Splash Biography

What could be more simple and easy than the existence of the world around us? In this class, we’ll explore the ideas of some of the greatest thinkers of all time on the nature of reality; but with a twist. By analyzing the thoughts of Descartes, Hume, Nietzsche, Touring, and more, together with an in-depth look at relevant film clips including Inception, The Matrix, and Star Wars we'll explore how our world could be a dream, a computer, a parallel universe, or maybe (if we’re lucky) real life.

In this class we will seek to uncover the features, boundaries, and purposes of the self. Through philosophical thought experiments, analysis of basic psychological principles, and meaningful class discussion, we will decipher how our own ideas about identity are altered (for better or worse) by the world around us. The ultimate goal of this course is for each of us to come to a more firm understanding of who we are as individuals, and what we mean when we say “I”. By clearly defining what the self is, we can begin to discover the things in life that give us true satisfaction, as well as how to better sort through the life-long questions of “Who am I?” “What am I meant to do?” and “What should I do about it?”