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# God and the Good Life | University of Notre Dame

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/blog/) - Stub for standard WordPress "Blog". Posts to output here.

## Pages

- [Welcome](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/) - In God and the Good Life (GGL), you'll have the opportunity to wrestle with big questions about how to live and what makes life meaningful. In GGL we approach philosophy as a "way of life", which means that we're interested in how different philosophical traditions are embodied. We care about theory, but we care even
- [The Course](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/the-course/) - In God and the Good Life (GGL), you'll have the opportunity to wrestle with big questions about how to live and what makes life meaningful. In GGL we approach philosophy as a "way of life," which means that we're interested in how different philosophical traditions are embodied. We care about theory, but we care even
- [Policies & Assignments](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/policies-assignments/) - Course Vision: In God and the Good Life you will: Learn how to argue convincingly, responsibly and productively about philosophical questions. Apply philosophical concepts to real life in light of your own reasoned-out vision of the good. Contribute to building a dialogue group community characterized by mutual encouragement, pursuit of truth, fun, and creativity. Grow

## Resources

- [Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/platos-allegory-of-the-cave/) - From The Republic Book VII …Picture men dwelling in a sort of subterranean cavern with a long entrance open to the light on its entire width. Conceive them as having their legs and necks fettered from childhood, so that they remain in the same spot, able to look forward only, and prevented by the fetters from turning
- [Do Your Duty: Kant](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/do-your-duty-kant/) - Who is Kant? Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a renowned German philosopher whose ideas have had a profound and lasting impact on the fields of ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. Kant was born in the small Prussian city of Königsberg and spent most of his life working as a professor at the local university. In his moral
- [Epicurus' Letter to Menoeceus: Avoid Pain](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/epicurus-letter-to-menoeceus-avoid-pain/) - Introduction Epicurus on Desire In this section, Epicurus distinguishes three basic kinds of desire and argues that we ought to aim to satisfy the kind he calls "necessary desires". We must also reflect that of desires some are natural, others are groundless; and that of the natural some are necessary as well as natural, and
- [Anscombe's Intention: Ethics in Action](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/anscombes-intention-ethics-in-action/) - Anscombe & Her Time Born in Ireland in 1919, Elizabeth Anscombe spent most of her life in England, attending Oxford as a student and later researching and teaching at both Oxford and Cambridge until 1986. She became a close friend and colleague to Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. Anscombe
- [Reason Like a Champion](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/reason-like-a-champion/) - Logic and Philosophy What Arguments Are Argument Evaluating Arguments Philosophers have precise ways of evaluating arguments. The very best sort of argument is valid, sound, and informative. Throughout this course, we will often be trying to figure out whether arguments meet any or all of these criteria. Let’s discuss each in turn. Tools for Evaluating Arguments Defining Terms-When
- [Doubt Everything: Descartes](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/doubt-everything-descartes/) - We consider how skepticism was revived as a virtue during the Enlightenment. And, like any virtue, intellectual humility can be a virtue that can be difficult to get right.
- [Why Be Good? Plato](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/why-be-good-plato/) - Introduction to Plato Adeimantus's Plea This section of the Republic ends with Adeimantus (Plato's other brother) giving a plea to Socrates: Adeimantus: Don’t merely give us a theoretical argument that justice is stronger than injustice, but tell us what each itself does, because of its own powers, to someone who possesses it, that makes injustice bad and justice
- [Natural Theology: Anselm and Aquinas](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/natural-theology-anselm-and-aquinas/) - Natural theology is a set of philosophical arguments that aim to demonstrate either that a god exists or (assuming he exists) that he possesses certain properties, like being the cause of everything in the universe or being unchanging. Most branches of the major Abrahamic religions -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- believe that God is importantly transcendent:
