Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World’s Great Intellectual Traditions

Guided by a passionate professor, this course offers a rigorous exploration of what spiritual, religious, and philosophical traditions from East and West contribute to life’s biggest question.

Overview

Course No. 4320

This 36-lecture journey examines life’s meaning through:

• Sacred texts like the Bhagavad-Gita, Daodejing, and Buddhist teachings
• Philosophical giants including Aristotle, Kant, Nietzsche, and Hume
• Modern thinkers like Gandhi and the Dalai Lama
• Indigenous wisdom from Lakota Sioux traditions

What You’ll Discover:

✓ How different cultures approach life’s purpose
✓ Practical wisdom from ancient and modern traditions
✓ Common themes across diverse philosophies
✓ Ways to apply these insights to your own life

Video Lectures

Section 1: Eastern Traditions

01-04: Bhagavad-Gita (30-33 min)
Choice, duty, and cosmic purpose in Hindu philosophy

12-16: Chinese Philosophy (29-32 min)
Confucian order, Daoist spontaneity, and Zhuangzi’s paradoxes

17-21: Buddhist Paths (31-32 min)
Four Noble Truths, Mahayana compassion, and Zen awakening

Section 2: Western Classics

05-07: Aristotle (30-32 min)
Eudaimonia, virtue ethics, and the flourishing life

10-11: Stoicism & Epicureanism (29-31 min)
Rational acceptance and human finitude

23-29: Modern Thinkers (30-32 min)
Hume’s skepticism, Kant’s enlightenment, Nietzsche’s authenticity

Section 3: Contemporary Voices

30-31: Gandhi (31 min)
Satyagraha and the supernormal life

32-33: Lame Deer (28-33 min)
Lakota Sioux symbolism and critique of modernity

34-35: Dalai Lama (32 min)
Buddhist-inflected happiness in modern life

Conclusion

36: Synthesis (34 min)
Recurring themes and personal applications