Philosophy   

In For the Time Being, naturalist Annie Dillard explores how the sacred reveals itself in our modern, scientifically-oriented world. Her protagonists are the Baal Shem Tov, an eighteenth-century Hasidic rabbi, and Teilhard de Chardin, a twentieth-century Jesuit paleontologist. She brings the mystery of birth, the Chinese Emperor Qin's ten thousand terra-cotta soldiers, and an extended visit to modern Israel into her quest. Dillard asks, "Given things as they are, how shall one individual live?" Join this learning through conversation seminar to explore with her.

This introductory class will provide an overview of Hinduism, the religion of India that originated about 3000 years ago. It will include a brief history about the origin of Hinduism and the contributions to it from different sources, the religion of Hinduism and its many components, the different philosophies that underpin the religious practices, including the non-dualism of Vedanta; and the interactions between Hinduism and Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Also covered in the class are the rituals, practices, customs, and festivals related to Hinduism.

In this class you will learn the nature and characteristics of a moral or ethical dilemma, along with a technique for identifying, addressing, and solving the dilemma. New dilemmas will be provided for each class period. You will be encouraged, but not required, to bring your own suitably anonymized dilemmas to class for discussion and analysis.

Socrates spent his life "examining" men in public places: the agora (marketplace) and Lyceum (a gymnasium). He became a celebrity and was, at the age of 47, rudely caricatured by the comic poet Aristophanes in Clouds. In his 60s, Socrates met a handsome young nobleman, Plato, then in his late teens, and convinced him to give up poetry in favor of philosophy. In 399 BC, Socrates was convicted of impiety and corrupting the youth and sentenced to death. After the death of Socrates, Plato wrote some 26 dialogues, four of which touch on the last days of Socrates.

Based primarily on Judith Viorst's book Making the Best of What's Left: When We're Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered, this class will be a combination reading and discussion group about the situation we occupy in our last years. What kind of plans should we make? Would we prefer the single life, marriage, or some other arrangement? If we seek guidance, what kind is good, and where will we likely find it?