Part 02
Practical Philosophy: Happiness
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Part 01B: Wisdom - 1B
For the Autumn Term 2022 (starting week of September 19th), this course (Introduction 1B) will build on the material presented in the introduction 1A module.
This course examines how the combined wisdom of East and West can help us find freedom, happiness and fulfilment. Jobs come and go, physical beauty fades, markets rise and fall. Even close relationships can end. But the benefits of philosophy last a lifetime. This 10-session course offers time-tested principles that lead to freedom and sustainable happiness. The course cost €50/£50.
What Would A Wise Person Do?
How can I truly be happy?
How can I be at peace?
What is Justice?
Following on from the Introductory course 1A we continue to examine the topic of Wisdom. Philosophy means ‘the love of wisdom’ and wisdom is what helps us to master the art of living. In this course we continue to learn how to apply wisdom practically in our everyday lives.
There are in person (Dublin, Cork, Galway, Derry) and online options. The inperson option is a 2 hour class with a refreshment break in the middle. Online classes are held via Zoom video (3 timeslot options) and are 75 mins long. You will be sent a Zoom link to join the class at that regular time each week over 10 weeks.
This is a course in practical philosophy that can be used in everyday life. It is not a solely academic course. This introductory course concentrates on the nature of wisdom and how it may be possible to live wisely. It is part of a foundation course of philosophy which will also cover happiness and love. These three, wisdom, happiness and love, are central to human life and so are important subjects for inquiry.
We will hear what some of the world’s great philosophers have had to say on these subjects but we will also consider them in practical ways that are relevant to our lives today. It will be conducted in a spirit of enquiry. The most important things will be what students discover themselves, the insights they have and what they find that might be valuable in their lives.
There are two main sources for the School’s philosophy: Advaita philosophy (the philosophy of non-duality), and Platonism. The School draws from many additional sources which are resonant with these two main themes. These together can be viewed as a golden thread that runs through both western and eastern philosophy.
Week 1
Weeks 1 & 2 The Threefold Energy. We will look at a model that describes the world and everything in it in relation to three energies that may be thought of as light, activity and regulation.
Week 3
Weeks 3 & 4 The Light of Reason. We will explore this faculty of mind which is used to discover what is true and right.
Week 5
Weeks 5 & 6 The Power of Beauty. If reason is appreciated in the mind, then it could be said that beauty is appreciated in the heart. When these two come together in a person and are not in conflict in any way then the experience is a unified one. This is what we will explore.
Week 7
Weeks 7 & 8 Unity in Diversity. When we look around, we see enormous diversity. Nature is full of diversity. Can we find unity in all this diversity?
Week 9
Weeks 9 & 10: The Desire for Truth. What does it mean to be a seeker of truth?
The School of Philosophy and Economic Science is a registered educational charity.
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