Tom Morris is one of the world’s most active public philosophers and is the author of over 30 books, many of them bestsellers, like The Art of Achievement, Mastering the 7Cs of Success in Business and in Life. He generously wrote this piece for the Woodhill Park Journal.
Tom has appeared on most American television networks and has had his work noticed or commented on in most prominent international newspapers and magazines.
When I asked him for a piece on finding your purpose, but with a side order of humour, he took the restaurant reference and wrote, “The Thinker in our time has to hone his stand up act, even if he sits down. We want to be entertained, more than we want to be enlightened, and maybe that's always been true, which is likely why Socrates and Epictetus and Kierkegaard cracked so many jokes, or a lot more than Schopenhauer and Sartre, at least. So from a few you get the equivalent of Steven Wright: "I walked into a diner that had a big sign saying 'Breakfast Served At Any Time' so I ordered French Toast in the Renaissance.
There seem to be a lot of people around these days who think that the discussion about purpose in business and life began with Simon Sinek’s famous TED Talk in 2010, that was, by official numbers, apparently watched by everyone on the planet at least twice, or even earlier with the publication of his 2009 bestselling book, Start With Why. Despite its flaws, it did spark a new broad awareness of an age-old concern.
The conversation about purpose has been going on since at least Aristotle pointed out that we humans seem to be essentially purposive beings who need the structure of reasons and goals in all seasons of life, things to aim at, or else our lives are literally aimless. But I’m inclined to think that it started even earlier when the first cave-dweller who made it back safe after being chased home by a predator may have put down his club and said to himself, or to one of the other Flintstones or Rubbles, “What’s the point of it all? I mean, really, why are we here and doing all this?”
The ancient Greeks had two words relevant here, techne and telos. Techne is behind our word “technology” and meant how things are done. It has to do with tools and methods. Telos is behind our less commonly known word “teleology” and meant why things are done – the goal or purpose behind any activity. In our time, we think a lot about the how and perhaps not enough about the why. And we often seem to get away with it, but the rise of AI, or Artificial Intelligence, as the most powerful techne of all time may quickly raise new questions about another AI, or Ancient Idea, like telos that we may need to help us understand our why in what we’re doing.
Now the word “why” itself is systematically ambiguous between asking for a physical cause (“Why did the plants die?” – “Too much water in the recent storm.”), or for a personal reason (“Why did Billy break my window?” – “He hates your guts.”), or for a purpose (“Why do we ask deep questions?”). And a why question can also be posed in the words “What’s the meaning of this?” Then you get answers having to do with causes or reasons or purposes. So, “why” can be asked in search of:
Now these aren’t utterly separate things. In almost all cases, your own deep sense of purpose will provide you with personal reasons to engage in certain actions rather than others, and those actions will then physically or in other ways (perhaps psychologically or socially) cause stuff to happen.
The modern discussion of purpose can make it seem like a lot of us are just going around doing things without having any fundamental answer to the question of why, other than, “Well, I have bills to pay and a family to support” or “I like impressing people.” And some of those who present themselves as experts on purpose can make it sound like, as long as you have some sort of purpose, then fine, that box is checked and you’re good to go. As if conclusions like, “My sense of purpose is all about money and fame,” or “The overarching purpose of my life is to have as much sex with as many partners as possible,” will do the job, whatever it is, just fine. Now you have a sense of direction. Good. But no.
Clearly any philosophical or sensible interest in purpose isn’t just about having one, but having a good one, something that will contribute powerfully to a good and happy life. And not every possible answer is on an equal playing field. Saint Augustine said he was once on a picnic with his mother and some friends, when someone brought up the idea that happiness is about having all your desires satisfied. Augustine’s mom quickly said, “Well, it depends on what your desires are. If you have the wrong ones, then getting them satisfied will just make you less happy” – or various Latin words to that effect. The same is true of purpose. Sure, it’s great to have a good and noble sense of purpose, but it might clearly be worse to have a bad one than none at all.
There’s a lot more to be said than we can say here, but let’s nail down a few basic points. First, in the intellectual neighborhood of the concept of purpose dwells another related notion of meaning, as hinted earlier. Meaning and purpose would seem to go together like bacon and eggs, or peanut butter and jelly, or beer and pizza. So: What’s the difference?
I would suggest it’s perhaps something like this: Meaning is connective. Purpose is directive. And each is also the other. The direction of purpose connects us and our actions with something deeper. And the connection of meaning directs us to a good purpose. Answers to “Why?” bridge them both.
We all need a sense of both meaning and purpose. Meaning is about connecting up our lives and actions with broader horizons of value and concern. Purpose is about directing our steps in accordance with meaning. Both are about our deepest commitments and ideals in action, within a bigger picture and along a better path.
Meaning joins up the details of your life with a broader landscape of value and importance, as well as cause and effect, positioning you within a larger story that makes sense, brings you an enhanced concept of personal identity, and ennobles you in the process, when done right. It provides orientation and guidance at the deepest level. Purpose involves the why that leads to the what and when and how, as well as to the always-crucial “with whom? Its forward guidance and related guardrails come from deep within and enrich everything else.
Meaning and purpose inspire us, empower us, and draw us together into creative partnerships like nothing else can. Socrates said that the least important things, we tend to think about and talk about the most; while the most important things, we tend to think about and talk about the least. We need to turn that around. When you spend a little time thinking through your own sense of meaning and purpose, it can light your path in vital new ways.
But I want to add something more. A sense of noble purpose can give you a clear mission for your life and work. That then can guide you into the short, medium, and long-term objectives you need to have, which can in turn suggest specific goals to set right now. Purpose is indeed suggestive and directive.
How then do you find your proper purpose? By examining what it is you most love and care about, asking what you should love and care about, and letting all that infuse your sense of purpose. Our deepest values are just the things we love the most. And they are a clue to purpose. I love people and I love wisdom, or great ideas for living. That gives me a simple purpose of bringing wisdom to people. That sends me then on a mission to learn from the world’s wisdom traditions and create my own new insights that I can share through talks, books, and in other ways, like this. That in turn suggests objectives, like a book I’m working on now regarding uncertainty in our lives, and how it can be a gift—uncertainty, but the book too, in case you’d consider giving copies to lots of friends, but you’ll have to wait because I’m still writing. And objectives like that book suggest concrete goals, like writing some today, or editing what I wrote yesterday. It’s all connected. And within a broader horizon, it has meaning. So does my writing this, and playing with my dogs and cats today, and helping my wife with some things, and wishing you well for the coming year as you reflect more on purpose and meaning and stuff.
© Tom Morris, 2024. Used with permission.
Tom welcomes question and comments, and keeps the lights on at his website 24/7.