- [The Will to Believe: James](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/the-will-to-believe-james/) - Prelude: Are We Responsible for Our Beliefs? You have a lot of control and moral responsibility for what you do. But how much control and responsibility do you have for what you believe? And if you do have control, how do you become better at tending to your beliefs? Pragmatism and Religious Faith (Section X)
- [Letter from a Birmingham Jail](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/letter-from-a-birmingham-jail/) - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote this letter from the Birmingham jail, where he was imprisoned for leading nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, The letter was written long-hand, drawing on his extensive knowledge of philosophy and theology. It was his response to a public
- [The Apology of Socrates](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/the-apology-of-socrates/) - Background In philosophy, an "apology" (from the Greek apologia) refers to a formal defense or justification of a person's beliefs, actions, and/or way of life. What you are about to read is the famous apology given by the the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, as recorded by his student Plato. Socrates had spent his life engaging his
- [Choose Your Meaning: Jean-Paul Sartre and James Baldwin](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/choose-your-meaning-jean-paul-sartre-and-james-baldwin/) - The complete texts of the excerpts used in this essay can be found here: “Existentialism is a Humanism” by Jean-Paul Sartre and “Letter From a Region in My Mind” by James Baldwin. Philosophers in the tradition of black existentialism focus on finding meaning in life as a collective, arguing that in many cases humans are prevented from living meaningful
- [Utilitarianism: John Stuart Mill](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/utilitarianism-john-stuart-mill/) - Who is John Stuart Mill? John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century, as well as a political economist and a prominant politician. Born in London to a family of intellectuals, Mill was educated by his father, James Mill, who was a philosopher and economist himself. He was a
- [Work and Identity: Karl Marx and Max Weber](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/work-and-identity-karl-marx-and-max-weber/) - Marx's Life and Thought Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a German philosopher, economist, and political theorist whose writings had a transformative impact on the modern world. His work has inspired countless social movements and revolutions across the globe, and played a pivotal role in the establishment of socialist and communist governments in the 20th century. His
- [Make Friends: Aristotle](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/make-friends-aristotle/) - The Nature of Friendship: Book VIII of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics What follows are selections from Book VIII of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, where he considers the role our relationships play in eudaimonia. Friendship is a virtue or implies virtue, and is most necessary with a view to living. For without friends no one would choose to live,
- [Meditations: Marcus Aurelius](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/meditations-marcus-aurelius/) - Introduction Acknowledgments This digital essay was prepared by GGL Fellows Devin Diggs and Elle Dietz in collaboration with the GGL Teaching Team.
- [God and Suffering: Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/god-and-suffering-fyodor-dostoyevsky/) - Introduction to Fyodor Dostoyevsky Argument We Cannot Love Thy Neighbor Dostoyevsky begins the chapter with Ivan responding to Jesus's command to love one's neighbor. Ivan argues that it is impossible to unconditionally love one's neighbor because of the way humans approach suffering. Note how Ivan characterizes humanity. Does he think humans are inherently evil? How does that
- [Gregory Kavka "The Futurity Problem": Obligated to the Future?](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/gregory-kavka-the-futurity-problem-obligated-to-the-future/) - Gregory Kavka lived from 1947-1994, studying philosophy at Princeton University and the University of Michigan before travelling West to teach at the University of California at Irvine. A political philosopher who wrote extensively on Hobbes and nuclear deterrence, Kavka’s work is internationally admired. In particular, his book on Moral Paradoxes of Nuclear Deterrence helped establish
- [Bernard Williams, “Against Utilitarianism”](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/bernard-williams-against-utilitarianism/) - Introduction Bernard Williams, a British philosopher born in 1929, has written important works in ethics and philosophy of mind. Those include Problems of the Self, Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy, and Shame and Necessity. This selection is taken from his criticism of utilitarianism in Utilitarianism: For and Against, co-authored with J. J. C. Smart.
