Philosophy
3375
The
Meaning of Life
Spring
2009
Jean
Kazez
Contact
jkazez@smu.edu
www.smu.edu/jkazez/mol.htm
(course web-page)
Office hours by appointment (210 Hyer Hall)
Objectives
In
this class, we'll take a rigorous, analytic approach to the "big
questions": How should we
live? Is happiness the most important
thing? What priority should we give to
our various aims and interests? Does life have any grand purpose? If not, can life still be meaningful? We'll
look at all these issues from a wide range of perspectives, ancient and modern,
Anglo-American and continental, western and eastern. You may (or may not) find
out the meaning of life by taking this class, but you'll certainly think
hard--and think for yourself--about some vitally important, perennial issues.
Requirements
Exam I 20%, Exam II 20%, Final Exam 25%, Paper (~8 pages) 25%, Citizenship 10%
Citizenship
Your citizenship grade is based on an all-around assessment
of how you contribute to this class. Positives are: attending, being attentive, bringing texts to
class, being prepared for group discussions, showing respect for others, making
a cooperative contribution to group discussions, and participating in a
high-quality way to class discussions. If
necessary, we will occasionally have pop
reading quizzes, which will factor into your citizenship grade.
Attendance.
Because this is a small, discussion-centered class, your presence is essential. Try not to miss even one class, as one class is a whole week! You will have a budget of two absences to cover things that come up, whether “legitimate” or personal. Use this budget wisely! In most cases, a 3rd absence or 4th absence will lower your citizenship grade by 50% each. More than 4 absences: You will receive a failing grade and should drop the class. Discuss unusual circumstances with me as soon as they arise.
Electronic
etiquette
Use common sense. Don’t let phones and laptops distract you or anyone else.
Make-up exams
Make-up
exams will be given only to students who have an outstandingly good
reason for missing a class, such as being ill, needing to attend a funeral, or
participating in an official
Disability Accommodations
Students
needing academic accommodations for a disability must first contact Ms. Rebecca
Marin, Coordinator, Services for Students with
Disabilities (214-768-4557) to verify the disability and establish eligibility
for accommodations. You should then communicate with me to make appropriate
arrangements. (University Policy No. 2.4.)
Extracurricular
Activities
If you
participate in an official, scheduled,
Religious observance
“Religiously observant students wishing
to be absent on holidays that require missing class should notify their
professors in writing at the beginning of the semester, and should discuss with
them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the
absence.” (University Policy No. 1.9.).
Grade interpretation
You can earn a maximum of 100 points in this class. 100-93=A; 92-90=A-, 89-87=B+, 86-83=B, etc. Every component is also graded on a 100-point scale. The letters mean:
A-range Very accurate, very
insightful. Only
a few minor flaws.
B-range Some very good work, but also some
significant gaps.
C-range You've
learned something, but missed many important things as well.
D-range Very little mastery of any of the material.
F-range No significant mastery. Grade of zero if paper/exam
is not turned in or violates honor code.
Honor Code
Violation
of
SCHEDULE
Books
|
Kazez, The Weight of
Things (WT) Bauby, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Epictetus, The Handbook (trans. White) Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (trans. Irwin) Important-- |
Singer,
Ethics Nietzsche,
The Gay Science (trans. Kaufmann) Klemke, The
Meaning of Life |
·
Please bring the night’s readings to class every
time!
·
You’ll find it hard to complete all the readings
for one week in one sitting…so plan accordingly.
·
Do the readings in the order they are
listed.
|
DATE |
TOPIC
& READINGS |
MISC. |
|
Week
1 (1/21) |
Why? Kazez, WT 1-15 Read
Bauby at your leisure |
|
|
Week
2 (1/28) |
The Good Life Kazez, WT 16-35 Lecky, “The Desert Saints,” Singer 194-97 Aristotle, Nicomachean
Ethics Book I, ch. 1-4, 7-10, Book II, ch. 6-7, 9, Book X, ch. 7-8 (Glossary,
notes, and introduction are helpful) |
|
|
Week
3 (2/4) |
Stoicism and
Buddhism Epictetus, The
Handbook, complete Kazez, WT 35-45 The Buddha, “The Ceasing of Woe,” Singer 183-85 |
|
|
Week
4 (2/11) |
Happiness Epicurus, “The Pursuit of Pleasure,” Singer 188-90 Voltaire, “Story of a Good Brahmin,” Singer 198-99 Bentham,
“Pushpin and Poetry,” Singer 199-200 Mill,
“Higher and Lower Pleasures,” Singer 201-205 Nozick, “The Experience Machine,” Singer 228-29 James, “Good as the Satisfaction of Demands,” Singer
205-11 |
|
|
Week
5 (2/18) |
Happiness
(cont) Parfit, “What Make’s Someone’s Life Go Best,” Singer
235-42 Kazez, WT 46-60 |
1 Hour Exam |
|
Week
6 (2/25) |
Objective List
Theories Kazez, WT 61-80 Finnis, “The Basic Values,” Singer 229-235 |
|
|
Week
7 (3/4) |
Living with Disabilities Kazez, WT 81-98 Johnson, “Unspeakable Conversations” (course webpage) Explore http://www.princeton.edu/~psinger/faq.html
(section III) |
|
|
Week
8 (3/18) |
Hard Choices Kazez, WT 99-110 Sartre, “Existentialism is a humanism” (course
webpage) |
|
|
Week
9 (3/25) |
How Good Do We
Need to Be? Gandhi,
“Truth and Ahimsa,” Singer 219-20 Nietzsche,
The Gay Science, sections 116-119,125,
128, 276, 283-90, 325-28, 338, 341, 343, 345, 352, 359, 381-83 |
|
|
Week
10 (4/1) |
How Good Do We Need to Be? (cont) Wolf,
“Moral Saints,” Singer 345-52 Kazez, WT
111-127 |
1 hour Exam |
|
Week 11 (4/8) |
The Religion
Question Tolstoy, “My Confession,” Klemke 11-20 Pojman, “Religion Gives Meaning to Life,” Klemke 27-30 Fackenheim, “ Judaism and the Meaning of Life,” Klemke 31-34 Kazez, WT 128-137 |
Turn in paper topic |
|
Week
12 (4/15) |
Impermanence
and Absurdity Nozick, “Death” handout (course webpage) Nagel, “The Absurd,” Klemke 143-52 Kazez, WT
137-145 |
Topics returned |
|
Week
13 (4/22) |
The Meaning of
Life Camus, “The Myth of Sisyphus,” Klemke 72-81 Wolf, “Meaning in Life,” Klemke 232-35 Cahn, “Meaningless Lives,” Klemke 236-38 |
|
|
Week
14 (4/29) |
Everything Else Kazez, WT 146-158 |
Paper Due |
|
Final
(5/6) |
Final is in Hyer 111 at |
Final Exam 1 |