A Quest for Meaning

In A Quest for Meaning, Fr O’Donnchadha explores a range of fascinating subjects, including quantum theory, phenomenology, developments in sociology, Eastern mathematics, and the history of the Christian faith.

He then applies these ideas to some very practical social and moral dilemmas, arguing that faith and humanity are the solution to the sense of meaninglessness people often experience in the modern world.

While a book of ideas, A Quest for Meaning is passionately written, with Fr O’Donnchadha drawing on his years of experience as both a priest and university teacher. Fr O’Donnchadha was both a distinguished academic (he was a lecturer in what is now Munster Technological University), specialising in sociology, and the author of a popular column on social and cultural issues for the Kerryman newspaper. He managed to combine both these vocations in A Quest for Meaning, which is both intellectually stimulating and personal.



On a philosophical level, A Quest for Meaning’s greatest achievement is to blend the phenomenology of Edith Stein and Edmund Husserl with the ‘symbolist interactionist’ theory of George Cooley and Charles Meade, placing the idea of love and empathy, as developed by Husserl and Stein, in dialogue with cutting-edge developments in the social sciences.

While grappling with complex ideas in A Quest for Meaning, Fr O’Donnchadha is also eager to appeal to the layperson, and impress upon them that it is possible to find meaning in the modern world.