In a culture obsessed with happiness, this wise, stirring book points the way toward a richer, more satisfying life.
Too many of us believe that the search for meaning is an esoteric pursuit—that you have to travel to a distant monastery or page through dusty volumes to discover life’s secrets. The truth is, there are untapped sources of meaning all around us—right here, right now.
To explore how we can craft lives of meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith synthesizes a kaleidoscopic array of sources—from psychologists, sociologists, philosophers, and neuroscientists to figures in literature and history such as George Eliot, Viktor Frankl, Aristotle, and the Buddha. Drawing on this research, Smith shows us how cultivating connections to others, identifying and working toward a purpose, telling stories about our place in the world, and seeking out mystery can immeasurably deepen our lives.
To bring what she calls the four pillars of meaning to life, Smith visits a tight-knit fishing village in the Chesapeake Bay, stargazes in West Texas, attends a dinner where young people gather to share their experiences of profound loss, and more. She also introduces us to compelling seekers of meaning—from the drug kingpin who finds his purpose in helping people get fit to the artist who draws on her Hindu upbringing to create arresting photographs. And she explores how we might begin to build a culture that leaves space for introspection and awe, cultivates a sense of community, and imbues our lives with meaning.
Inspiring and story-driven, The Power of Meaning will strike a profound chord in anyone seeking a life that matters.
Emily Esfahani Smith writes about culture, psychology, and relationships. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. She is also a columnist for The New Criterion and an editor at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, where she manages the Ben Franklin Circles project, a collaboration with the 92nd Street Y and Citizen University to build community and purpose across the country. She studied philosophy at Dartmouth College and has a master’s in positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives with her husband in Washington, DC.
Blinkist扫过。四大人生意义的支柱: Belonging-individualism highly contradicts our natural needs to connect with others; Purpose-have a true goal through self reflection & helping others; Storytelling (narrative identity) - through which create coherence ...
评分Blinkist扫过。四大人生意义的支柱: Belonging-individualism highly contradicts our natural needs to connect with others; Purpose-have a true goal through self reflection & helping others; Storytelling (narrative identity) - through which create coherence ...
评分Blinkist扫过。四大人生意义的支柱: Belonging-individualism highly contradicts our natural needs to connect with others; Purpose-have a true goal through self reflection & helping others; Storytelling (narrative identity) - through which create coherence ...
