The Search for Meaning Workshop

What: A Curious Soul Philosophy workshop

Where: Online via Zoom
When: 3 Saturdays, new dates TBA
What Time: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time

Workshop Description:

The feeling of meaninglessness seems to be more and more prevalent these days — whether it is from despair over our environmental crisis and global pandemic, the senselessness of violence and war, or frustration over corruption in our political processes. The feeling also takes us when we sense that our work is not of any real value, or that our actions are futile and have no impact.

Viktor Frankl — psychiatrist, philosopher, and survivor of Nazi concentration camps — witnessed the threat of meaninglessness in an up-close and personal way during his time in the camps, as well as in his work treating patients struggling with aggression, addiction, depression, and suicide. He famously argued in his best selling book Man’s Search for Meaning (which has sold more than 12 million copies in over 24 different languages) that what is most important for human beings in their lives is not pleasure and not power, but a sense of meaning and purpose.

When faced with the threat of meaninglessness — or what existentialists call nihilism — it is up to us to find purpose again in order to keep going. We need a way to grasp the value of our own lives, to find opportunities for significant action and creation, and to face what the world delivers to us with dignity. Quoting Friedrich Nietzsche, Frankl reminds us: “He who has a Why to live for can bear almost any How.”

So, how do we find that “Why”? How do we create meaning in our lives when we lose sight of it? How do we help those we care about to find purpose when they feel it has disappeared? Frankl shows us that the cure for the existential crisis of meaninglessness is not medical in nature, but philosophical. Or, to put it another way, philosophy is the best therapy for the soul.

Come with us to work through Frankl’s insights and to develop creative ways to examine and restore meaning in our lives.

About Philosophy Workshops

Philosophy Workshops emphasize discussion, life experience, and practical application. They are led by philosophy professors committed to accessible language and open conversation. No prior philosophical training is necessary . . . just an open mind, a respectful approach to others, and a sense of humor!

Who is this Workshop For?

This workshop is relevant to all those interested in enhancing meaning and purpose in their lives, as well as those looking to help friends, family members, students, or clients to do the same. It is also relevant to those interested in existential philosophy (a philosophy that sees human beings as ultimately free, self-determining, and the creators of their own lives), and to those interested in mental health and re-thinking mental health from an existential perspective.

About Your Workshop Leader:

Monica Vilhauer, Ph.D. is a former professor of philosophy and the founder of Curious Soul Philosophy. She’s committed to the practical value of philosophy for everyday life, and she’s always looking for ways to move philosophy beyond academic settings and into the community. She does this by offering workshops, retreats, and individual philosophical counseling through Curious Soul.

The Theory and the Lab:
There are two portions of this discussion-based workshop: 1) the Theory, and 2) the Lab.

In the Theory portion of the workshop (the first half of each session) we’ll work to understand key concepts from our reading for the day and from supplementary mini-lectures given by the workshop leader. In the Lab portion of the workshop (the second half) we will reflect on the ways in which the theory applies to our own personal and political struggles. We will devise “experiments” for putting key concepts into practice in our lives, and we will discuss with each other how our experiments work out.

Readings:

The book to purchase is Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl, Beacon Press, 2006. The link will take you to the edition we are using. If you already have a copy, check its table of contents and page numbers against the one linked here to make sure you have the material we’ll be working with. Be sure to order your book a couple weeks in advance of our workshop.

Calendar:

Week 1: Short lecture introducing existentialism, Viktor Frankl, and Frankl’s relationship to Friedrich Nietzsche’s work. Read selections from “Experiences in a Concentration Camp” and discuss Frankl’s existential understanding of human freedom and its expressions.

Week 2: Read and discuss Frankl’s “Logotherapy in a Nutshell.”

Week 3: Read and discuss “The Case for a Tragic Optimism.”

Preparation: 

For each meeting, participants should read in advance the selection of text we’ll be discussing, consider some questions Monica will send by email to help us focus, and come with some marked passages to talk about.

Cost per person: $175 (for three 2-hour philosophy sessions)

• The workshop has limited space. Register today to save yourself a spot!
• Deadline to register: TBA
• ​Register by clicking the button below and following instructions to use PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account, PayPal still allows you to pay using a credit card.

Registration is now closed.