‘A Warm Welcome’: Formulating Life’s Meaning with “The Art of Meaning”
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how to draw out a meaningful formulation of a person’s life with the aid of “the Art of Meaning” semi-structured interview. A qualitative research method of a one-on-one interview, designed by a philosophical interpretation approach, is employed. The formulated meaning—the outcome of “the Art of Meaning” interview—is analyzed through a basic qualitative interpretation. A mutually satisfying formulation is created with the collaboration of the interviewee. “A Warm Welcome” was the outcome of a specific interview which I held with an American philosopher. Discussion avers that meaning appears at the overlap of self-identity and worldview. It corroborates the postulate that meaningfulness surfaces through strong connections among self, others and the world. The formulated meaning draws a line connecting fundamental life decisions and values.
