ABSTRACT
Meaning is aesthetic. It comes to us as a feeling. We like to think of the content as reasoned and defensible, but ultimately we adhere to a meaning because it satisfies us emotionally, regardless of how valid it is. We do not accept a logical argument because logic is epistemologically sound. Rather, we trust the argument because the form of logic feels right to us. Something motivates us to embrace it, maybe to act on it. Without the emotional tone that we attach to logic, the argument would make no impression on our minds. Other people don’t trust logic. They find other things meaningful. Meanings that come from emotion, imagination, pleasure, or any other human faculty stimulate us in some way to pay attention to the world, apart from whether these impressions depict reality accurately.
Eight archetypes or styles of meaning reflect the characteristic ways in which we encounter something significant. The archetypes manifest themselves in simple storylines. Meaning occurs almost as a miniature drama where some action or setup prepares the way for a striking climax. Different setups and climaxes produce different experiences of meaning. The eight archetypes are as follows:
Depth
Revelation
Recognition
Boundary-crossing
Novelty
Beauty
Order
Tradition
