Self-Knowledge and the Pursuit of Wisdom

Catalog description

This course looks to the Classical Tradition for guidance on how to grow in wisdom through a deeper knowledge of the self in relation to others. Students explore questions of personal meaning and significance by reading literary, philosophical, and biographical classics of the Western Tradition. Focus on wisdom and fulfillment in life, and the means for attaining them through friendship and community. Topics include: wisdom, conscience, happiness, justice, passion, moderation, guilt, shame, excellence, character, purpose, prudence, and choice. Authors may include Homer, Vergil, Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, Epictetus, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, St. Paul, Augustine, Calvin, Hobbes, Spinoza.