Perspectives on the Good Life

Catalog description

Our question is how to approach and evaluate different perspectives on the good life, especially when those perspectives are beautifully, and elusively, presented to us as texts. We will consider both classic and modern writers, from the West and from China. Some are explicitly religious, some explicitly secular; some literary, some philosophical. Most of the class will revolve around our talking with each other, interpreting and questioning relatively short texts. The works we will read - by Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), Emily Dickenson, James Baldwin, William James, Du Fu (Tu Fu), and others - are not intended to be representative of traditions, of eras, or of disciplines. They do, however, present a range of viewpoints and of styles that will help frame and re-frame our views on the good life, and they will illustrate and question the role that great texts can play in a modern 'art of living.' Perhaps most important, they will develop and reward the skills of careful reading, attentive listening, and thoughtful discussion. (Note: preparation and participation in discussion are the primary course requirement. Enrollment at 3 units requires weekly writing and a short final paper; a more substantial final paper is required for the 4-unit option.)