Does life have a purpose? The question strikes some people as frivolous, others as vitally urgent. Those of us who are troubled by the question see it as critical to larger issues about how we should live. What makes a life worth living? What does it mean to live authentically? How should we understand suffering and death? Is the existence of God necessary for life to have meaning? How are love and friendship related to a well-lived life? Have people in other cultures or historical periods lived better lives than ours, and if so, how would we tell? This course will use philosophy, fiction, and film to explore larger questions around the meaning and purpose of life and death.
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