FYS 1231 - The Examined Life

Credits: 4
This course is concerned with how we make and find meaning in the world. It will focus on the relationship between personal identity and the quest for a meaningful life. Guiding questions include: What factors shape our identities? Are we free? Is religious belief a necessary part of life? Is life absurd? Is knowledge part of the good life? Throughout the quarter, we will familiarize ourselves with how major figures throughout the history of Western philosophy and contemporary Western philosophers approached these questions. We will also place these authors into dialogue with several ancient and contemporary Asian philosophical works. In addition to philosophical texts, this course will address the aforementioned themes through a film, a short story, and a novel.

McDaniel Plan: First Year Seminar