Human Nature and the Meaning of Life in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy

PHIL 103M Subject & Catalog Number

Description

What is a human being? How ought I to live my life? These questions hold a central position in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy. Moreover, the second question was typically understood by reference to the first: given what a human being is, how ought I to live my life? Human nature was supposed to be a key reason why one ought to act in some ways rather than others, and why certain goals should be the ones to shape and structure one’s life. In this course, we study several philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle, the Epicureans, and the Stoics. We will examine and discuss their thinking on human nature and how we ought to live our lives, with an eye to understanding how and why, in the view of these philosophers, we ought to live our lives in certain ways and in pursuit of certain goals given what it is to be a human being. We shall, among other things, consider Plato’s thinking about death and the soul in the Phaedo; look at what the rationality of human nature means for the conduct of life according to Aristotle; discuss the Epicurean arguments against the fear of death; and investigate the striking claim made by the Stoics that being a good (virtuous) person is the only thing that matters in life.