Capstone Seminar: The Meaning of Life

What makes life meaningful? It's a question that pulls on many, if not most, people, particularly in light of our current global situation; and in this course, we will give this question rigorous consideration. We'll explore matters of identity, authenticity, accomplishment, social connection, love, attention, religion, and happiness. But first, we'll examine whether meaningfulness is a subjective or objective affair. Our readings will primarily be in philosophy. But writers of literature often explore the question of meaningfulness in life, and some philosophers argue that telling our own stories is key to living a meaningful life. So we will also examine literary texts and the practice of writing literature.