PHIL496/596 SP26
PHIL 496/596: Special Topics in Axiology
Topic: Meaning and Life
Dr. Marie Jayasekera
Mondays & Wednesdays · 2:00pm–3:15pm · LA5–149
This course will explore a range of questions related to meaning and life. How should we understand the term ‘meaning’ when applied to life? What is the difference between a happy life and a meaningful life? Is meaning in life just a matter of our attitudes towards life or the activities that make up our life? What is the relationship between God, work, achievement, morality, and time to life’s meaning?
Note: This course will not take up the perspective of a range of religious and philosophical traditions that provide answers to these questions. Instead, we’ll explore answers to these questions and others mainly using readings from contemporary analytic philosophy.
Students enrolling in this course should be willing to work through challenging texts, participate wholeheartedly in small group discussions and activities, and critically reflect on their own views related to meaning and life.