How to Live

Catalog description

Philosophy considers how best to live. This is valuable, since there is a lot that is uncertain. Should one mostly eliminate superstition and fear and practice mental tranquility? Or control bodily desires and practice endurance? Or examine one's beliefs and practice modesty? Or think about your every action and practice justice? Or change how others think and practice institutional change? Different philosophical and reflective cultures have focused on one or another of these possibilities, or proposed yet others. This course studies a range of cultures that have formulated the question, "How should I/we live?" and have developed a set of candidate answers. Ancient or medieval cultures studied - for 1-3 weeks each - include those from ancient Greece, Rome, other areas around the Mediterranean, Indian, and Chinese. Modern cultures studied, as comparison cases, vary by instructor. Class-time focuses on historical context, literary content, and philosophical argument. Outside-of-class work includes reading, for instance Socratic dialogues, Stoic handbooks, meditation mantras, existential dramas, political manifestos, nature journals, or book reviews. It also includes, as the distinctive element of this course, a practical experience for each unit. Students track, process, and evaluate their experiences through journaling and discussion with other students. At the semester's end, students develop their own philosophical "best way of life," formulating and justifying rules, models, or virtues to live by, and engage in conversation with other students on this topic. Students should leave the class recognizing the diversity and challenge of a range of way-of-life ideals, their historical context and contemporary promise, how to decide on their appropriateness for themselves, and what it would mean to adopt, refine, and support their own "philosophy" of life.