On the Path to Meaning: A Comparative Analysis of the Approaches of Susan Wolf and Viktor Emanuel Frankl

The primary aim of the article is to evaluate, be means of comparative and metaethical analysis, the ways in which objectivity of values is justified within the concepts of meaning of Susan Wolf and Viktor Emanuel Frankl. Both authors agree on the need to integrate a subjective engagement with objective values. The fundamental difference lies in the source of objectivity. While Wolf bases it on intersubjective social recognition (meaning as a construct), Frankl derives it from a non‑natural reality, thereby shifting toward a stronger form of objectivism (meaning as discovery). Both concepts are simultaneously open to a moderate form of supernaturalism. The secondary aim is to highlight the relevance of Frankl’s approach to contemporary philosophical discourse, particularly through the appreciation of situatedness, facticity, and personal responsibility in the practical realization of meaning.

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Publication Details

Journal
Studia theologica
Published
2026-10-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5507/sth.2026.023
Primary Topic
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
Type
article
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article

On the Path to Meaning: A Comparative Analysis of the Approaches of Susan Wolf and Viktor Emanuel Frankl

Michal Chabada, Peter Haľama
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Studia theologica
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
article

On the Path to Meaning: A Comparative Analysis of the Approaches of Susan Wolf and Viktor Emanuel Frankl

Michal Chabada, Peter Haľama
article en

Abstract

The primary aim of the article is to evaluate, be means of comparative and metaethical analysis, the ways in which objectivity of values is justified within the concepts of meaning of Susan Wolf and Viktor Emanuel Frankl. Both authors agree on the need to integrate a subjective engagement with objective values. The fundamental difference lies in the source of objectivity. While Wolf bases it on intersubjective social recognition (meaning as a construct), Frankl derives it from a non‑natural reality, thereby shifting toward a stronger form of objectivism (meaning as discovery). Both concepts are simultaneously open to a moderate form of supernaturalism. The secondary aim is to highlight the relevance of Frankl’s approach to contemporary philosophical discourse, particularly through the appreciation of situatedness, facticity, and personal responsibility in the practical realization of meaning.

Studia theologicaVol. 28(2)
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
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