What do you think?
Rate this book
The Meaning of Life - Perspectives from the World's Great Intellectual Traditions
The Meaning of Perspectives from the World's Great Intellectual Traditions is an invigorating way to begin or to continue your pursuit of these questions, with no previous background in philosophical or religious thought required. Its 36 lectures offer a rigorous and wide-ranging exploration of what various spiritual, religious, and philosophical traditions from both the East and the West have contributed to this profound line of questioning. Guided by Professor Jay L. Garfield of Smith College—as well as of the University of Massachusetts, Melbourne University in Australia, and the Central University of Tibetan Studies in India—you'll gain insights from a broad array of sources, including Ancient Indian texts, including the Bhagavad-Gita Foundational Chinese texts such as the Daodejing and the Chuang Tzu Classical Western texts such as Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics and Marcus Aurelius's Meditations Modern philosophers such as David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Leo Tolstoy The unique perspectives offered by Native Americans; in this case, the Lakota Sioux medicine man and writer, John Lame Deer More recent and contemporary philosophers, such as Mohandas Gandhi and the Dalai Lama
Audio CD
First published January 1, 2011
54 people are currently reading
668 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
December 21, 2021
Probably the best great course lecture I’ve listened to.
For these lectures, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and each lecture entertains but in totality they separated the bullshit inherent in life and point towards how each of us should think about our finite existence in this sea-of-shit that surrounds us.
One way to break through all of the crap that shrouds our meaning is to see how various great thinkers and traditions had previously resolved the paradox that separates us from our true selves.
It is up to the individual to determine their meaning for themselves and each of these lectures show the truth in that statement. We’re given one life time to figure it out and this lecture series helps in doing just that.
Nearly everything around us distracts us from our authentic selves and this course is a happy exception to the rule; and how these lectures point out there is no simple solution and whether it is the sound of one hand clapping, Job challenging God, Hume making reason a slave to the passions, Nietzsche using reason to displace reason, or as Lame Deer the Lakota philosopher warns us that modern society misdirects us by reorienting our values from the important to the profitable for the corporations we each are entrapped such that we don’t even have the words or the wherewithal to realize that we are separated from our best nature.
For these lectures, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and each lecture entertains but in totality they separated the bullshit inherent in life and point towards how each of us should think about our finite existence in this sea-of-shit that surrounds us.
One way to break through all of the crap that shrouds our meaning is to see how various great thinkers and traditions had previously resolved the paradox that separates us from our true selves.
It is up to the individual to determine their meaning for themselves and each of these lectures show the truth in that statement. We’re given one life time to figure it out and this lecture series helps in doing just that.
Nearly everything around us distracts us from our authentic selves and this course is a happy exception to the rule; and how these lectures point out there is no simple solution and whether it is the sound of one hand clapping, Job challenging God, Hume making reason a slave to the passions, Nietzsche using reason to displace reason, or as Lame Deer the Lakota philosopher warns us that modern society misdirects us by reorienting our values from the important to the profitable for the corporations we each are entrapped such that we don’t even have the words or the wherewithal to realize that we are separated from our best nature.
January 17, 2017
The last lecture series I listened to was on Buddhism. Just as I was getting near the end, I found this at the library and it seemed like an appropriate follow-up or compliment. It was an interesting course to listen to and gave me a lot to think about, as well as new perspectives on some systems of thought or great thinkers. I do wonder at some of the choices though; like the only Judeo-Christian source explored is the Book of Job, which the professor admits doesn't quite fit our expectations of that tradition. Not that I think that tradition needs more attention necessarily, just that it is a strange choice, especially since I'm not even sure most people would think of it as a work about the meaning of life. Likewise, there is a single lecture given to Confucianism, a religion/philosophical system that had great influence on China and Chinese-influenced countries (Korea especially), but four devoted to Daoism, in many ways a reaction to Confucianism. Reflections like this make me wonder how much stock to place in the final synthesis and comparison of different traditions, since it is obvious that the professor had already cherry-picked the ones he presented on, and how he presented them, to fit his own outlook. There is still value to it as a whole, but one should simply be aware that there is more out there. And I also wonder if more attention shouldn't be given to context, though I can understand pros and cons to doing so. It is also a bit strange to here so much focus on textuality when many of these traditions are probably most widely disseminated through oral teaching, as is the case with this very lecture series.
July 7, 2015
This was one of my favorite great courses. Professor Garfield brings so much content and makes it accessible by explaining context and world view. One of life’s biggest questions can be determined to be “What is the meaning of life?” Taking that question and assessing the answers proposed through history and various cultures was fascinating. So, what is the meaning of life? In short there is no single answer and the answer changes through time and place.
Garfield says “Lets say there is an answer, but its not a single answer and its not a simple answer. It’s a deeply complex and deeply conflicted answer, an answer that requires us to integrate an understand and an awareness of reality in all of its complexity and in all of its adversity, to understand the difficulties that the world poses for us but also the ways in which each of those difficulties and each of those adversities contains the seeds of our overcoming it.”