- [Janna Thompson's "Identity and Obligation in a Transgenerational Polity": Think Beyond the Grave](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/janna-thompsons-identity-and-obligation-in-a-transgenerational-polity-think-beyond-the-grave/) - Introduction Janna Thompson is a professor of Philosophy at La Trobe University in Australia. Her work focuses on political and moral philosophy, and she is especially known for her ideas about intergenerational justice as well as her extensive writing on environmental and feminist philosophy. She often contributes opinion pieces to magazines about hot topics in
- [Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/marcus-aureliuss-meditations/) - Introduction Meditations was written by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the years 161-180 when he was planning military campaigns, though he never titled it or intended for it to be published. It was meant to record his own private notes and ideas on Stoicism Philosophy. It was written in the form of twelve books, widely discussing
- [Marx’s From Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/marxs-from-economic-and-philosophic-manuscripts-of-1844/) - Karl Marx was a “German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary”. He is primarily known for his economic and philosophical arguments against capitalism and in promotion of socialism. He asserted that society was built from class conflict, and argued that salvation came through humanity rather than religion. His work is massively
- [Scheffler: Find Meaning in Tradition](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/scheffler-find-meaning-in-tradition/) - Who is Samuel Scheffler? Samuel Scheffler (1951-) is an American philosopher. He is primarily concerned with moral philosophy, political philosophy, and theory of value. Scheffler's writing covers a wide variety of topics, including equality, nationalism and cosmopolitanism, tolerance, terrorism, immigration, tradition, personal relationships, and the afterlife. He was written numerous books of high critical acclaim
- [Susan Wolf’s “Moral Saints”: Don’t Obsess Over Morality](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/susan-wolfs-moral-saints-dont-obsess-over-morality/) - Who is Susan Wolf? Susan Wolf is a professor of moral philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill whose work focuses on ethics and its relation to happiness, human freedom, and meaning in life. This digital essay deals with Wolf's influential article "Moral Saints", which challenges the idea that the morally ideal
- [Finding Meaning in Suffering: Post-Holocaust Theology](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/finding-meaning-in-suffering-post-holocaust-theology/) - Introduction to Post-Holocaust Theology Acknowledgements This digital essay was prepared by GGL Fellow Blake Ziegler.
- [The Experience Machine](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/the-experience-machine/) - The Value of Pleasure Is pleasure the only good thing there is? Some philosophers have thought so. Take anything you enjoy -- going on vacation, eating a delicious pizza, reading a book. These are all things that cause pleasure, and that seems to be what makes them enjoyable. Reasoning in this way, the philosopher Jeremy Bentham concluded that
- [Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Grand Inquisitor: Free Will vs Authority](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/fyodor-dostoevskys-the-grand-inquisitor-free-will-vs-authority/) - Introduction Fyodor Dostoevsky [1821-1881] was a Russian novelist whose works feature complex psychological themes and explore the intensity of human emotion. He began the genre of existentialist literature, influenced by prominent philosophical and literary figures like St. Augustine, Plato, Immanuel Kant, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allen Poe. The thoughts and actions of great
- [Disagreement and Diversity: J.S. Mill](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/disagreement-and-diversity-j-s-mill/) - Full Text and Selected Passages You can access the full text of John Stuart Mill's On Liberty here. The selected passages for this digital essay can be found here. (Re)Introduction to John Stuart Mill Thought Experiment Case 1: We are Wrong First: the opinion which it is attempted to suppress by authority may possibly be true. Those who
- [Embrace the Absurd: Kierkegaard](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/embrace-the-absurd-kierkegaard/) - Key Principle The Dominant Ethical Paradigm Excerpt from Kierkegaard´s Fear and Trembling: Problem 1 The ethical as such is the universal, it applies to everyone, and the same thing is expressed from another point of view by saying that it applies every instant. It reposes immanently in itself, it has nothing without itself which is its telos, but is itself telos for everything
- [Friedrich Nietzsche's Genealogy of Modern Morality](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/friedrich-nietzsches-genealogy-of-modern-morality/) - Full Text and Selected Passages Most of the readings for this lecture are from Friedrich Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality. You can access the full text here. The selected passages for this digital essay can be found here. Who was Friedrich Nietzsche? Key Principle What is a Genealogy? We are reading selections from Nietzsche's On The Genealogy of Morals and Beyond
- [Learn to Live Well: Aristotle](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/resource/learn-to-live-well-aristotle/) - A Brief Introduction to Aristotle The Ultimate Goal of Our Lives: Happiness (I.7) Let us again return to the good we are seeking, and ask what it can be. It seems different in different actions and arts; it is different in medicine, in strategy, and in the other arts likewise. What then is the good of each? Surely

## Topics

- [TBD (Bonus Lecture)](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/tbd-bonus-lecture/) - Check back around fall break for more information about what we'll be doing during this class period.
