Does Life Need a Purpose? A Philosophical Absurd Conversation - Part 1

About this event

Does life actually need a purpose? For our first discussion, we’re starting with one of the oldest and most uncomfortable questions: If life has no predetermined meaning, does that change how we should live it? This conversation is loosely inspired by Albert Camus and The Myth of Sisyphus, but you do not need to have read the book. In fact, this meeting is meant to come before the book. We’ll explore the ideas on our own first — meaning, purpose, mortality, happiness, suffering, and what makes a life worth continuing before bringing Camus directly into a future discussion. For the sake of the thought experiment, we’ll temporarily set aside religious and metaphysical explanations of life's purpose. This isn't a debate about whether those beliefs are true or false; it simply gives us room to ask what remains if no higher purpose is assumed. Some questions we may explore: • Does life need an objective purpose to be worth living? • Do we discover meaning, or create it? • If meaning is something humans invent, does that make it any less real? No philosophy background is required. Come curious, come willing to question your own assumptions, and come ready to hear people who may see the problem completely differently. Cameras are strongly encouraged 🤓☝🏾 conversation feels much more human when we can actually see one another. Feel free to bring dinner, coffee, wine, existential dread, etc. Just mute yourself while chewing. 😂 This discussion is Part 1 of a three-part series on purpose, meaning, and the absurd. Part 1 begins with our own ideas: Does life actually need a purpose, and what do we even mean when we use that word? Part 2, on October 6, will dive into Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus and his response to meaninglessness, the absurd, and the question of how we continue living without a predetermined purpose. Part 3, on October 13, turns the question back on us: How much of our purpose did we actually choose? We'll explore family, children, culture, success, and the "life script" we inherit - and ask whether the things we call purpose are truly ours or simply the roles we were taught to value. A note on religion: Religious beliefs can absolutely shape how someone understands purpose, family, duty, and meaning, and you’re welcome to acknowledge that influence. For this discussion, though, we’ll try not to use religion as the final answer. The goal is to dig underneath our beliefs and ask where our ideas of purpose come from, how much we chose them, and how much we inherited from family, culture, community, or tradition. Disclaimer: No need to be a scholar or have the "right" answer. The resources are simply there so you can come in familiar enough with the topic to actually join the conversation. Think of it like gossip: the more context you have, the easier it is to jump in👀. Bring a thought, a question, a disagreement, even something you're unsure about - the point is to engage and see how differently we all think Click down below for free resources Discussion Prep & Resource (https://linktr.ee/allegedthinkers)