Can we create meaning or purpose in our lives? (Venue A: Caffè Nero)

THE VENUE: Caffè Nero

It's winter so we will meet indoors for the next few months.

When we meet indoors, we run the same event in two locations: Caffè Nero and Starbucks, so as to provide capacity for as many people who would like to attend, without overwhelming any one venue. Thus, there will be two events published, and you can choose which one to attend. Please don't sign up for both. This event is for the Nero location.

We meet upstairs at Caffè Nero. An organiser will be present from 10.45. We are not charged for use of the space so it would be good if everyone bought at least one drink.

An attendee limit has been set so as not to overwhelm the venue.

Etiquette
Our discussions are friendly and open. We are a discussion group, not a for-and-against debating society. But it helps if we try to stay on topic. And we should not talk over others, interrupt them, or try to dominate the conversation.

There is often a waiting list for places, so please cancel your attendance as soon as possible if you subsequently find you can't come.

WhatsApp groups
We have two WhatsApp groups. One is to notify events, including extra events such as meeting for a meal or a drink during the week which we don't normally put on the Meetup site. The other is for open discussion of whatever topics occur to people. If you would like to join either or both groups, please send a note of the phone number you would like to use to Richard Baron on: website.audible238@passmail.net. (This is an alias that can be discarded if it attracts spam, hence the odd words.)

THE TOPIC: Can we create meaning or purpose in our lives?

Thank you to Andrew for suggesting this week's topic. This introduction was written in collaboration with Duncan.

Are we born into the world with an essential purpose that gives meaning to our lives, or is there none and we must create it for ourselves ?

Those who say there is a preceding purpose may be called essentialists, and they may ground their belief on a creator (maybe God) or some permanent, unalterable, and eternal attributes of every human being that determine that purpose. They say that essence precedes existence, and that meaning and purpose can be discovered rather than created.

People who oppose this view may broadly be called existentialists, of various sorts. They say that human life has no essential or pre-determined purpose and we must either create it for ourselves, or accept that there is no such thing, that it's pointless to look for it, and get on with our lives anyway.

A common way of thinking about the existentialist view is that the universe is not the sort of thing that can define or impose a purpose, and even if it could, why would it give us one ? It is, after all, just rock, dust and gas, cold and indifferent to our existence, and maybe we just exist for no other reason than random physical events.

Some existentialists say that meaning and purpose can be created by various methods, whereas absurdists and nihilists say it cannot and it is pointless to try. Where they differ is in their response to this inherent lack of purpose and thus meaning.

Nihilism asserts life has no meaning, values are baseless, and searching for purpose is futile. Absurdism, developed by Albert Camus, agrees the universe offers no inherent meaning but focuses on the conflict (the "Absurd") between humanity's innate search for meaning and the universe's silent indifference, advocating defiant rebellion and embracing life's contradictions rather than despair.

But, we humans seem to think we need a purpose, or reason for existing, in order to give meaning and structure to our lives. What would a human life look like if it had no purpose ? A lot of people say - or least act as if - they have a purpose. Where did this come from ? Is is part of our essential nature to want to survive and procreate ?

Perhaps, rather like free will and moral responsibility, even if it we don't have purpose and meaning, we should act as if we do !

And even if you believe in some essential purpose to life, there is still a lot of detailed work to be done to apply that to everyday situations. How does that happen ?

Are there dangers in taking an essentialist view ? We may find it limiting if we think our purpose is predefined in certain ways. Worryingly, we may decide that various types of humans will always act in certain ways, perhaps according to their race or gender.

Some people find that they later question the purpose they were given earlier in life, perhaps by their culture, parents or religion. This can a source of confusion or discomfort but it may ultimately be an opportunity to become free of those constraints and lead a more authentic life.

More positively, Aristotle took the view that humans are naturally rational and the creation of meaning must therefore involve a rational process. Perhaps there is a middle way - there is no detailed pre-existing essence but not total freedom either. You must choose, but you should choose from a reasonable range of options for human beings.

We can say with some certainty that the purpose of this Sunday's meetup is to have a thoughtful and enjoyable discussion. Whether you find it meaningful is entirely up to you !