A Guide for the Godless
The Secular Path to Meaning
Andrew Kernohan
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       A Guide for the Godless is a short book divided into eighteen manageable chapters.  The first four (Meaning, Purpose, Death, Self-Realization) reorient the search for meaning away from a search for purpose and toward a search for what truly matters.  The next three chapters (Pleasure, Desires, Reasons) criticize our society’s prevailing theory of value, the preference satisfaction theory of the economists.  Chapters 8 and 9 (Emotions, Judgments) argue that emotions are our best guides to what matters in life, and chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13 (Holism, Beliefs, Truth, Meaninglessness) show how emotional judgments about what matters can be true.  Chapter 14 (Justice) argues that a person cannot lead a meaningful life without caring about justice for others.  The next two chapters (Choice, Commitment) show how a meaningful life is possible, and discuss the role of choice and commitment in its construction.  Chapter 17 (Culture) argues that reforming our misdirected culture is necessary to the individual search for meaning.  The last chapter (Happiness) compares the meaningful life and the happy life.  (References)