What constitutes a life well lived? Where do we turn for the answers to that question? And do we ask it in the plural, “we,” or as individuals? This course considers the way religious and political thought has shaped considerations of the classical ethical question of how we should live, and the way that ethics has often served to connect religion and politics in thought and practice. Do we need a religious basis to answer ethical questions, or can we determine how to live without religious sources of authority? On what basis, and with what capacities, can we imagine new answers to ethical questions-in community or on our own? Taking a philosophical approach through both classic and modern texts, we will consider of a range of answers to the question of how we should live, and a range of strategies for imagining the inquiry.
This course satisfies the introductory course requirement for the minor in religion and politics.
Course History:
Fall 2019: taught by Professor Fannie Bialek Fall 2021: taught by Professor Fannie Bialek
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I adore Professor Bialek and her lectures are phenomenal. The course material we covered was challenging to think about, but she helped explain it well and I am so glad I took the class – I really enjoyed it and will be taking her again.
— Fall 2022
This might be one of the most important courses that you can take at WashU. It will teach you methods of skepticism and discourse that will help you better understand and navigate traditions, including the ones that you're a part of, and give you the requisite theoretical knowledge to begin asking the question of what the good life might be in earnest.
