ONLINE: What do all humans have in common? What is our nature? These questions have occupied philosophers for as long as there have been philosophers. Using an instructor-led facilitated discussion, we will explore some of the most influential answers given throughout history, sample a wide range of human thinking and gain insight into how our thinking on the topic has changed over the centuries. We will sample the works of ancient Indian and Chinese thinkers, Plato and Aristotle, and European thinkers during the period of modern scientific thinking. We will also sample a few of the existentialists who deny that there is any natural way of being human. The topic is a wonderful portal into the history of ideas, so this is a fine way to introduce yourself to the study of philosophy. | Facilitated discussion.
Max enrollment: 30.
Richard Prust taught for most of his career at St. Andrews University in North Carolina. He is co-author of "Personal Identity in Moral and Legal Reasoning," and is currently working on a book called "The Personal Meaning of What We Do." He served for many years on the board of the 16th International Conference on Persons and helped arrange biannual meetings in Europe and North America for philosophers interested in that topic.