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Looking for the meaning of life

Looking for The Meaning of Life

Steve Fuller

Does it make sense to ask for a meaning to life, and if so what might it be? Philosopher and Auguste Comte Professor at Warwick, Steve Fuller approaches the ultimate Why?

Instructor
  • Steve Fuller

    Postmodern philosopher, Professor of Sociology at Warwick, author of Popper vs. Kuhn and the controversial Dissent Over Descent: Intelligent Design's Challenge to Darwinism

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About the Course

The meaning of life is a mystery that remains elusive. Whether we place our faith in scientific progress, the afterlife, family or personal well-being, we struggle to convince ourselves of deeper purpose. Today’s world presents us with new challenges, whilst promising to offer answers to age-old questions. In this course Professor Steve Fuller presents a radical account of how humanity has found meaning, and suggests the next ways which we will look for the meaning of life. Where might we find it? 

By the end of the course, you will have learned:

  • How today’s cult of fame developed from the ancient’s search for meaning
  • What challenges Darwin’s theory of evolution presents to meaning
  • Why Plato thought that delusions were necessary for a prosperous society
  • The deeper message behind Hawking’s phrase ‘the mind of God’
  • The cyclical patterns in our search for life beyond death

 

As part of the course there are in-video quiz questions to consolidate your learning, suggested further content to explore topics further, discussion boards to have your say and an end of course assessment set by Professor Fuller.

IAI Academy courses are designed to be challenging but accessible to the interested student. No specialist knowledge is required.

About the Instructor

  • Steve Fuller

    Steve Fuller is Auguste Comte Professor of Social Epistemology at the University of Warwick. In the Autumn, he is publishing a follow-up to his Post-Truth: Knowledge as a Power Game, entitled A Player's Guide to the Post-Truth Condition: The Name of the Game

Course Syllabus

  • Part One: More than a Zero Sum Game
    Some philosophers have endorsed suicide – but does the ‘good life’ tip the balance against despair?
  • Part Two: Being and Knowing
    What can the experience of living teach us about ourselves and the nature of the world?
  • Part Three: Beyond Life
    What does life signify beyond itself? Can our impact on others give our lives value?