What we’re about
The Existentialist Society is for those who question whether life has a meaning and a purpose. And for those who despairingly ponder whether one can live without self-deception or without hedonistic escapism. Yet who, despite the anguish of life's futility and meaninglessness, still seek purpose and an authentic existence.
The Existentialist Society is for those who are fascinated by the ideas of Simone de Beauvoir, Nicholas Berdyaev, Martin Buber, Rudolph Bultmann, Albert Camus, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Viktor Frankl, Martin Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, Franz Kafka, Nikos Kazantzakis, Soren Kierkegaard, R.D. Laing, Gabriel Marcel, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Max Stirner, Paul Tillich, Colin Wilson, etc.
'Existentialism' is an umbrella term covering diverse and often conflicting schools of thought. Consequently we are not agreed on who or what is an Existentialist; we simply agree to disagree.
Inspired by the Student Revolt of the late Sixties, the Existentialist Society commenced in 1971.
LECTURES take place at 2pm on the first Saturday of the month.
All are welcome. Participation is free.
NOTE: Due to the pandemic, our physical in-person Meetups and lectures were cancelled. All the lectures are now online via Zoom. This enables participation by those interstate and overseas.
Following our monthly lecture, during the extended question and discussion period, additional comments are encouraged from those of our participants who might have more knowledge than the speaker on particular aspects of the topic, as well as from those who have an alternative viewpoint.
Sometimes our lecture topics have no direct bearing upon Existentialism. The speakers on such topics may or may not be conversant with Existentialism.
The Existentialist Society has no formal membership, so there is no membership fee.
See the Existentialist Society website for future lectures, past transcripts and videos etc: www.existentialistmelbourne.org
Facebook: Please feel free to comment on the lectures: - www.facebook.com/Existentialist-Society-866984573402226/
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- The Persian Empire's TrinityLink visible for attendees
EXISTENTIALIST MEETUP - Melbourne, Australia.
Our monthly online Meetup presentation on the History of Religion.
The presentations are followed by questions, comments and discussion.
All viewpoints welcome.Early Religion: An Alternative History
What do the historians and archaeologists think of the veracity of religious legends? Legends are an amalgamation of history and mythology. But how much of each?"THE PERSIAN EMPIRE'S TRINITY"
The Persian Empire (549-330 BC) had swallowed Babylon (539 BC) and Egypt (525 BC). The culture and religions of those ancient civilisations influenced the Empire.
During the reign of Artaxerxes II (404-358 BC) major changes occurred in the Empire's Zoroastrian religion. Temple-worship commenced and a Trinity was formed.
The Holy Family: (Mazda the Father, Anahita the Mother and Mithra the Son).
Were those changes provoked by the Queen Mother, Parysatis, who worshipped the Babylonian Goddess, Ishtar?
And what about the Zurvanite 'heresy'? Zurvan (Time, Infinity, Eternity) has similarities with the Hindu concept of Brahma (Father of the gods; a god beyond the gods).We will be looking at A History of Zoroastrianism Vol.2 by Mary Boyce,
Emeritus Professor of Iranian Studies, University of London.David Miller will present the topic and lead the discussion.
Background information for those interested:
Wikipedia's entry on Artaxerxes II(A question we will deal with at a future date: - Was it the Egyptian or the Persian Trinity which influenced Christianity? And if so, why did the Christians neuter the Holy Mother into becoming the Holy Spirit?)
The Zoom link will appear for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID: 836 3517 7179 - - Passcode: 132357Existentialist Society's Website
- Non-Supernatural Spirituality?Link visible for attendees
SOFiA CBD GROUP - Brisbane, Australia.
Some of us are participating in Brisbane SOFiA's online event.
David Miller will present the topic and lead the discussion.
Although I am an Atheist, I nevertheless have dozens of ‘gods’:
Truth, Justice, Freedom, Love, Humanity, Nature, etc.
Each of my ‘gods’ has one or more ‘religions’.
For example, my ‘god’ Truth has science and philosophy as its ‘religions’.
(Please note that the inverted commas indicate that I am using these terms in a naturalistic, non-supernatural sense.)
These ‘religions’ can be labelled as Secular Religion, or Naturalistic Religion.In non-supernaturalist terms, ‘Spirituality’ is merely another name for human nature.
Or, in other words, Spirituality refers to the Human Spirit. The higher or positive aspects of human nature are, for many people, symbolized by metaphorical personifications known as gods. (GOD, in the monotheistic Abrahamic religions). Another way of putting it is that the gods are fictional representations of those aspects.Rachel will host the event.
Background reading for those interested:
Secular Religion and Non-Supernatural SpiritualityThe ZOOM link will appear on this page for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID: 898 3702 7156SoFiA promotes the open exploration of religion, spirituality and the search for meaning. They welcome ALL viewpoints, including Atheism.
Facebook: 'Sofiatalk' - Please join their ongoing discussions.
- The Destiny of Western Faustian Culture: Oswald SpenglerLink visible for attendees
SEA OF FAITH IN AUSTRALIA (SoFiA) - Melbourne.
Some of us are participating in SoFiA's online event.
Mettalia Tanjaya will present the topic and lead the discussion.
"Oswald Spengler and the Destiny of Western Faustian Culture".
Wikipedia's entry on Oswald Spengler
The ZOOM link will appear on this page for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID: 818 6903 0609 - - Passcode: 902271SoFiA promotes the open exploration of religion, spirituality and the search for meaning. They welcome ALL viewpoints, including Atheism.
Facebook: 'Sofiatalk' - Please join their ongoing discussions.
- The Problem of the Outside: Geophilosophy and the UnthinkableLink visible for attendees
EXISTENTIALIST SOCIETY - Melbourne, Australia.
An online presentation, followed by discussion. All viewpoints welcome.
Dr. Timothy Deane-Freeman (Deakin University)
will present the topic and lead the discussion."The Problem of the Outside: Geophilosophy and the Unthinkable
in Deleuze and Guattari."The ZOOM LINK will appear for those who RSVP.
Meeting ID: 884 0756 4657 - - Passcode: 178455Existentialist Society's Website