How to Find Meaning in the Second Half of Life | Frank Tallis on Death, Purpose & Overcoming Nihilism

What happens when we reach the midpoint of life and begin to confront mortality, ageing, lost possibilities and the question of whether our lives have meaning?

In this wide-ranging conversation, psychologist, novelist and author Frank Tallis joins the James Kennedy Podcast to discuss the ideas explored in his new book, Wise: How to Find Meaning in the Second Half of Life.

We explore death and the human desire for immortality, why the pursuit of purpose may be more important than the pursuit of happiness, how meaning can support wellbeing and longevity, and how we can move beyond nihilism towards a greater sense of wholeness.

Drawing on the work of Ernest Becker, Albert Camus, Carl Jung, Viktor Frankl and Joseph Campbell, we discuss existential anxiety, depression, the hero’s journey, the monomyth, the myth of Sisyphus, mortality, spirituality, identity and what it means to live a psychologically complete life.

Can we overcome the fear of death? Is happiness really the ultimate goal? Why do so many people experience an existential crisis in midlife? And how do we find meaning when life feels uncertain, absurd or finite?

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Topics discussed include:

• Finding meaning in the second half of life

• Death anxiety and the fear of mortality

• Humanity’s search for immortality

• Why purpose may be better than happiness

• Purpose, meaning and longevity

• Overcoming nihilism and existential despair

• Midlife crisis, ageing and personal growth

• Depression and the search for meaning

• Ernest Becker and The Denial of Death

• Albert Camus and the myth of Sisyphus

• Carl Jung, individuation and achieving wholeness

• Viktor Frankl and the importance of meaning

• Joseph Campbell, the hero’s journey and the monomyth

• Existential psychology and the human condition

• How to live a meaningful and fulfilled life

Frank Tallis is a psychologist, novelist and the author of Wise: How to Find Meaning in the Second Half of Life.

If you enjoy conversations about psychology, philosophy, mental health, existentialism, meaning, purpose, mortality and personal growth, subscribe for more in-depth interviews.

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