessary conditions to ‘non-fundamental conditions’, how completely the former …
Immorality and the Meaning of Life
Sexual Harassment and the “Repetition Requirement”
In his “Reply to Iddo Landau,” Edmund Wall responds to the author’s critique of some of the views expressed in his “Sexual Harassment and Wrongful Communication.” The present article concentrates on what the author takes to be the main problem in Wall’s definition: by requiring that any act, even if intentional and cruel in nature, needs to be repeated to count as sexual harassment, Wall allows too much leeway and renders permissible a wide range…
An Argument for Marriage
This paper replies to two arguments against marriage presented by Dan Moller ( Philosophy 78, 2003: 79–91). One of Moller's arguments examines several ways in which the marriage promise could be explained, and shows that none of them is viable. The other argument suggests that marriage may not be a worthwhile enterprise since marriages frequently fail, in that they become loveless or end up in divorce. I argue that the marriage promise can be exp…
Sexual Harassment as “Wrongful Communication”
In his "Reply to Iddo Landau," Edmund Wall responds to the author's critique of some of the views expressed in his "Sexual Harassment and Wrongful Communication."The present article concentrates on what the author takes to be the main problem in Wall's definition: by requiring that any act, even if intentional and cruel in nature, needs to be repeated to count as sexual harassment, Wall allows too much leeway and renders permissible a wide range …
Ethics and Sex
Why has the Question of the Meaning of Life Arisen in the Last Two and a Half Centuries?
Questioning of (or world, or existence), or complaining that is meaningless are relatively new phenomena in western culture. Their manifestation is by and large a matter of last two hundred and fifty years, seems to start with Novalis,1 who complained that the of world has been lost. We are stuck with letter. We lost that which is appearing because of appearance. Novalis also declared that modern culture was fragmented and that is task of poets t…
Mendus on Philosophy and Pervasiveness
This is a rejoinder to Susan Mendus’‘How Androcentric is Western Philosophy? a Reply’, The Philosophical Quarterly, 46 (1996), pp. 60–6, which addresses my ‘How Androcentric is Western Philosophy?’, ib., pp. 48–59. The viability of the distinction between pervasive and non‐pervasive androcentrism is defended, but I claim that most claims in the original paper do not presuppose it. Moreover, the original paper does not presuppose that there is a c…
How Androcentric Is Western Philosophy
Journal Article How Androcentric is Western Philosophy? Get access Iddo Landau Iddo Landau University of Haifa Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 46, Issue 182, January 1996, Pages 48–59, https://doi.org/10.2307/2956304 Published: 01 January 1996
An Argument for Marriage
This paper replies to two arguments against marriage presented by Dan Moller ( Philosophy 78, 2003: 79–91). One of Moller's arguments examines several ways in which the marriage promise could be explained, and shows that none of them is viable. The other argument suggests that marriage may not be a worthwhile enterprise since marriages frequently fail, in that they become loveless or end up in divorce. I argue that the marriage promise can be exp…
Viktor Frankl on all people’s freedom to find their lives meaningful
According to Viktor Frankl, although people are not always free to choose the conditions in which they find themselves, they are always free to choose their attitude towards these conditions and, thus, are always free to find their lives meaningful. This basic tenet of Frankl’s theory is also often repeated approvingly in the secondary literature. I argue that the claim is wrong; not all people are free to find their lives meaningful. Counterexam…
Sexual Harassment as “Wrongful Communication”
In his "Reply to Iddo Landau," Edmund Wall responds to the author's critique of some of the views expressed in his "Sexual Harassment and Wrongful Communication."The present article concentrates on what the author takes to be the main problem in Wall's definition: by requiring that any act, even if intentional and cruel in nature, needs to be repeated to count as sexual harassment, Wall allows too much leeway and renders permissible a wide range …
How Androcentric Is Western Philosophy
Journal Article How Androcentric is Western Philosophy? Get access Iddo Landau Iddo Landau University of Haifa Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 46, Issue 182, January 1996, Pages 48–59, https://doi.org/10.2307/2956304 Published: 01 January 1996
Why has the Question of the Meaning of Life Arisen in the Last Two and a Half Centuries?
