Ten definitions of the Word "Meaning"

Throughout this blog, I have suggested that aesthetic experiences are “those that stand out as especially meaningful.” As if that cleared everything up.

But this is glossing over, shorthand for a wide range of experiences. What makes us call an experience meaningful? What is really happening when we feel this way? This short exploration attempts to answer these questions in at least ten ways. Ten is a lot of ways, and there is naturally some overlap. But I think a case can be made for the individual efficacy of each of these ten definitions, and probably many more. (Acknowledgements to philosopher George Santayana for this riff on his famous essay, “Some Meanings of the Word Is”).*

1. Meaning is definition: When we ask, What does that word mean?, we are asking what the word, as a symbol, signifies. We expect the response to be a synonym, or perhaps one or more phrases that clarify the definition in more detail. Experiences can have definitions as well, but more complex than a synonym can satisfy. A wedding is more than the dictionary definition of that word, its meaning might include a description of the typical rituals involved, the expectations implied and feelings associated with the experience, which also define it.
2. Meaning is importance: We call something meaningful when it is important to us, when it has or will have a large impact. A turning point in our lives is meaningful. An historic event is meaningful when it has repercussions. A statistic is meaningful when it provides clear evidence. Even a small object or event can be meaningful when it reminds us of something else significant to us—a family member, another part of our life.
3. Meaning indicates value: Similar to importance, value indicates importance, in this case in terms of our willingness to devote time or money--a more personal significance. We volunteer time for a cause because it is meaningful to us. We read about a topic, such as its history or deep explanatory texts, because it holds meaning. We spend time and money on family activities because we value those connections. Travel or sports might be meaningful for the rewards they bring, so we invest in the equipment and means to engage in them.
4. Meaning denotes relationship: The relationship of one thing to others is a part of its definition. This is particularly true for people, who define themselves by their relationships to family, profession, class, nationality, race, and of course, favorite football teams. Sometimes common tastes define a group, particularly musical tastes or favorite hobbies. Shared meaningful beliefs also create relationships. Things and events are meaningful when they help to define our relationship to society or the natural world.
5. Meaning emerges from order: We discern meaning when things are in order--well sorted, visible, and in their proper place. A text is meaningful not just by being accurate, but also by being well organized. A well-structured event is easier to engage in, we can find our way within it and know where it will take us. We know where and how to fit inside meaningful experiences and how to play a role.
6. Meaning is clarity: Order helps to provide clarity, but a clear explanation does even more to make something meaningful. When all the words work together to elucidate, when the image is discernible, when the music reaches an expected destination or engaging rhythm, these bring clarity. An experience has clarity when all the elements have a recognizable place, when the elements are expressive of a clear purpose.
7. Meaning is continuity: As much as some of us hate boredom, we hate discontinuity more. We are creatures of habit, we like to know what comes next. What a nightmare it would be to wake up in an unknown place with an unknown identity, with nothing to hang onto, needing to decide on a first step, not just a next one. We want recognizable buoy. Experiences are most meaningful when they build on our past and intended future.
8. Meaning is truth: Truth is another of those multifaceted words that demand a lot of care. Experiences are meaningful if they feel true. But if you expect objective truth, you want more than a feeling, you want the experience to be rationally solid, beyond argument, and based on evidence, with confidence that the meaning you derive will be derivable in all equal situations for all those who experience with equal rationality. Art does not have much place here. If you allow for pragmatic truth, or warranted assertions, meaning emerges when it suits your needs and purposes, and also that of others. Pragmatic truth can be agreed upon based on common experiences, whether or not it was rationally derived. It might simply “ring true,” and that might be good enough. For many, art is expected to possess at least pragmatic truth. Finally, you might be moved more by an inner, intuitive truth, non-rational, not-necessarily-pragmatic, but powerful to you and others who might be open to your expression of it. Some prefer art that is only intuitively true, open to many personal interpretations of meaning.
9. Meaning is intention: We all have intentions, goals, wishes, hopes, and beliefs—states of mind that color which experiences emerge as most meaningful. If an experience leads us toward or supports an intention, it engages us and makes it stand out as meaningful. If you want to climb your first 4000 meter mountain and finally do it, this milestone stands out above other major hikes (which are already aesthetic) because it satisfies your intention. If an experience confirms a belief about yourself or your world, it stands out. If an experience “sets things right,” confirms or justifies a situation—leads to an outcome that seems justified, we might call it meaningful.
10. Meaning is identity: Identity is another way of saying “definition”, so we have come full circle. But here the word indicates perhaps the most important meaning of all—our personally felt identity. Identity is composed of those things we find significant, our values, our relationships, and our beliefs and intentions, so it heavily overlaps the other definitions. When an experience feels deeply personal, engages our agency to help define us and our role in the world, it contributes to building our identity. There is no experience more meaningful. First and foremost, aesthetic experiences are immediate and personal.

If this does not exactly exhaust the exploration, it surely suggests how multifaceted meaning can be, and how pervasive aesthetic experiences might be. Aesthetic experiences might feel meaningful in any of these ways, and likely in more than one of these ways. Our experience of meaning is what makes art and everyday life powerful, more so when some effort is demanded to discern that meaning. When we have to work at it, it is all the more appreciated.

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* Made infamous by US President Bill Clinton in his response to accusations of his infidelity, on the nature of his relationship to the young intern-- “It depends upon what the meaning of the word IS is.”