The Limits of Family Philosophy: the Question of the Meaning of Life

Abstract

Family philosophy has not only been proposed as a corrective to modern individualism, but also as a response to contemporary nihilism. It maintains that the modern world, grounded in the notion of the individual subject, is confronted with a condition of nihilism, and that only by “returning home,” i.e. cultivating intimate familial affection, and sustaining the generative continuity of life, can we recover a meaningful and humane world. This paper argues, first, that the supposed nihilistic condition of modernity, as construed by family philosophy, is in fact a pseudo-problem. Second, key notions such as returning home, intimate familial affection, and the generative continuity of life, do not provide viable solutions to the genuine challenges of modern society. Finally, the idea of returning to a family-based way of living ultimately amounts to an attempt to address the utilitarian, social, moral, political, and religious dilemmas faced by modern individuals through the construction of a kinship-based community grounded in affective ties and shared norms. This attempt, however, is both illusory and untenable, insofar as it exceeds the proper scope and limits of family philosophy.