评分Blinkist扫过。四大人生意义的支柱: Belonging-individualism highly contradicts our natural needs to connect with others; Purpose-have a true goal through self reflection & helping others; Storytelling (narrative identity) - through which create coherence ...
评分Blinkist扫过。四大人生意义的支柱: Belonging-individualism highly contradicts our natural needs to connect with others; Purpose-have a true goal through self reflection & helping others; Storytelling (narrative identity) - through which create coherence ...
我个人对这类探索人类本源性焦虑的作品抱有极高的期待,而这本书几乎完全满足了我的要求。它没有回避那些令人不适的真相,而是直面人性的幽暗与光辉的并存状态。作者对人性的洞察力令人不寒而栗,他似乎能轻易地穿透社会设定的外壳,直抵行为背后的原始驱动力——是爱、是恐惧、还是对意义的永恒追逐?书中的哲学探讨非常高级,它没有停留在表面的道德评判,而是深入到存在主义的核心困境之中。读完全书后,我感觉自己的思维框架被某种程度上的“重塑”了。这本书最大的贡献在于,它提供了一种更复杂、更立体的参照系来衡量我们自身存在的价值与局限。它带来的冲击是长远的,因为它改变了你看待世界的方式,让你对生活中的每一个偶然和必然都多了一层敬畏之心。这是一部需要反复阅读,每次都能从中汲取新营养的杰作。
评分说实话,我刚开始接触这本书时,对它的篇幅有些望而却步,但一旦进入它的世界,时间仿佛就失去了意义。作者构建的世界观极其完整和自洽,那些看似天马行空的设定,都有着一套严密的内在逻辑支撑。我非常欣赏作者处理复杂哲学命题的方式——不是枯燥的理论说教,而是通过角色间充满张力的互动和冲突自然而然地流露出来。特别是关于“选择与后果”这一主题的探讨,展现了极高的思辨水平。读到中间部分,我不得不停下来,合上书本,思考自己过去在相似情境下的决策,那种被挑战的感觉非常刺激。这本书的结构设计也极为巧妙,多重叙事线索像河流汇入大海一样,最终指向一个震撼人心的终点。它提供了一种看待我们日常所处世界的全新视角,让你开始质疑那些习以为常的“真理”。这绝不是一本轻松的消遣读物,而是一次需要投入全部心神的智力与情感的马拉松。
评分这份作品展现了一种罕见的文学野心和执行力,它横跨了几个不同的时代背景,却又奇迹般地保持了叙事的主线清晰流畅。我注意到作者在语言运用上的匠心独白,他似乎能精准地捕捉到不同时代人物说话的语境和特有的口吻,这一点对于历史题材的作品来说至关重要。那些关于社会变迁、阶级固化与个体反抗的描写,锋利而精准,绝非肤浅的批判,而是建立在对社会结构深刻洞察之上的有力反思。更令人赞叹的是,在如此宏大的背景下,作者依然没有忽略那些微不足道的日常细节,正是这些细节,让冰冷的历史文字获得了生命的温度。比如,某次宴会上侍者递送茶水时的那个细微的眼神交流,或是战火中一位母亲为孩子缝补衣物时的那声低叹,都如同精确校准的镜头,定格了历史洪流中个体命运的重量。这本书读起来需要一定的专注度,但回报是巨大的知识与情感上的双重满足。
评分这本书的叙事节奏简直让人欲罢不能,作者像是一位技艺精湛的织工,将看似散落的线索巧妙地编织成一张宏大而又细腻的网。我尤其欣赏他对人物内心世界的刻画,那种深层次的挣扎与蜕变,没有丝毫的矫揉造作,而是真实得令人心痛又振奋。每一次角色的抉择,都仿佛在我面前上演了一场关于人性与命运的无声辩论。书中的场景描写也极为生动,我仿佛能闻到海风咸湿的气息,感受到古老建筑墙壁上苔藓的冰冷触感。那种沉浸式的阅读体验,是近年来少有的佳作。它不仅仅是一个故事,更像是一面镜子,映照出我们每个人在面对困境时,内心深处最原始的勇气和最脆弱的恐惧。读完最后一页,我久久不能平静,脑海中依然回荡着那些充满哲思的对话,它们像是敲击心灵的钟声,久久不散。这本书的深度在于,它不提供简单的答案,而是邀请读者一同踏上寻找答案的旅程,每一次翻页都是一次深入自我探索的冒险。
评分这本书的文字密度极高,每一句话似乎都经过了千锤百炼,拒绝任何冗余的修饰。这使得阅读过程像是在解开一串精密的密码,需要全神贯注,生怕错过了某个至关重要的词语或标点符号。我尤其喜欢作者在描述自然环境时的那种近乎于诗意的精准,他笔下的森林、高山、甚至是平凡的小镇街道,都拥有了鲜明的个性和生命力,仿佛是故事的另一个主要角色,默默地见证着人物的悲欢离合。在处理情感戏时,作者却又展现出一种克制的美学,那些最深沉的爱与失落,往往是通过沉默和未尽之语来传达的,这种留白反而比直白的倾诉更具穿透力,直击人心最柔软的地方。这本书的价值在于,它教会我如何去“慢下来”阅读,去品味语言的质感,去体会文字背后潜藏的巨大能量。它不是用来打发时间的,而是用来沉淀和反思的。
评分香港诚品购入。这本书并不适合如今的中国社会,学生看看还行。太理想化了。尤其最后一章意义的文化,我看完更觉得人生艰难,很难受啊
评分之前偶然听了一个 TED 分享,关注到了 Emily Esfahani Smith,由于自己对于「幸福」没有那么多的困惑,所以没有怎么在意,今天和友人聊天的时候碰巧遇到了这个话题,就随缘翻了一下这本书,Emily 介绍的关于幸福需要「belonging, purpose, storytelling, and transcendence」,对我而言,真心是一种非常有说服力的「幸福哲学」
评分香港诚品购入。这本书并不适合如今的中国社会,学生看看还行。太理想化了。尤其最后一章意义的文化,我看完更觉得人生艰难,很难受啊
评分浅显易读的小书,大学课程论文既视感,条理清晰,“总起 - 分述 - 总结”的结构,每部分也是先用一个故事引出观点,再详细举例,再得出结论。非常喜欢第一章 “The Meaning Crisis”,提纲挈领的指出这个消费主义的社会里人生意义缺失的问题,回顾了历史上的哲学家对人生意义的探讨,提出人生意义的四大来源:与他人的关系(归属感),对社会的价值,对自身的理解,在宇宙的位置。第2-5章分述介绍了很多有趣的心理学实验,以及个人和社会团体的事例。不足之处是语言略繁琐,深度不太够。
评分香港诚品购入。这本书并不适合如今的中国社会,学生看看还行。太理想化了。尤其最后一章意义的文化,我看完更觉得人生艰难,很难受啊
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