- [Escape the World of Total Work](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/escape-the-world-of-total-work/) - In an influential essay, the philosopher Josef Pieper claims that we in modern Western society have come to inhabit a “world of total work.” In recent years, the devastating effects this has had, on individuals and our culture as a whole, have become clear. Burnout, success addiction, and quiet-quitting are all symptomatic reactions to living
- [The Life of Contemplation](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/the-life-of-contemplation/) - Ancient philosophers drew an important distinction between the "vita activa" (the life of action) and the "vita contemplativa" (the life of contemplation). In this class period, we'll read examples or two philosophers advocating for contemplative virtues -- Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Stoicism) and Henry David Thoreau (Transcendentalism). By the end of this day, you will: Compare
- [The Life of Action](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/the-life-of-action/) - What should you focus your time and attention on if you want your life to be more meaningful? Should philosophy be put in the service of action? Or is the main role of philosophy to feed our contemplative sides? Today we consider one proposal -- the good life is one dedicated to justice and action on behalf
- [Work and the Good Life](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/work-and-the-good-life/) - What role should work play in your conception of eudaimomia? In this session, we will look at research from psychology on the phenomenon of burnout and compare and contrast these contemporary debates with the ancient debates about flourishing we've been studying. In the process, we'll consider methodological differences between how psychologists, sociologists, and philosophers study
- [Make Friends](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/make-friends/) - Love is indisputably a key part of the good life. In this session, we'll consider the role that philosophy can play in helping us understand love of friends and family. We'll read Aristotle's beautiful meditations on philia (friendship) and consider the three categories of friendship he supposes contribute to our good lives. We'll also consider
- [Critical Thinking Post-test](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/critical-thinking-post-test/) - In today's class, you'll take the critical thinking post-test (a version of the test you took early in the semester to establish a critical thinking baseline). Details will be send around closer to the date.
- [Choose Your Meaning](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/choose-your-meaning/) - Aristotle assumes you have a function -- an essence -- that is intricately linked to your goal in life. For Aristotle, what's distinctive about human beings is that we are rational animals, capable of developing virtues, which can lead us to flourishing intellectual and social lives. Existentialist philosophers take a different approach. They do not
- [There Is No God](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/there-is-no-god/) - In this session we consider natural a-theology: arguments that no rational person should believe that a god exists. In particular, we will focus on the Problem of Evil. To guide our thinking, we will consider some real world tragedies and the burden that theists have in understanding them. We'll also consider one of the most
- [Embrace the Absurd](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/embrace-the-absurd/) - Is religious faith absurd or paradoxical? Is the person of faith called to transcend the rational and moral realms? What does it mean to have an authentic religious faith? In this session, we look at existentialist philosopher Soren Kierkegaard's theory of faith. Kierkegaard meditates on the apparent absurdity and immorality of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice
- [Comprehension Check #1](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/argument-mapping-in-the-real-world/) - Today in class, you will be taking the first of two comprehension checks in class. You can use your notes, but no devices (laptops, iPads, phones) are permitted to be used. The check will cover material from all of the course periods so far, beginning with the first day.
- [Comprehension Check #2 (Option 2)](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/comprehension-check-2/) - Instead of a final exam in this class, you will be taking a second comprehension check. In class, you'll be given a ~30 question comprehension check. The questions will all be drawn from (or will be extremely similar to) the comprehension quiz questions you've completed for the daily readings throughout the semester. If you did
- [Comprehension Check #2 (Option 1)](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/demonstrate-your-understanding/) - * Note: You should plan to take Comprehension Check #2 in class on December 3rd OR December 10th. You only need to show up to one of these class periods (you cannot take it more than once), and you can decide which. Instead of a final exam in this class, you will be taking a
- [There is a God](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/there-is-a-god/) - How does religious faith (or lack thereof) figure into the good life? That's the topic of our third unit. In this session, we will consider arguments that every rational person should believe God exists. We have three main learning goals for this day. You will: Be able to define "natural theology" and distinguish it from
- [Believe Your Truth](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/believe-your-truth-2/) - What role does disagreement play in the good life? What does it mean to respect the perspectives and evidence of people who disagree with you? And how worried should we be about forming moral beliefs, political beliefs, or philosophical beliefs in an "echo chamber"? In this class, we'll be considering the relationship between rationality, disagreement,
- [Take a Leap of Faith](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/take-a-leap-of-faith/) - Maybe having good beliefs means sometimes believing even when there is not enough evidence either way? In this session we will consider whether we have control over our beliefs and whether it is ever a good idea to believe something before the evidence has come in. We will take a close look at William James's
- [Trust Tradition](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/trust-tradition/) - In this class, we will consider whether some important philosophical truths are best learned through observing tradition, trusting authorities, and cultivating a more deferential kind of intellectual humility. We have three main learning goals for this day. You will: Understand how cultural evolution selects for successful practices Understand why the functions of traditions are usually
- [Doubt Everything](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/doubt-everything/) - We've been considering trust (in traditions, in religions, in communities, in friends, in yourself) as a virtue. Today we'll consider whether it is also a vice. We'll look at a defense of skeptical philosophical inquiry, one introduced by Enlightenment philosopher Rene Descartes. Descartes thought that a scientific approach to life requires rooting out all of one's
- [Question Everything](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/question-everything/) - How do you decide what to believe? You might think that you should only believe something if you know why it is true. Socrates thought that we should question absolutely everything and not rest until we know our beliefs lie on a secure foundation. In this class, we'll consider Socrates' approach to the good life.
