PHIL 205 - Meaning in Life

Credits: (3)
College Curriculum: COLL 200, COLL 300
Domain (Anchored): ALV
Domain (Reaching Out): CSI

This course is divided into three units. In the first we’ll look at arguments for and against the existence of God. In the second we’ll study “God, death, and meaning”. Questions to be considered include: Is life meaningful only if God exists? How does death impact life’s meaning? Is meaning objective? (And what does ‘meaning’ even mean?) The third unit is called “Art, war, work, nation”. Here we will examine some essentially human activities and organizations in which many have found-or lost-meaning.

Throughout, the readings and assignments for this Coll 300 course aim to “connect you with people, places, and ideas that take you out of familiar surroundings and deepen the way you see yourself in the world”. Accordingly, this course will include the examination of global differences regarding sources or bearers of meaning. Through personal reflection and philosophical argumentation, students will learn to “use your knowledge, your emerging expertise in framing questions, and your communication skills to engage the world in a self-reflective, cross-cultural way.”