York University Dr. David N.

Stamos
AP PHIL 1100 3.0 A S 447 Ross
S1 2019 office hours: by appt.
T/R 12:30–2:30 CLH-H email: dstamos@yorku.ca

The Meaning of Life

Course Description:
“What is the meaning of life?” In reply to this question virtually everyone has an opinion. But
opinions are a dime a dozen, and that’s probably putting too high of a price on it. Opinions only
become interesting when reasons are given in support. Then we have not merely opinions but
arguments.
Enter philosophy. Philosophy is in the business of examining arguments, calmly and coolly,
and above all rationally, on the big issues, the big questions. Philosophers also make arguments
on the big questions themselves, as do many thinkers from other disciplines. Philosophy is not,
and this course is not, about expressing one’s feelings about this or that. (Hence never write “I
feel” in a philosophy test/exam or paper. Who cares!)
In this course we will critically examine arguments on various issues concerning the meaning
of life: Raphael’s “The School of Athens,” the relation between religion and the meaning of life,
the many meanings of meaning, the apparent absurdity of life (including from a genetic
viewpoint), whether death is a good thing, whether immortality would be a good thing, whether
we should view the glass of life as half empty or half full (or maybe we need a smaller glass), the
possibility of a meaning of life instinct, and whether we should be concerned about the extinction
of life and on Earth including human life.
The subjects of God and life after death recur throughout this course. Students taking a
philosophy course—especially this one—should neither adamantly assume that God exists or
does not, nor that life after death exists or does not, but should be able to examine various issues
from the viewpoint of each possibility and each combination of possibilities.
The goal of this course is not to reach any final conclusion on our topic, let alone to indoc-
trinate, but rather to develop an understanding of many of the answers to our question and an
appreciation of the related issues and problems. Students from all backgrounds are welcome but
should keep in mind that this is a philosophy course and intellectual curiosity is the key.

Required Texts:
Everything will be supplied via websites and pdfs

Course Requirements:
In-Class Test 25% (May 14)
Essay 30% (May 28)
Tutorial Attendance 10%
Final Exam 35% (TBA. Do not book a trip during the exam period: June 12–14)

Note:
 students who have recently suffered a death in the family, or have a loved one in the hospital
possibly on their deathbed, or are taking medication for depression, or have a serious difficulty
discussing the topic of death, absolutely without question should not take this course.
 this is a DOUBLE-SPEED course (i.e., this course is equal to two courses over the next six
weeks)
 the course consists of two two-hour lectures per week and one two-hour tutorial per
 week.
 if you miss the test or exam or want an essay extension, read below.
 plagiarism is an extremely serious offence and will be prosecuted in accordance with York
regulations (www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/_Toc89156096).
 thinking in philosophy requires not only comprehension but critical reasoning. Both are skills
that are improved, generally, by practice. This is the purpose of the tutorials. The tutorial setting
allows students to practice their comprehension and critical reasoning skills. Although the
tutorial grade will be based totally on tutorial attendance, it is expected that participation in the
tutorials will improve student grades in other areas.
 the Tutorial Grade is based exclusively on the sign-in sheets. Everyone will clearly print their
registered name on a sheet handed out twice per tutorial, once near the beginning and once at the
end of the tutorial class. There is a total of 10 sign-ins (five tutorials, two per tutorial, equals 10
sign-ins). Everyone is allowed to miss two sign-ins (same tutorial or different tutorials) and still
get 10/10. Miss three and get 9/10. And so on. There is therefore no point belaboring your TA or
me if you were sick, or had a death in the family, or were in a car accident, or got married, or
slept in, etc. The reasons and the documentation are irrelevant. If, for example, you were sick and
missed four sign-ins, then the best you can get is 8/10, which is quite fair. (Students with an
extended illness or a similar situation need to contact me, not their TA.) Also note that there is no
early-signing (if you have to leave the class early and will miss the second sign-in) or late
signing (if you came to class late and missed the first sign-in), and there is no back-signing
(signing in at a later date because you forgot or weren’t paying attention). It is your responsibility
to make sure you sign.
 tutorials (and tutorial attendance) begin the second week.
 all essays must be submitted to turnitin.com in addition to a paper copy—this is department
policy.
 the key to success in this course is to read the assigned readings slowly and carefully before
each lecture (more than once is even better, like re-watching a good movie), attend the lectures
and take lecture notes (you are strongly encouraged to voice record lectures), try to gain as much
comprehension of the course material as you can, and try to develop your critical reasoning skills
along with objectivity.

***

 if you missed the test or exam, always email me ASAP (you are required by York to use your
York email for all York business).
 taking more than three (3) days to notify me will typically result in losing the right to a makeup,
which means a grade of zero for the test or exam.

