> A thing X will be *perceived as meaningful* in context C to the extent that it's *connected to other meaningful things* in C. [[Meaning is self-recursive]] the more densely or strongly connected something is to the rest of the meaning "soup," the more meaningful it will be perceived to be. ![[Meaning comes from connection.png]] We can also gauge meaning by asking the counterfactual question: "How much of an effect would *removing X from C* have on the other meaningful things in C?" The greater the effect, the more the meaning. If meaning is pointing, then the meaning of one's life must reside in the arrows that point outward from it, influencing the external world.