The Illusion of Meaning
Does science tell us that we live in a meaningless Universe?
I am an atheist, scientist, and writer. I became a little bit disillusioned with the way that the new atheist movement addressed the question of finding meaning in life. I found the answers to be very dissatisfying. Not that this was necessarily the purpose of those writers/thinkers. Ultimately, that led me down the path of existential philosophy, then to the work of Albert Camus. What I liked about Albert Camus' work was how he described the contrast between the human need for meaning and the indifference and silence of the universe on the matter.
Continuing my search for something to ground my understanding of meaning, I then found philosopher Todd May's book "A Significant Life: Human Meaning in a Silent Universe". It was heavily influenced by Camus (and many others), but explores much further, and I would recommend the book. My addition to that exploration is to consider the evolutionary origins of the desire or need for meaning. I suggest that the illusion of a grand-narrative-type meaning in the cosmos is akin to the illusion that the Earth is at the centre of the universe, or the illusion of design in nature. So that is what is meant by the illusion of meaning. It is just the grand-narrative-type meaning that I describe as an illusion; I, like many of the existentialists, believe that we construct our own meanings in life. Our meaning has a distinctly terrestrial purpose.
I finally contrast the idea of the Illusion of Meaning with Richard Dawkins' God Delusion concept. Ultimately, I agree with Dawkins that there are many irreconcilable differences between an atheist's view of reality and that of someone who believes in God; however, I, like Camus, recognise the shared need for meaning as a deeply human trait. Of course, I would say an evolved human trait rather than evidence of the divine.
But if this all sounds interesting, please check out the video.