Avoidance: A Philosophical Exploration

Do monks spend their entire lives avoiding the world, or do the rest of us spend our entire lives avoiding the present moment? Is religion a fairytale created by humans to avoid facing the bleak reality of existence, or is the quest for philosophical certainty an attempt to avoid facing life's inevitable uncertainty? Do we live in a culture of “Peter Pans” who avoid work and responsibility, or of “workaholics” who avoid idleness and play? After reading enough philosophy and psychology books you can start to wonder… Is everything we do just one big avoidance strategy?! In Part 1 we will explore the theme of avoidance — drawing from from thinkers such as... • Rene Descartes • Sigmund Freud • Albert Camus • Ernest Becker • Bertrand Russell • Alan Watts • and more… In Part 2 we will turn the microscope on ourselves—examining some of our own beliefs and behaviors through the lens of avoidance. (30 min) Journal and discussion. **bring paper and something to write with** **Sharing is not required** Hopefully by the end of the hour we will have made some progress on whether we are moving closer to the truth or burying our heads deeper in the sand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This event is part of the NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference 2026. For full details please visit: [https://www.meetup.com/reading-philosophy/events/314020228/](https://www.meetup.com/reading-philosophy/events/314020228/) --------------------------------------------------------------------- This room holds a maximum of 80 people seated or 148 people standing. It will be first come first served. If you cannot make it please update your RSVP to decline to allow others to use your space. ---------------------------------------------------------------------