Garfield says “Lets say there is an answer, but its not a single answer and its not a simple answer. It’s a deeply complex and deeply conflicted answer, an answer that requires us to integrate an understand and an awareness of reality in all of its complexity and in all of its adversity, to understand the difficulties that the world poses for us but also the ways in which each of those difficulties and each of those adversities contains the seeds of our overcoming it.”
October 12, 2021
These set of lectures explain the views of various Eastern and Western schools of thought from Hinduism's Bhagavad Gita until the Postmodern philosophy, discussing the meaning of life. The great thing was that you could see the common patterns and differences between various traditions and philosophies, and learn about the historical context of each of them. For example, Confucianism views cultural cultivation as a source of harmony in the society, but Taoism emerged as a reaction to Confucianism and views culture and even language as things we need to eliminate from our lives in order to have a more authentic and spontaneous life. The Modernist and Postmodernist lectures were also very educational for me. I learned about the evolution of modernist thoughts that started with Hume, Kant, and Mill that were influenced by the scientific revolution and resulted in the Age of Enlightenment. Also, the reaction to Modernism in the works of Tolstoy, Nietzsche, and Gandhi.
April 18, 2024
Wonderful lectures that are broad and well spoken. Perfect blend of explaining things clearly and giving much to think about. Highly recommend!
August 1, 2025
The Meaning of Life is a series of lectures that cover a variety of perspectives on life from all over the world and throughout history.
While the delivery was limited by the lecture/audio format, I think that the content is somewhat perspective building. It is amazing that people from all over the world have struggled with the meaning of life and what the heck we're supposed to do with it.
Ultimately, like all efforts to figure it out, this one doesn't bear a lot of fruit. You'll at least feel less alone in your search, understanding that people have lived and spent their entire lives wondering about the meaning of life.
While the delivery was limited by the lecture/audio format, I think that the content is somewhat perspective building. It is amazing that people from all over the world have struggled with the meaning of life and what the heck we're supposed to do with it.
Ultimately, like all efforts to figure it out, this one doesn't bear a lot of fruit. You'll at least feel less alone in your search, understanding that people have lived and spent their entire lives wondering about the meaning of life.
August 10, 2019
What is the meaning of your life?
In the course “The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World's Great Intellectual Traditions” by Jay L. Garfield for The Great Courses; they teach us traditions that go from Hinduism, Aritstotle, the book of Job, Confusion, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen and of course the philosophy of the Dalai Lama.
There are many interpretations that these traditions give to life. Perhaps what they all have in common are three things:
In order to find meaning in your life, or rather that your life is meaningful it is important:
- Spontaneity: Know how to live the moment. As the Taoists say, be where you are with full attention. Or as Zen says, react to reality directly and without the hindrance of the mind.
- Integrity: it is very difficult to live a meaningful life when you do one thing, say another and think another. A life in total falsehood makes everything lose meaning.
- Enjoy life as if you were the character of a book, where you know you have to get better and better as you go, as Nietzsche said.
In these moments in my life I feel the full meaning of it, I am happy and I have learned that a very important part of my happiness is to share my happiness with my partner.
This is perhaps the best course I've seen this year, and I highly recommend it.
In the course “The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World's Great Intellectual Traditions” by Jay L. Garfield for The Great Courses; they teach us traditions that go from Hinduism, Aritstotle, the book of Job, Confusion, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen and of course the philosophy of the Dalai Lama.
There are many interpretations that these traditions give to life. Perhaps what they all have in common are three things:
In order to find meaning in your life, or rather that your life is meaningful it is important:
- Spontaneity: Know how to live the moment. As the Taoists say, be where you are with full attention. Or as Zen says, react to reality directly and without the hindrance of the mind.
- Integrity: it is very difficult to live a meaningful life when you do one thing, say another and think another. A life in total falsehood makes everything lose meaning.
- Enjoy life as if you were the character of a book, where you know you have to get better and better as you go, as Nietzsche said.
In these moments in my life I feel the full meaning of it, I am happy and I have learned that a very important part of my happiness is to share my happiness with my partner.
This is perhaps the best course I've seen this year, and I highly recommend it.
February 25, 2025
I enjoyed listening to these lectures so much I went out and bought the DVDs. This is the third of my setting the table for 2025 trio. It is the philosophy to Awe's academic and Ordinary Mysticism's spiritual lens. Together, the three build a case for not just welcoming, but actively searching out mystery and wonder. Garfield's lectures are accessible, informative, and utterly fascinating. Obviously there are holes, no one can cover such a vast topic coherently and concisely. But this is a wonderful introduction to ideas through time and around the world.
March 8, 2012
A very thought-provoking series of lectures, spanning a wide range of schools from the Gita, Daoism, and Buddhism to Hume, Mill, Tolstoy, Gandhi, and Lame Deer, among others. Good for getting a conversation going if you watch it with someone.
