PFLW: Philosophy for living well
Backdrop :
Some philosophers believe that the function of philosophy is to analyze the foundations and presuppositions underlying other fields of study. Others, that it is to integrate scientific knowledge with that of other disciplines to achieve some kind of consistent and coherent world view. A major benefit of studying philosophy is that it helps develop skills in problem-solving, in analyzing concepts, in formulating clear definitions, and in asking leading questions, all of which are often emphasised as valuable 21st Century Skills. Elon Musk has also acknowledged that his success is due to the adoption of ‘first principles’ and fresh thinking, rather than by simply copying best practices.
Frederich Nietzsche exhorted us to be Ubermensch and Swami Vivekananda said “ Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached”. More recently Yuval Noah Harari (https://youtu.be/OMDlfNWM1fA ) warned us against falling into the ‘useless class’.
Philosophy teaches and unsettles us by confronting what we already know. Philosophy is a vaccination against stupidity.
In the last few years we have seen the importance and effectiveness of vaccination against a new class of viruses. Sometimes ‘ideas’ can be very damaging, and the only way to protect yourself against stupid, evil or downright harmful ideas is the Philosophical strength of the mind. It is like your immune system for your mind .
This weeklong WhatsApp delivered course will stimulate your interest in Philosophy, and help you develop your own personal Philosophy.
Flow:
Day 1: Monday: What is Philosophy ?
1.1: Some myths about Philosophy
1.2: The map of Philosophy
1.3: Key concepts in Philosophy
1.4: Philosophy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
1.5: A conversation between two Nobel Laureates ( Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore)
Day 2: Tuesday: Philosophical ideas for a meaningful life
2.1: Philosophy as a vaccination against stupidity
2.2: Developing your own personal Philosophy
2.3: Finding meaning and purpose in your life ( your Ikigai)
2.4: The 7 tasks for the 2nd half of life ( Karl Jung)
2.5: Clayton Christensen: how will you measure your life
Day 3: Wednesday: The Philosopher’s Toolkit
3.1: Utilitarianism
3.2: Deontological Ethics
3.3: Stoicism and Existentialism
3.4: Epistemology,
3.5: Ontology and Metacognition
Day 4: Thursday: The Scientific method
4.1: Science and Philosophy
4.2: Science as Public Knowledge
4.3: Falsifiability as a key feature of Science
4.4: The frontiers of Science
4.5: Our place in the universe? Are there other life forms?
Day 5: Friday: Resources for further learning
5.1: Books on Philosophy
5.2: Youtube Videos on Philosophy
5.3: TED talks on Philosophy
5.3: Blogs and websites : on Philosophy
5.5: MOOCs and other courses
Enrolment and fee payment:
As the course is delivered through WhatsApp, the enrolment process is simply that of sending a WhatsApp message to Prof MM Pant at +919810073724.
The fee for the above course is Rs 2500/- and can be easily remitted through PayTM to MM Pant ( mobile number : +919810073724).
- For those who would rather pay into a Bank account,the relevant information is : Madan Mohan Pant
- HDFC Bank, Unitech Cyber Park, Sector 39, Gurgaon
- A/c 26451000000301
HDFC0002645
- (The account number is 26451 followed by six zeroes followed by 301)
The first edition of this course will run from Monday 18th September to Friday 22nd September 2023. And thereafter during the 3rd week of every month. To know more, please send a WhatsApp message to Prof MM Pant at +919810074724