Book SummaryLife Worth Living, by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Life Worth Living

What does it mean to live well? The authors of Life Worth Living don’t claim to have the answer, but they offer several possible answers based on the life philosophies of people like Confucius, James Baldwin, Jesus, and Oscar Wilde. You may agree with some of these answers, but even if you don’t, you can use them as a springboard for figuring out what you believe truly matters in life and how to translate those beliefs into action.

Published in 2023, _Life...

Life Worth Living Summary The Value of a Life Philosophy

Before we jump into the diverse life philosophies that the authors present, let’s establish some fundamentals: First, we’ll define the notion of a life philosophy. Then, we’ll explain why you should have a life philosophy by exploring the value it can bring to your life.

What Is a Life Philosophy?

Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz argue that your life philosophy encompasses all of your beliefs about what it means to live well (for example, your beliefs about which morals are worth adhering to and the existential reasons for life on earth). Life philosophies are often inspired by transformative experiences like the loss of a loved one or exposure to radical ideas, which prompt you to discover your most authentic values and ideals through contemplation (which we’ll discuss in greater detail later). But your life philosophy is never permanent—you can think of it like a living document that outlines your vision of what it means to live well, which should be updated as you learn and grow throughout life.

(Shortform note: Why should you think of your life philosophy as a living document? In _[Life Is in the...

Life Worth Living Summary How to Define Your Life Philosophy

Now that you know why you should have a life philosophy, let’s explore how you can define your own. In this section, we’ll explain how contemplation can help you integrate your beliefs into a coherent life philosophy. Then, we’ll describe the four key components of a good life philosophy and share some perspectives from various life philosophies to inspire your thinking.

Contemplation Leads to Integration

Since Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz believe that your life will feel more meaningful if you have a life philosophy that resonates with you, they argue that you should contemplate your life philosophy. They explain that this can be a complicated process—not just because there are so many ideas to sift through, but also because it can be hard to make them all fit together. For example, say you have two potentially conflicting beliefs about what it means to live well: It’s important to proudly be yourself in public, but it’s also important to avoid going to prison. You might have a hard time reconciling these beliefs if, for example, you’re an LGBT person living in a region that criminalizes LGBT activity.

For this reason, the authors recommend that you think...

Life Worth Living Summary How to Put Your Life Philosophy Into Practice

We’ve talked about how to come up with a good life philosophy; now, let’s talk about how to put one into practice. In this section, we’ll discuss four practical applications of your life philosophy: how your beliefs about death can motivate you to live well, how to translate your values into actions, how to recover when you make mistakes, and finally, how to cope with hardship.

How to Get Motivated: Use Death

According to the authors, your beliefs about death can motivate you to act in certain ways while you’re still alive. The authors describe four views of death: two that characterize death positively, one that characterizes death negatively, and one that characterizes death neutrally. Let’s explore those philosophies and their impacts on your actions.

Plato and Hägglund: Death Is Good

According to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, death is good because it separates your everlasting soul from your ephemeral body. Plato believed the soul is superior to the body because it’s your true identity and can be improved. Your body, on the other hand, is fundamentally worthless, and it can even degrade your soul by distracting you from the pursuit of wisdom. The...

Shortform Exercise: Start Contemplating Your Life Philosophy

Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz write that a good life philosophy promotes your existential, emotional, material, and moral welfare. Get a head start on contemplating your life philosophy now.

What beliefs and aspirations do you already have regarding your existential welfare? For example, maybe you believe people were meant to live in harmony with nature, so you aspire to celebrate seasonal changes.