- [Escape Your Cave](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/escape-your-cave-2/) - Plato was Socrates's most famous student and was deeply influenced by his views of how the love of truth fits in with the good life. In this class session, we will introduce you to Plato's most famous dialogue -- The Republic -- which features Socrates in his questioning element. We'll read the famous Allegory of
- [thinkARGUMENTS Capstone 1](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/reason-like-a-champion-2/) - Philosophy is defined, first and foremost, by it's commitment to rigorous, logical reasoning. This is especially important when we wonder about questions that can't be determined through observation alone. In this session, we'll further focus on the critical thinking skills and argument mapping you've been working on in ThinkerAnalytix. These skills will come up again
- [Don't Obsess About Morality](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/dont-obsess-about-morality/) - The utilitarian philosophers offer a powerful argument that the morally good life requires significant sacrifices (time, money, organs?) In this class we will debate whether to live the good life you shouldn't strive to be as moral as possible. Can a moral saint also be a good friend? Does being a good person mean you cannot also
- [Cultivate Your Character](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/cultivate-your-character/) - The utilitarians think your moral success depends on the outward consequences of your actions. Kantians think it all depends on your inward intentions. Today we look at a different theory, one that assumes that the most important part of being moral is forming your own character. We'll also consider why we should try to be
- [Do Your Duty](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/do-your-duty/) - Immanuel Kant is famous for believing that rationality is the basis for morality -- the most important focus of ethical decision-making is respecting the freedom and dignity of rational beings. He also gives us a theory of inviolable moral imperatives -- rules you must follow, no matter what, to do what is right. Today we will
- [Take Responsibility](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/take-responsibility/) - When making moral decisions, is it better to focus on the particulars of the case (like the names, histories, and motives of individuals involved) or to abstract to broader categories (like how much pleasure or suffering will result)? How important is it to have good intentions rather than to be the cause of the best
- [Alleviate Suffering](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/alleviate-suffering/) - What's your moral code? Starting with this class, we'll be wrestling with the question of what it takes to live a moral life. According to utilitarians, the key to acting morally is to do whatever will alleviate suffering and promote pleasure in the world. As a result, anything that can feel pain or pleasure deserves your
- [Learn to Live Well](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/learn-to-live-well/) - You can learn to solve a differential equation. You can learn to ride a bike. But is happiness something that can be learned? And if so, how? This session will introduce the fundamental philosophical puzzle of God and the Good Life and discuss Aristotle's answer to it. We have three main learning goals for this
- [Welcome to GGL](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/welcome-to-ggl/) - In this session, we'll welcome you to our course and scheme for the semester ahead. We have three learning goals for today. By the end of our lecture class, you will: Distinguish between psychological and philosophical approaches to questions about happiness, and appreciate the practical importance of this distinction Understand the overall structure and learning goals
- [The Life Of Action](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/the-life-of-action-2/) - What should you focus your time and attention on if you want your life to be more meaningful? Should philosophy be put in the service of action? Or is the main role of philosophy to feed our contemplative sides? Today we consider one proposal — the good life is one dedicated to justice and action
- [The Life Of Contemplation](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/the-life-of-contemplation-2/) - In this class period, we’ll read and discuss examples or two philosophers advocating for contemplative virtues — the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and the American naturalist Henry David Thoreau. Read This: Marcus Aurelius and Henry David Thoreau: Live a Life of Contemplation Key Concepts: Vita contemplativa Stoicism Transcendentalism Do This: Complete Map to the Good
- [The Life Of Pleasure](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/the-life-of-pleasure-2/) - What role should pleasure play in our lives? How much pleasure is too much? In today’s class, we’ll explore the philosophy of Epicureanism and its founder, Epicurus. Like other hedonists, Epicureans believe that pleasure is the intrinsic good that all actions aim at. However, unlike many hedonists, they are also wary of the dangers of
- [Argument Workshop](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/argument-workshop-3/) - Today your TA will lead a workshop aimed at helping you complete the remaining two sections of your Apology essay. Your TA will let you know if there’s anything you should prepare beforehand. Workshop locations will be announced before the workshop date. Reminders: Complete your Apology essay by April 26.
