Key facts

Type	Weekly Classes
Location	Reading
Address	Room 114 Building 22 London Road Campus Reading RG1 5AQ
Dates	Wed 16 Jan to Wed 20 Mar 2013 Day: Wednesday Time of meeting: 7.00-9.00pm Number of meetings: 10
Subject area(s)	Philosophy
CATS points	10
Fees	From £145.00
Application status	Course ended
Course code	R12P422PHW
Course contact	If you have any questions about this course, please email pp@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Overview

What do philosophers have to say about the meaning of life? Why do some think that this question is meaningless? Does a scientific world view imply that life has no meaning? Is meaning simply a matter of caring about things or are there objective values?

Description

'What's the meaning of life?' is by many considered to be one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves. In this course we will explore how different philosophers have approached it. We will consider several ways of interpreting this question and the charge that it is meaningless. Our first focus will be on traditional views about the purpose of human life. We will then ask what the meaning of life might be given a modern, scientific world view. After discussing the claim that life has no meaning, we will look at two types of position about the meaning of life. Subjectivists argue that things are meaningful for us if we take them to be so. Objectivists believe that we can only find meaning in life if the goals we pursue or the activities we engage in are objectively valuable.

Programme details

Week 1: Introduction. What do we mean by ‘meaning’?
Week 2: Supernaturalism and the search for a purpose that transcends our lives.
Week 3: Aristotle on the function of human beings.
Week 4: Why life might seem meaningless.
Week 5: Subjectivism about meaning.
Week 6: Narrativity: Should our life tell a story?
Week 7: Valuable goals and immortality.
Week 8: Valuable activities and living in the present.
Week 9: Self-realization and the common good.
Week 10: Meaning and happiness.

Background reading:
Thaddeus Metz: 'The Meaning of Life', in: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/life-meaning/
Joshua Seachris: 'Meaning of Life: The Analytic Perspective, in: The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://www.iep.utm.edu/mean-ana/

Staff

Course aims

Course aim:
To discuss different philosophical views on the meaning of life.

Course objective:
1. To present different ways of interpreting the question 'What is the meaning of life?'
2. To show why life might be thought to be meaningless.
3. To introduce students to various accounts of what the meaning of life consists in.

Assessment methods

Assessment is based upon either one essay of about 1,000 words or four shorter assignments totalling about 1,000 words. The shorter assignments involve answering questions on the homework reading. Advice on philosophical writing will be given in the first class. Alternative methods of assessment can be arranged with the tutor.

Teaching methods

The classes will involve presentations by the tutor, group work and general discussion. Students will be given as homework short excerpts from philosophical books or papers, which will be discussed in the following class. They have the opportunity to test their understanding of the course contents by answering questions on the reading or writing an essay.

Teaching outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:
1. understand the views and arguments discussed in the course.
2. have the ability to critically engage with these positions and communicate their views to others.
3. be able to use the content of the course to reflect on their own life.

Fee options

Programme Fee

Home/EU fee: £145.00

Non-EU fee: £145.00

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