Do life and the universe have a deeper meaning or purpose?

Questions about meaning can arise at any time. Sometimes they appear when life is difficult, but they can also surface when life is going well and we still wonder what it is all for.

We may ask whether our individual lives have a purpose, whether humanity is moving towards anything, or whether the universe simply exists without meaning.

Science can help us understand how the universe works. It does not, by itself, settle whether life has a purpose, whether meaning is created or discovered, or whether our lives form part of a larger story.

Are meaning and purpose things we create for ourselves, or realities we can discover?