- [Reflect On Your Death](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/reflect-on-your-death-2/) - Death presents us with perhaps the most formidable challenge to living a good life. Philosophical questions about death abound: what is it to die? Is the state of death separable from the process of dying? If so, which of these — if either — are bad? And how could they be bad for us, if
- [Work And The Good Life](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/work-and-the-good-life-2/) - What role should work play in your conception of eudaimonia? In this session, we will look at Karl Marx’s critical examination of work, focusing on his theories of class struggle and alienation. We’ll explore Marx's ideas about how the commodification of labor can conflict with our pursuit of a good life and consider his vision
- [Find Meaning In Tradition](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/find-meaning-in-tradition-2/) - One response to the question of where to seek meaning in life is simply: tradition! In this class, we’ll explore this method, and ask whether, and to what extent, tradition can be a source of meaning in life. To do this, we will turn to the Confucian tradition in classical Chinese philosophy, which placed a
- [Make Friends](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/make-friends-2/) - Love is indisputably a key part of the good life. In this session, we’ll consider exactly what role it plays. We’ll read Aristotle’s beautiful meditations on philia (friendship) and consider the three categories of friendship he supposes contribute to a good life. We’ll also consider objections to Aristotle’s view that the highest forms of friendship
- [Choose Your Meaning](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/choose-your-meaning-2/) - Aristotle assumes you have a function—an essence—that is intricately linked to your purpose in life. For Aristotle, what’s distinctive about human beings is that we are rational animals, capable of developing virtues, which can lead us to flourishing intellectual and social lives. Existentialist philosophers take a different approach. They do not think there is a set
- [There Is No God](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/there-is-no-god-2/) - In this session we consider natural a-theology: arguments that no rational person should believe that a god exists. In particular, we will focus on the Problem of Evil. To guide our thinking, we'll consider one of the most important meditations on evil in the history of literature: Ivan Karamazov’s “Rebellion” speech in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov.
- [Embrace The Absurd](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/embrace-the-absurd-2/) - Is religious faith absurd or paradoxical? Is a person of faith called to transcend the rational and moral realms? What does it mean to have an authentic religious faith? In this session, we look at existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s theory of faith. Kierkegaard meditates on the apparent absurdity and immorality of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice
- [Argument Workshop](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/argument-workshop-2/) - Today your TA will lead a workshop focused on the argument component of your Apology essay. Your TA will let you know if there’s anything you should prepare beforehand. Workshop locations will be announced before the workshop date. Reminders: Complete the first section of your Apology essay by Saturday, March 21. Complete Map to the
- [There Is A God](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/there-is-a-god-2/) - How might belief in God figure into the good life? In this session, we'll consider arguments that every rational person should believe God exists. We'll also ask what role, if any, observation and rational argument should play in religious belief. Do This: Complete the first section of your Apology essay by Saturday, March 21. If
- [Take A Leap Of Faith](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/take-a-leap-of-faith-3/) - Are there ever situations where we should believe something even when there's not enough evidence either way? In this session we will consider whether we have control over our beliefs and whether it is ever a good idea to believe something before the evidence has come in. We will take a close look at William
- [Believe Your Truth](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/believe-your-truth-3/) - What role does disagreement play in the good life? What does it mean to respect the perspectives and evidence of people who disagree with you? And how worried should we be about forming moral beliefs, political beliefs, or philosophical beliefs in an “echo chamber”? In this class, we’ll be considering the relationship between rationality, disagreement,
- [Trust Tradition](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/trust-tradition-2/) - In this class, we will consider whether some important philosophical truths are best learned through observing tradition, trusting authorities, and cultivating a more deferential kind of intellectual humility. Pre-Class Questions Your responses to the following questions are due on Canvas before class. Your top 15 scores of the semester will count toward your final grade.
