PHIL 0400 - PHILOSOPHY AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
Description: This course, as the title suggests, examines how philosophers have attempted to understand the meaning of life. It's a question that emerges in a serious way in the 19th century and becomes urgent in the 20th and 21st centuries, but there are important historical perspectives necessary for understanding the context of the issue. Here are some specific topics the course will address: I. Historical Context: defining the essence of humanity. Topics: Greek attempts to define the essential nature of humanity (Aristotle), pre-Enlightenment religious perspectives (Augustine), the Enlightenment focus on rationality. II. Nineteenth Century Developments: Topics: historical materialism and alienation (Marx), the emerging significance of the individual (Kierkegaard, Emerson), the impact of Darwin. III. Twentieth Century Developments: Topics: the crisis of meaning in the Western world and the various attempts to address it; concerns about the devaluation of the individual; asserting meaning through intellectual rebellion. IV. Contemporary Theory: the attempts to address the issue of meaning head on by theorists in both the continental and analytic styles of philosophy. Topics: meaning in live v. meaning of life; external v. internal validation of meaning; absurdity; meaning through narrative; etc.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis

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