 I do not accept a doctor’s note for anything. If your reason for missing a test or exam is
physical or mental/emotional illness, you must see a physician as soon as possible and have him
or her fill out an Attending Physician’s Statement and have it stamped (otherwise it is not valid)
with their office stamp. You can email me for the APS or download it from:
http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/pdf/petitions/attending_physician_statement.pdf
 A paper copy goes to me, not to the Registrar or Client’s Services or the department.
 Students are not required to disclose the specific nature of the illness.
 The doctor MUST be a member of the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons

 the document must specify:

1) date of consultation.
 2) contact information (e.g., the phone number of the medical office, the legible name of the
health provider) that would allow verification of the document.
3) a statement that the student would not have been able to attend class (or carry out
activities) during the relevant period of time.

 if your reason for missing a test or exam is a death in the family or an accident such as a car
accident, then appropriate date-specific documentation is required, such as a copy of the death
certificate (or equivalent) in the case of the former or an accident report in the case of the latter.

 I do not accept an email attachment for anything.

 failure to keep your word that you will supply me with the required documentation will result in
your test/exam receiving a zero grade.

 for the mid-term test only, there will not be a written makeup. The percentage received on the
final exam will be applied to the value of the mid-term test. This is only, of course, if sufficient
documentation is provided for why the mid-term test was missed.

 requests for extensions on the essay are usually denied. Getting sick just before the essay is
due, or having something come up, or having a job and kids, etc., are not acceptable reasons.
You have to take responsibility for your decisions. A period of two weeks is given for writing
the essay. The essay is worth 30 marks and the late penalty is 1 mark off for each day late. If
the request for an extension is based on an extended illness or something analogous, then
whether an extension will be given and to what extent will decided by me (and only me) upon
receipt of the documentation, an APS in the case of illness. It will not be decided based on an
email etc.
 coming to the final exam and then telling me you didn’t do the essay (or doing the same by
email) is totally unacceptable. That kind of behavior will be rewarded appropriately, with a
zero for the essay.

This Course Outline is a legal document. Taking this course automatically means that you agree to
everything written above.
 Readings and Assignments

T Apr. 30 INTRODUCTION

R May 2 SOCRATES, PLATO, AND ARISTOTLE

Plato: Apology, Republic (Bk VI 508b–513e; Bk VII 514a–520a), Symposium
(210a–212a), Phaedo (117a–118a)
Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics (Bk I §§7, 10, 13; Bk X §7)

F May 3 Last day to enrol without permission of the course director

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T May 7 RELIGION AND MEANING
Stace, “Man Against Darkness”
Craig, “The Absurdity of Life without God”
Tutorial sign-ins begin this week (twice per tutorial)

R May 9 THE MEANINGS OF MEANING

Nozick, “Philosophy and the Meaning of Life”

F May 10 Last day to enrol with permission of the course director

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T May 14 Mid-Term Test / Essay topics posted on Moodle

R May 16 A SISYPHEAN LIFE

Camus, from “The Myth of Sisyphus”
Taylor, “The Meaning of Life”
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T May 21 DEATH
Rosenbaum, “How to be Dead and Not Care: A Defense of Epicurus”
Luper, “Annihilation”

R May 23 IMMORTALITY
Williams, “The Makropulos Case: Reflections on the Tedium of Immortality”
Fischer, “Why Immortality Is Not So Bad”
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M May 27 Last day to drop without receiving a grade

T May 28 PESSIMISM AND OPTIMISM

Schopenhauer, “On the Sufferings of the World”
Boden, “Optimism”
Essays due

R May 30 POETRY, PHILANTHROPY, AND PSYCHOLOGY

Dickinson, “If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking”
Schweitzer, from Out of My Life and Thought
Frankl, “Logotherapy in a Nutshell”
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T June 4 TAKING DARWIN SERIOUSLY
Dawkins, “God’s Utility Function”
Aarssen, “Darwinism and Meaning”

R June 6 EXTINCTION
Leslie, “Why Not Let Life Become Extinct?”
Lenman, “On Becoming Extinct”
Essays returned
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TBA Final Exam (on everything). Do not book a trip during the exam period (June
12–14)
 Reading Sources

Plato, Apology
http://www.sjsu.edu/people/james.lindahl/courses/Phil70A/s3/apology.pdf
Plato, Republic (Bk VI 508b–513e, Bk VII 514a–520a)
pdf via Moodle
Plato, Symposium (210a–212a)
pdf via Moodle
Plato, Phaedo (117a–118a)
pdf via Moodle
Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics (Bk I §§7, 10, 13; Bk IX §3, Bk X §7)
secondary source: https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/aristotle/
primary source: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html

