What is the meaning of life? That age old, philosophical cliché has had no shortage of answers but what if there isn’t one? What if life is pointless?  Philosopher Rivka Weinberg presents a compelling argument for the pointlessness of life which I explore in this episode. But don't be alarmed, there is a bright side! (Spoiler alert: there may not be a bright side).We exploreThe myth of SisyphusThe journal of controversial ideasThe notions of telic and atelic meaning Why a valued end can only be external to an enterpriseWhy life can have no ultimate meaningWhy an afterlife doesn’t change anythingWhy goals give us an illusory sense of purpose Are you making a categorical error by asking the question: what is the meaning of life?Why the scale of the universe does not diminish our significance The importance of everyday meaning Why we are better off  forgetting the question Whether it is right or wrong to live a pointless lifeWe’re here, now what?The ultimate choice Show NotesThe Myth of Sisyphus Weinberg, R. (2021). Ultimate Meaning: We don’t have it, we can’t get it, and we should be very, very sad. Journal of controversial ideas, 1(1), 4.Making Sense Podcast 245 – Can we talk about scary ideas?Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World - Iddo Landau, 2017The Here and Now Podcast on FacebookThe Here and Now Podcast on TwitterSend me an emailSupport the show