The Art of Living
The Art of Living (Fall 2010, Stanford Univ.). Instructors: Prof. Lanier Anderson, Prof. Kenneth Taylor and Prof. Joshua Landy. Who am I really?
What can I know about myself and about the world? Without love, are we incomplete beings? Can the prescription for a fulfilling life be found in religion,
reason, art, or nature? If you've asked yourself any of these questions, you're not alone: throughout the ages and across the globe people have considered
the very same questions of human existence.
In "The Art of Living," a course offered to Stanford freshmen, three Stanford humanities faculty challenge the students to consider these questions through
the lens of great philosophical and literary works. In the last session, for example, students read Plato's Symposium, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Kierkegaard's
Fear and Trembling, Nietzsche's The Gay Science, and Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon.
In different ways, each of the authors offers a detailed exploration of life's 'big' questions, thereby providing a foundation of sorts for those who follow.
While Plato advocates a life of reason, Kierkegaard champions religious faith, and Nietzsche endorses artistry and illusion. Morrison celebrates community and
Shakespeare seems to privilege the authentic action of an isolated individual.