- [Argument Workshop](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/argument-workshop/) - Today your TA will lead a workshop in which you'll review your first Argument Capstone. Attendance is not mandatory, but at the workshop you will have the opportunity to earn back credit (1 point out of 12) by demonstrating an improved understanding in areas where you lost points. Each TA's workshop location will be announced
- [Doubt Everything](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/doubt-everything-2/) - We often consider trust (in traditions, in religions, in communities, in friends, in yourself) as a virtue. Today we’ll consider whether it is ever a vice. We’ll look at a defense of skeptical philosophical inquiry, one introduced by Enlightenment philosopher René Descartes. Descartes thought that a scientific approach to life requires rooting out all of
- [Escape Your Cave](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/escape-your-cave-3/) - Plato was Socrates’ most famous student and was deeply influenced by his teacher's views of how the pursuit of truth fits in with the good life. In this class session, we will introduce you to Plato’s most famous dialogue, the Republic, which features Socrates in his questioning element. We’ll read the famous Allegory of the
- [Question Everything](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/question-everything-2/) - Socrates thought that we should question absolutely everything, and even held that "the unexamined life is not worth living". In this class, we’ll consider Socrates’ approach to the good life. And we’ll ask whether there are any beliefs we shouldn’t question. Read This: Interactive Essay: The Apology Of Socrates (Plato) Key Concepts: Socratic ignorance The elenchus Do
- [Argument Capstone](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/argument-capstone/) - During this class meeting, you will be given the first of two thinkARGUMENTS Capstone assessments, which will test the skills you’ve been developing in lessons 1-6 of the thinkARGUMENTS course. To prepare for the Capstone, you can review lessons 1-6 on thinkARGUMENTS and practice argument mapping at https://thinkpuzzles.org/.
- [Don't Obsess About Morality](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/dont-obsess-about-morality-2/) - In this class we will consider whether striving to live the good means that you shouldn’t aim to be as moral as possible. Can a moral saint also be a good friend? Does being a good person mean you can't also be funny, or a good cook, or just generally weird and interesting? Can being morally good be different
- [Cultivate Your Character](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/cultivate-your-character-2/) - Utilitarians think your moral success depends on the outward consequences of your actions. Kantians think it all depends on your inward intentions. Today we look at a different theory, one that assumes that the most important part of being moral is forming your own character. We’ll also consider why we should try to be good
- [Reason Like A Champion](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/reason-like-a-champion-3/) - Philosophy is characterized, first and foremost, by it’s commitment to rigorous, logical reasoning. This is especially important when we wonder about questions that can’t be answered through observation alone. In this session, we’ll further focus on the critical thinking skills and argument mapping you’ve been working on in How We Argue. These skills will come
- [Learn to Live Well](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/learn-to-live-well-2/) - Pre-Class Questions With each day's reading, you will be given a set of questions to help you check your understanding of the material and prepare for class. Your responses are due on Canvas before class. See the syllabus for grading information. Your top 15 scores of the semester will count toward your final grade. In
- [Alleviate Suffering](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/alleviate-suffering-2/) - Do This: Register for thinkARGUMENTS. (See "thinkARGUMENTS" assignment page on Canvas for more information.) Complete lessons 1-6 of thinkARGUMENTS by Sunday, February 8. Pre-Class Questions With each day's reading, you will be given a set of questions to help you check your understanding of the material and prepare for class. Your responses are due on
- [Do Your Duty](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/do-your-duty-2/) - Immanuel Kant is famous for believing that morality is grounded in rationality, rather than personal desires. He also gives us a theory of inviolable moral imperatives: rules you must follow, no matter what, to do what is right. Most importantly, Kant holds that we have an unconditional duty to respect the freedom and dignity of
- [Welcome to GGL](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/topic/welcome-to-ggl-3/)

## Categories

- [Digital Essay](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/category/digital-essay/)

## Professors

- [Justin Christy](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/professor/justin-christy/) - Assistant Teaching Professor; Director of God and the Good Life Fellows Program
- [Paul Blaschko](https://godandgoodlife.nd.edu/professor/paul-blaschko/) - Assistant Teaching Professor; Director, Sheedy Family Program in Economy, Enterprise, and Society