What Is Togetherness and Why Is It Good?

To be together with other people, truly together, is a social good. Perhaps it is deeply entwined with other social goods that have been subjected to sustained philosophical discussion such as friendship. Still, in its own right, the topic of the nature and apparent value of togetherness has been largely neglected. This article advances three claims: (1) that togetherness of a certain relevant sort consists in sharing a sense of the meaningfulness of things; (2) that this sort of togetherness is a lead candidate for being the internal goal of personal relationships as such; and (3) that togetherness so understood is valuable because senses of the meaningfulness of things are to be shared. The argument of the article articulates a sense in which even solitary meaningful experiences have a social structure.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
The Philosophical Review
Published
2026-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1215/00318108-12240699
Primary Topic
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

What Is Togetherness and Why Is It Good?

James H. P. Lewis
The Philosophical Review
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
article

What Is Togetherness and Why Is It Good?

James H. P. Lewis
article en

Abstract

To be together with other people, truly together, is a social good. Perhaps it is deeply entwined with other social goods that have been subjected to sustained philosophical discussion such as friendship. Still, in its own right, the topic of the nature and apparent value of togetherness has been largely neglected. This article advances three claims: (1) that togetherness of a certain relevant sort consists in sharing a sense of the meaningfulness of things; (2) that this sort of togetherness is a lead candidate for being the internal goal of personal relationships as such; and (3) that togetherness so understood is valuable because senses of the meaningfulness of things are to be shared. The argument of the article articulates a sense in which even solitary meaningful experiences have a social structure.

The Philosophical ReviewVol. 135(1)
Cardiff University (GB)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 92%
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.