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Walter T. Stace (1948). “Man Against Darkness.” The Atlantic Monthly 1948 (Sept.), 53–58.
http://www.uta.edu/philosophy/faculty/burgess-jackson/Stace,%20Man%20Against
%20Darkness.pdf

William Lane Craig (1994). “The Absurdity of Life without God.” Lecture reproduced in
William Lane Craig (1994), Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologies. Wheaton, IL:
Crossways Books, 57–75.
https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil3600/Craig.pdf

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Robert Nozick (1981). “Philosophy and the Meaning of Life.” From Chapter 6 in Robert Nozick
(1981). Philosophical Explanations. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 571–600.

http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1011404/27233324/1473353311053/Guerrero_Chapter+5+P
hilos_Meaning+of+Life+Robert+Nozick.pdf?token=NfPbiHQsadKdkkTltDpedTUtRv8%3D

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Albert Camus (1940). From “The Myth of Sisyphus.” Justin O’Brien, trans. (1955). The Myth of
Sisyphus and Other Essays by Albert Camus. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Read pp. 3–8, 12–21,
51–63. [These selections are reprinted in E.D. Klemke, ed. (2000). The Meaning of Life. 2nd ed.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 94–100.]
https://archive.org/details/AlbertCamusTheMythOfSisyphus/page/n1

Richard Taylor (1970). “The Meaning of Life.” From Richard Taylor (1970). Good and Evil: A
New Direction. New York: Macmillan, 256–268.
https://philosophia.uncg.edu/media/phi301-metivier/Taylor-TheMeaningofLife.pdf

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Stephen E. Rosenbaum (1986). “How to be Dead and Not Care: A Defense of Epicurus.”
American Philosophical Quarterly 23(2), 217–225.
https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/stable/20014142?
seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Steven Luper (1987). “Annihilation.” The Philosophical Quarterly 37 (July), 233–252.
https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/stable/2220396?
seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

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Bernard Williams (1973). “The Makropulos Case: Reflections on the Tedium of Mortality.”
Reprinted in Bernard Williams (1973). Problems of the Self. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 82–100.
https://wmpeople.wm.edu/asset/index/cvance/williams

John Martin Fisher (1994). “Why Immortality Is Not So Bad.” International Journal of
Philosophical Studies 2(2), 257–270.
https://journals-scholarsportal-
info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/details/09672559/v02i0002/257_wiinsb.xml

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Arthur Schopenhauer (1851). “On the Sufferings of the World.” Reprinted in T. Bailey Saunders,
ed. and trans. (1943). The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer: Studies in Pessimism. New York:
Wiley.
https://spiritual-minds.com/philosophy/assorted/Philosophy%20-%20Arthur
%20Schopenhauer%20-%20Studies%20In%20Pessimism.pdf

Margaret A. Boden (1966). “Optimism.” Philosophy 41(Oct.), 291–303.

https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/stable/3748578?
seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

for extra (not required) reading: Michaelis Michael and Peter Caldwell (2004). “The
Consolations of Optimism.” Essay reprinted in David Benatar, ed. (2010). Life, Death, Meaning.
2nd ed. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 413–421.
http://philosopher.io/filter/Michael-%26-Caldwell/The-Consolations-of-Optimism

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Emily Dickinson (1850s?). “If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking”
http://www.hrwstf.org/mobile_library/r2etoolkit/emily_dickenson.pdf
secondary source: http://www.hrwstf.org/mobile_library/r2etoolkit/emily_dickenson.pdf

Albert Schweitzer (1933) Out of My Life and Thought: An Autobiography. Antje Bultmann
Lemke, trans. (1988/1990). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 147–159, 232–245.
https://archive.org/details/AlbertSchweitzer-OutOfMyLifeAndThoughts

further (optional) reading: Albert Schweitzer (1965). The Teaching of Reverence for Life. Richard
and Clara Winston, eds. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,
https://archive.org/details/schweitzer_reverence/page/n23

Viktor E. Frankl (1984). Man’s Search for Meaning (Part II). 3rd ed. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 103–136.
http://ebookscart.com/mans-search-for-meaning-by-viktor-e-frankl-pdf-download/

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Richard Dawkins (1995). “God’s Utility Function.” Scientific American 273(5), 80–85.
https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/stable/24982087?
seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Lonnie Aarssen (2010). “Darwinism and Meaning.” Biological Theory 5(4), 296–311.
https://journals-scholarsportal-
info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/details/15555542/v05i0004/296_dam.xml

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John Leslie (1983). “Why Not Let Life Become Extinct?” Philosophy 58 (July), 329–338.
https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/stable/3750768?
seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

James Lenman (2002). “On Becoming Extinct.” Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 83(3), 253–269.
https://journals-scholarsportal-
info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/details/02790750/v83i0003/253_obe.xml