HISA

A survey discussion that explores and evaluates the sources of knowing, believing, and existing. Rather than a traditional survey of philosophers and their writings, the course calls upon each student to examine where his/her moral, ethical, spiritual, political and romantic belief systems originate: how and why we lead our lives the way we do. Fundamental to Life Themes is a challenge to preconceived notions of what we accept as Truth, and in particular preconceived notions of “correctness” in morality, ethics, taboo, loyalty, sacrifice, sex, and social and family relations. To explore and expand our knowledge of experience and knowing, we will look at contrasting beliefs and experiences to our own. In conjunction with this, students will visit with and interview members of the Greek community, journey into remote villages and experience firsthand the ethics and nature of life in the Cycladic countryside, thus obtaining a direct interactive experience of a culture whose communal, religious, and artistic philosophical “templates” are both deeply-rooted and at the same time in a state of flux due to the influences of an ever-encroaching global pressure.

 

3 credits.