Who Is Joel Feinberg Absurd Self Fulfillment

Joel Feinberg, “Absurd Self-Fulfillment”

In Joel Feinberg’s Absurd Self-Fulfillment, Feinberg gives several definitions for the term “Fulfillment;” One definition is “doing what comes naturally;” Another is “a realizing of one’s potential.” Because Feinberg doesn’t actually give his definition of self-fulfillment, he doesn’t give value to any of the definitions he lists. Nevertheless, Feinberg argues that “the prequisite to self-fulfillment is a certain amount of clear-eyed, non deluded self-love.” The self-love that Feinberg coins is, as he says, “parental love.” According to Feinberg, In order to reach fulfillment, you must love yourself unconditionally in all all your flaws. However, Feinberg does not acknowledge the fact that some people “[do] what comes naturally” and realize their potential without possessing unconditional love for themselves. In this paper, I will argue that because of illnesses,
Feinberg would argue that individual nature is native to a human being in a sense that it is made up of characteristics such as “temperamental dispositions, and physical strength.” A human being’s generic nature uniquely defines him and is set in stone from birth. Whether these “natures” are set in stone at birth or adopted throughout a human’s life, they both play a role in a human’s self-fulfillment. As for the love that human beings have for themselves, it must be unconditional in that they must accept their flaws. One must be able to notice flaws in their nature, but their love for themselves must stay constant in order for it to be considered true self-love. Feinberg believes that the “truest expression of self-love is devotion towards one’s own good, which is the fulfillment of one’s own nature-absurd as that may be.” However, Feinberg fails to discuss the fact that one may fulfill their nature without devotion to it or love for