What would the world be like if we no longer needed meaning? Australian sociologist Michael Casey's revealing work charts the collapse of the metaphysical world and the innate human need for meaning. With the decline of Christianity and the demise of secular universalism in the west, the meaning and value of metaphysical culture has been replaced by an entirely new post-metaphysical world. In Meaninglessness, Casey revisits the social theory of Nietzsche, Freud, and Rorty, in order to conceive how this post-metaphysical culture may take shape in the third millennium. Framing questions of enduring significance to contemporary social and political theory in a new methodological light, this work will appeal to scholars and general readers interested in sociology, post-modernism, cultural studies, political theory, and philosophy.

Michael Casey is a sociologist on the staff of the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, and Permanent Fellow in Sociology and Politics at the Australian campus of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family.

Chapter 1 Introduction: Culture and MeaningChapter 2 Nietzsche: The Aesthetic Solution to MeaninglessnessChapter 3 Freud: The Therapeutic Solution to MeaninglessnessChapter 4 Rorty: The Post-metaphysical Solution to MeaninglessnessChapter 5 Conclusion: Culture and Life