Philosophy   

Mary Beard is is a professor of classics at the University of Cambridge, fellow of Newnham College, and Royal Academy of Arts Professor of Ancient Literature. She is unusual in that she is a popular TV personality while being well-respected by her peers. This class begins with her 4-part overview of the Roman Empire and continues with her examination of the lives of ordinary Romans in the series Meet the Romans. The class concludes with her exploration of Pompeii and programs about Caligula and the most famous Roman of them all, Gaius Julius Caesar.

In 2004 Neil Shubin helped discover the previously missing but now-found link between fish (animals living in water) and amphibians (animals living on land). Now known as Tiktaalik, the "fish with hands," it lived approximately 375 million years ago. Using our inner fish as a case study, our true goal is to better understand how scientists establish scientific claims. In this learning through conversation seminar, participants must read one short chapter of the book before each class.

Come prepared to discuss how this concept can work in your daily life: remembering that the past is gone and the future hasn't happened. One can be reflective but not ruminate over and over about the past or the future. This powerful concept for living can bring inner peace, even in the face of suffering.

This is an opportunity to refresh and learn more about wisdom for living in the now. Prerequisite: "Wisdom for Living in The Now."