An Exposition and Critique of Susan Wolf’s Theory of “Worthwhile Projects

Susan Wolf, as one of the prominent contemporary analytic philosophers, has sought to offer a distinctive account of meaning of life through the idea of “Worthwhile projects.” According to her view, life becomes meaningful when an individual is actively engaged in pursuits that not only involve personal attachment and participation but also possess a form of objective value. This article first examines the principal foundations and components of Wolf’s theory of meaning of life and then analyzes the idea of “Worthwhile projects” as the central core of her account. It also explores the relation of this idea to such concepts as objective value, personal attachment, and human-centered objectivism. In addition, the article considers some of the major criticisms directed at Wolf’s theory, particularly Thaddeus Metz’s objection that Wolf’s criterion for “objective value” remains insufficiently clear and may ultimately lead the theory toward a form of elitism. The paper argues that, taken as a whole, the theory of Worthwhile projects possesses greater coherence and explanatory strength than many competing theories of meaning of life, although, like any other philosophical theory, it is not entirely free from ambiguity and criticism.