November 29, 2020
The Meaning of Life
1. Bagawad Gita (Hindu Scripture): Freedom from attachment. Do your Duty and Don’t Expect Results. In this if you are part of a large organization you do your part well that’s in your control and not worry about output of the organization.
2. Aristotle (ancient Greek philosopher): Nicomechean Ethics teaches us towards “eudaemonia.” It’s translated as happiness but not at a moment but overall life and beyond. So flourish is proper translation. So, if you are a knife you do what the best knife does? good at cutting! Not only having virtues, but also having moral courage to exercise it. For Aristotle contribution to “social good” is the highest. He calls politics a “master science.”
3. Job (Bible): job suffers which he doesn’t deserve. He is good as it gets. So, why that suffering for him? Individual suffering happens in the cosmic struggle between god and evil. Sometimes evil prosper and justice fails. We deserve whatever god does to us. We are a infinitesimal small maggots! It’s hubris to think everything is arranged for me. (It reminds me of the plaque Kennedy kept on his Oval Office desk throughout his presidency “O God, the sea is so great and my boat is so small.")
4. Stoicism (ancient Rome): Focus on what’s within your control. Let go things outside your control. You can control/focus on the arrow before it’s released but whether it hits the target after that is not in your hands! (It’s similar to serenity prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr. “Life of the Stoics” is the recent book on stoicism that’s good). Focus on the inevitability of death gives meaning to life according to stoics.
5. Epicurean synthesis: Lucretius says it’s nothing to fear about death and enjoy the life you have. The extent to which we crave fame & recognition is very short lived. It’s so ephemeral and hardly worth our attention.
6. Confucius: filial piety—fundamental is respect for elders. Proprietary is important. You can see someone is classy by seeing their ordinary interactions. Successful leadership is in demonstrating behavior and not with hard hand. Cultivated spontaneity.
7. Tao te Ching: Lao tzu. The best life is simple life. Life lived spontaneously (effortless spontaneity). (Best book on Tao te Ching is Dr. Wayne Dyer’s)
1. Bagawad Gita (Hindu Scripture): Freedom from attachment. Do your Duty and Don’t Expect Results. In this if you are part of a large organization you do your part well that’s in your control and not worry about output of the organization.
2. Aristotle (ancient Greek philosopher): Nicomechean Ethics teaches us towards “eudaemonia.” It’s translated as happiness but not at a moment but overall life and beyond. So flourish is proper translation. So, if you are a knife you do what the best knife does? good at cutting! Not only having virtues, but also having moral courage to exercise it. For Aristotle contribution to “social good” is the highest. He calls politics a “master science.”
3. Job (Bible): job suffers which he doesn’t deserve. He is good as it gets. So, why that suffering for him? Individual suffering happens in the cosmic struggle between god and evil. Sometimes evil prosper and justice fails. We deserve whatever god does to us. We are a infinitesimal small maggots! It’s hubris to think everything is arranged for me. (It reminds me of the plaque Kennedy kept on his Oval Office desk throughout his presidency “O God, the sea is so great and my boat is so small.")
4. Stoicism (ancient Rome): Focus on what’s within your control. Let go things outside your control. You can control/focus on the arrow before it’s released but whether it hits the target after that is not in your hands! (It’s similar to serenity prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr. “Life of the Stoics” is the recent book on stoicism that’s good). Focus on the inevitability of death gives meaning to life according to stoics.
5. Epicurean synthesis: Lucretius says it’s nothing to fear about death and enjoy the life you have. The extent to which we crave fame & recognition is very short lived. It’s so ephemeral and hardly worth our attention.
6. Confucius: filial piety—fundamental is respect for elders. Proprietary is important. You can see someone is classy by seeing their ordinary interactions. Successful leadership is in demonstrating behavior and not with hard hand. Cultivated spontaneity.
7. Tao te Ching: Lao tzu. The best life is simple life. Life lived spontaneously (effortless spontaneity). (Best book on Tao te Ching is Dr. Wayne Dyer’s)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2019
The Meaning of Life taught by Professor Jay L. Garfield was a wonderful experience.
In the last year or so I have tried to look into my life in a more meaningful and deeper way. This line of thinking began to manifest itself once I became a father. I wanted to be someone that my daughter could emulate. And so the question "Who am I?" began to surface.
I had looked into the subject of Philosophy a couple of times and I would always end up feeling overwhelmed by the amount of different schools of thought, each with their own beliefs and terminology. I didn't know where to begin. This course served as a guiding hand in the quest for studying my life and my place in the world.
Professor Garfield does a great job at narrating the courses. He's very thorough and breaks down the ideas behind Stoicism, Buddhism, Taoism and many others. I learned about the ideas and thoughts of Nietzsche, Hume, Kant, Mill, