Death and the Meaning of Life

Catalog description

This course focuses on a number of important philosophical questions about death and the meaning of life. The course has three parts: · The first part focuses on questions about the meaning of life: Is life meaningful? If so, what is the meaning of life? If not, is life absurd? Do we "create" meaning? What is the relationship, if any, between religion and the meaning of life? · The second part focuses on questions about death: Is it bad to die? Should we fear death? How should death inform the way we live our lives? Is there life after death? Is life valuable only if there is life after death? Should we want to live forever? · The third part focuses on miscellaneous questions about life and death: Is creating new people good or bad? Are suicide, euthanasia, and/or the death penalty ever morally permissible?