The rise of hookup culture in contemporary America appears to be closely bound up with the rise of freedom as an ultimate value.1 In my essays on cultural existentialism, I have attempted to show the centrality that this “ultimate value” has come to occupy today–as witnessed by the view of the self as “unencumbered”–as well as its interconnectedness to what I have called preference satisfaction.2 The phenomenon of hookup culture as a contemporary subculture, especially among the demographic of young adults, is a poignant example of this.3 Hookup culture itself is an instance of a broader set of changes involving relationships, which I will not attempt to address here. For the time being, I offer the following brief and preliminary thoughts.
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