Anthropology of Purpose: Problem Statement and Research Perspective (Preprint)

This paper introduces the concept of the Anthropology of Purpose (AoP) — a framework within philosophical anthropology first formulated by Roman I. Golushko (2025) to distinguish purpose from meaning and to systematize orientation practices across cultures. Throughout history, humans have sought not only meaning but also a practical answer to the question: how to live and who to become. Various traditions — from priestly divination and astrology to philosophical treatises and modern practices of self-knowledge — served as orientation maps rather than prophecies, helping people align their biographies with the cosmos, society, and values.

The article distinguishes between the anthropology of meaning (“what to live for”) and the anthropology of purpose (“how to live and who to become”). For the English field, the term Anthropology of Purpose (AoP) is proposed to move away from the fatalistic tone of “destiny.” The paper outlines a conceptual research program for this new direction and specifies operational criteria for “orientation maps” (D/O/S/N — Diagnosis, Orientation, Strategy/Timing, Normativity). It also introduces a summary indicator, the AoP-Index (0–4), encoding the completeness of orientation functions.

This preprint establishes the conceptual foundation for the Anthropology of Purpose (AoP) framework proposed by the author.

Preprint mirror of the SSRN submission (ID 5453195, (http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5453195)).

Russian translation available on Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17317342.