What Do You Want Out of Life?

A Philosophical Guide to Figuring Out What Matters

Valerie Tiberius

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN:
  9780691241395
  9780691240688
• eBook ISBN:
  9780691240695
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Ethics & Moral Philosophy

A short guide to living well by understanding better what you really value—and what to do when your goals conflict

What do you want out of life? To make a lot of money—or work for justice? To run marathons—or sing in a choir? To have children—or travel the world? The things we care about in life—family, friendship, leisure activities, work, our moral ideals—often conflict, preventing us from doing what matters most to us. Even worse, we don't always know what we really want, or how to define success. Blending personal stories, philosophy, and psychology, this insightful and entertaining book offers invaluable advice about living well by understanding your values and resolving the conflicts that frustrate their fulfillment.

Valerie Tiberius introduces you to a way of thinking about your goals that enables you to reflect on them effectively throughout your life. She illustrates her approach with vivid examples, many of which are drawn from her own life, ranging from the silly to the serious, from shopping to navigating prejudice. Throughout, the book emphasizes the importance of interconnectedness, reminding us of the profound influence other people have on our lives, our goals, and how we should pursue them. At the same time, the book offers strategies for coping with obstacles to realizing your goals, including gender bias and other kinds of discrimination.

Whether you are changing jobs, rethinking your priorities, or reconsidering your whole life path, What Do You Want Out of Life? is an essential guide to helping you understand what really matters to you and how you can thoughtfully pursue it.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Roadmap
• 1. What We Want and What Stands in Our Way
• 2. What Turtles, Dogs, and People Have in Common
• 3. What Are Our Values … and What Should They Be?
• 4. On Strawberries and Safety: Or, How to Resolve Conflicts
• 5. Values in an Unfair Culture
• 6. When All Else Fails
• 7. The Value of Others
• 8. Fulfilling Our Values … Morally
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Index