Spring Elective: In This Distracted Globe

Terms: 1
Grades: 11, 12, PG

In a world suffering from environmental degradation, social inequality, and other large scale problems, what does it mean to be a good person? Should we run from our problems, or take the risk of facing them head on? In this course, we will read a number of philosophers who think that avoiding life€™s problems is the only life worth living. Then, we will read other philosophers who think we should care about our obligations to others, but disagree about what those obligations are. After wrestling with their arguments, we will turn to films and works of literature that reflect the joys, as well as the dangers, of embracing life€™s challenges. Ultimately, this course is a chance for students to think about the world they inhabit, and their place in it.

This class is a Peddie English Symposium; it has a philosophical focus and approach.