Philosophy as a Way of Life
PHIL 221
Fall 2011
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
EAST 220 |
For many philosophers, East and West, philosophy has been more than an effort to answer fundamental questions. It has been an activity aimed at changing one's orientation to the world and, thus, how one lives one's life. We will explore Chinese, Greco-Roman, and contemporary versions of the idea that philosophy should be seen as a way of life. How does philosophical reasoning interact with lived practice? How do metaphysical views lead to ethical commitments? Despite their differences, Confucians, Daoists, Aristotelians, and Stoics all agreed that philosophy should aim at making us better people. Can such an idea still get traction in today's world? |
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Essential Capabilities:
Ethical Reasoning
Our central theme concerns the how the practice of philosophy informs how one should live one's life.
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS PHIL |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CEAS-Phil/Reli)(PHIL)(PHIL-Social Jus)(STS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 | | Special Attributes: FYI |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Zhuangzi
Zhu Xi, LEARNING TO BE A SAGE
Aristotle, NICOMACHEAN ETHICS
Various Stoic writings
Contemporary secondary scholarship (e.g., Hadot, PHILOSOPHY AS A WAY OF LIFE; Murdoch, THE IDEA OF PERFECTION)
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Examinations and Assignments:
Several short writing assignments; in-class presentations; and three formal essays |
| Instructor(s): Angle,Stephen Times: .M.W... 11:00AM-12:20PM; Location: FISK115; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 15 | Permission of instructor will be granted during the drop/add period. Students must submit either a ranked or unranked drop/add request for this course. |
| Web Resources: Syllabus |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 1 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 1 |
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