ONLINE: During and after World War II, European philosophers sought a new way of understanding human beings. For centuries, Westerners had assumed that human nature determines how we act, much as an animal's nature determines its behavior. But in the wake of the destruction of the war, the idea took hold that it was the other way around: How we decide to act determines who we are and what we value. The intellectual movement came to be called "existentialism." In this course, we will read and discuss some of the most fascinating and influential exponents of this movement, including its forerunners: Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Ortega, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus. Our objective will be to determine whether their insights remain valid options for our understanding of human nature. | Facilitated discussion.
Max enrollment: 24.
Class sessions are recorded.