Questioning of (or world, or existence), or complaining that is meaningless are relatively new phenomena in western culture. Their manifestation is by and large a matter of last two hundred and fifty years, seems to start with Novalis,1 who complained that the of world has been lost. We are stuck with letter. We lost that which is appearing because of appearance. Novalis also declared that modern culture was fragmented and that is task of poets t…
Mendus on Philosophy and Pervasiveness
This is a rejoinder to Susan Mendus’‘How Androcentric is Western Philosophy? a Reply’, The Philosophical Quarterly, 46 (1996), pp. 60–6, which addresses my ‘How Androcentric is Western Philosophy?’, ib., pp. 48–59. The viability of the distinction between pervasive and non‐pervasive androcentrism is defended, but I claim that most claims in the original paper do not presuppose it. Moreover, the original paper does not presuppose that there is a c…
Ethics and Sex
Sexual Harassment as “Wrongful Communication”
In his "Reply to Iddo Landau," Edmund Wall responds to the author's critique of some of the views expressed in his "Sexual Harassment and Wrongful Communication."The present article concentrates on what the author takes to be the main problem in Wall's definition: by requiring that any act, even if intentional and cruel in nature, needs to be repeated to count as sexual harassment, Wall allows too much leeway and renders permissible a wide range …
Sexual Harassment and the “Repetition Requirement”
In his “Reply to Iddo Landau,” Edmund Wall responds to the author’s critique of some of the views expressed in his “Sexual Harassment and Wrongful Communication.” The present article concentrates on what the author takes to be the main problem in Wall’s definition: by requiring that any act, even if intentional and cruel in nature, needs to be repeated to count as sexual harassment, Wall allows too much leeway and renders permissible a wide range…
An Argument for Marriage
This paper replies to two arguments against marriage presented by Dan Moller ( Philosophy 78, 2003: 79–91). One of Moller's arguments examines several ways in which the marriage promise could be explained, and shows that none of them is viable. The other argument suggests that marriage may not be a worthwhile enterprise since marriages frequently fail, in that they become loveless or end up in divorce. I argue that the marriage promise can be exp…
Immorality and the Meaning of Life
Conceptualizing great meaning in life: Metz on the good, the true, and the beautiful
This article is a reply to Thaddeus Metz's ‘The good, the true, and the beautiful’ (2011). I suggest that Metz's theory is too broad since it entails that merely understanding Einstein's or Darwin's views can make a life highly meaningful. Furthermore, it is unclear whether ‘fundamental conditions’, toward which highly meaningful lives are oriented, may or may not be necessary conditions to ‘non-fundamental conditions’, how completely the former …
Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World
After explaining what meaning in life is, the book moves to criticizing certain presuppositions about the meaning of life that unnecessarily lead many people to believe that their lives are meaningless. Among others, it criticizes perfectionism about meaning in life, namely, the assumption that meaningful lives must include some perfection or some rare and difficult achievements. It then responds to recurring arguments made by people who take the…
Recognizing
Some find their lives insufficiently meaningful because they do not sense the meaning already present in their lives. They accept that some things are meaningful only in an alienated, theoretical manner that leaves them empty. Terming the overcoming of this numbness or alienation recognizing, this chapter explains why we often fail to recognize meaning and suggests ways of resensitizing ourselves to it. Among other ways, the chapter discusses tak…
Death and Annihilation II
While the previous chapter responded to arguments that, it was claimed, fail to show that life can be meaningful despite our mortality, this chapter presents an argument that succeeds at showing this. True, death diminishes meaning, and an infinite life would have been more meaningful than a finite one. But this does not mean that a finite life is devoid of all meaning (unless, of course, one is a perfectionist). A finite life can have considerab…
The Case for Technological Mysticism
There is significant empirical evidence that some types of physical incitement may spur mystical enlightenment. In a matter of a few years, technology may well provide people with a reliable, easy, and safe way to attain mystical experiences. Suppose it were technologically very easy to attain mystical enlightenment by, say, activating an electronic device that temporarily stimulated certain areas in the brain. If such an option were available, s…
After postmodernism: Meaning of life and education
After postmodernism: meaning of life and education." Educational Philosophy and Theory, 50(14), pp. 1539–1540
Two Arguments for the Badness and Meaninglessness of Life
Viktor Frankl on all people’s freedom to find their lives meaningful
According to Viktor Frankl, although people are not always free to choose the conditions in which they find themselves, they are always free to choose their attitude towards these conditions and, thus, are always free to find their lives meaningful. This basic tenet of Frankl’s theory is also often repeated approvingly in the secondary literature. I argue that the claim is wrong; not all people are free to find their lives meaningful. Counterexam…
Is Meaning in Life Constituted by Value or Intelligibility
Several authors have recently argued that intelligibility, rather than value, constitutes life’s meaning. In this paper I criticize the intelligibility view by offering examples of cases in which intelligibility and meaningfulness rates do not coincide. I show this for both meaning in life and meaning of life; under both naturalist and supernaturalist assumptions; and in ways relevant to subjectivists, objectivists, and hybridists. I show why the…
Externalism, internalism, and meaningful lives
This paper argues that participants in the subjectivism/objectivism/hybridism debate, a central issue in recent meaning in life research, conflate two different distinctions marked by the terms objective and subjective , one having to do with the question of whether life's meaningfulness depends on factors internal or external to the agent, the other having to do with the question of whether there is any ‘absolute’ as opposed to ‘relative’ truth …
Problems in Levinas
Emmanuel Levinas is one of the most elaborately discussed moral philosophers of recent decades, and his philosophy has many adherents. I believe, however, that the scholarly literature on his work is overly expository and insufficiently critical. In this article I try to take some steps toward filling this gap in Levinas scholarship. My aim is not to present another exegetical account of Levinas’s philosophy but rather to point at under-discussed…
The Oxford Handbook of Meaning in Life
This volume presents thirty-two essays on a wide array of topics in modern philosophical meaning in life research. The essays are organized into six parts. Part I, Understanding Meaning in Life, focuses on various ways of conceptualizing meaning in life. Among other issues, it discusses whether meaning in life should be understood objectively or subjectively, the relation between importance and meaningfulness, and whether meaningful lives should …
Oxford Handbook of Meaning in Life
Competitive Value, Noncompetitive Value, and Life's Meaning
This paper explores the notions of competitive and noncompetitive value and examines how they both affect meaning in life. The paper distinguishes, among other things, between engaging with competitive value and participating in a competition; between competitive value and comparative value; between competing with others and competing with oneself; and between subjective and objective aspects of both competitive and noncompetitive value. Since an…
Philosophy (17 works) · Epistemology (16 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Meaning (existential) (7 works) · Philosophical Ethics and Theory (6 works) · Philosophy (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Mathematics (4 works)