The legendary Al Green sang it best. Love and happiness seem to be inextricably intertwined. Popular narratives stress that we can’t have one without the other – but, if we do find love, we’ll live “happily ever after.” These popular ideas invite many questions: To what extent is happiness under my control? Can circumstances make my life less happy? How is feeling happy related to being happy? How do my choices affect my life’s happiness? How much does chance influence whether I have loving relationships in my life? How exactly do love and friendship figure in a happy life? And, what is it to lead a happy life, anyway? In this course, we’ll embark on a philosophical inquiry into love and happiness. We will focus on texts from Greek antiquity as the basis for our inquiry. Likely readings include Plato’s Symposium, Lysis, and Phaedrus, pseudo-Plato’s Alcibiades, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, and contemporary responses.
Learning Outcomes:
Delivery Method: Entirely remote (synchronous)
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 4
M/Th 1:40PM-5:20PM (2nd seven weeks)
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Course Frequency: One time only
Categories: All courses , Philosophy
Tags: