Abstract

In his latest book, "Sul senso della vita", Eugenio Lecaldano discusses an experience that is both most common among human beings and difficult to catch by philosophical analysis, that is the various ways in which human beings reflect on how to give meaning to their lives. The article discusses Lecaldano's analysis and tries to critically highlight the difficult link between giving meaning to life and the pursuit of happiness. The controversial character of this link is presented also through examples from famous autobiographies such as J.S. Mill's, C. Darwin's, J. London's and H.D. Thoreau's. Finally, some hints from J. Cercas' theory of the novel will be used to discuss the difficulty for philosophical analysis to manage the topic of the meaning of life.