PHIL 247 - Existentialism

(3 credits)
Prerequisite: One 100-level, three credit course in philosophy or CRIT 111
Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? This course covers the existential analysis of the quest for meaning in a human’s life. We will consider how we understand ourselves, the world and our relationship with the world. These considerations will include notions of self-identity, the role and limits of reason/rationality, the role of emotions and passions, the role of faith and religion, human freedom, views of the world self-estrangement, anxiety and fear, death and the relation of the self to other human beings. We will grapple with these questions as we analyze and interpret the philosophies of famous ‘existentialist’ thinkers such as Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre. Offered alternate years. (CHUM)