Our next class will be Sunday, November 3.
(No class this Sunday.)
Last time:
At our last class meeting, we discussed responses to objections related to St. Thomas Aquinas's "Third Way" (the argument from contingency).
We then went on to consider what success is, and concluded that it all depends on what our goals are. Our definition of success will depend on our idea of happiness -- thus there is a kind of success associated with each level of happiness. Additionally, achieving a particular level of success will drive us to seek further success at that level. As with the levels of happiness, though, a crisis will occur with the lower 3 levels, though it can be the occasion to move up to a higher level. Or, we can avoid the crises by beginning to look above and beyond our current definition of happiness / success.
We learned that "quality of life" means the value that we judge our life (or another person's) to have. It depends on whether we are succeeding in fulfilling our purpose, our most important desire. But since that in turn depends on what level of happiness we choose to pursue, our subjective quality of life also depends on the level at which we choose to live. On the other hand, the objective value of each human being is both incalculable -- more than any thing in the world -- and intrinsic -- it does not depend on the conditions of that person's life.
Students were invited to summarize these insights on the Deductive Reasoning Chart class handout.
We then went on to consider four different kinds of love, or four different but related ideas that in English all go by the same name of "love"; the Greek names of storge, philia, eros, and agape allow us to distinguish them easily. Note that these are different kinds of love. Next time, we will consider how the four kinds of love work at the four levels.
Homework:
- Reflect on and discuss at home how your beliefs about happiness and success have been influenced by what you've learned in this class so far. Use specific examples to show how your beliefs have changed or have been validated. Write a brief paragraph on this topic.
- Complete the Deductive Reasoning Chart, if not completed in class.
If you missed the class and want to catch up, please check the information at the top of the resources post for this week. Please see me for the class handouts that you missed.
To go deeper:
You can find links and book titles to go deeper at the same resources post for this week. Examples include:
- A podcast on the argument from contingency.
- CS Lewis's book The Four Loves.
- A video of Ike Ditzenberger's award for inspiring others.
- Why the parable of the Prodigal Son would have shocked Jesus's listeners.
Class schedule:
The complete schedule is pinned at the top of the class blog.
As always, please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.
Blessings,
Suchi / Mrs. Myjak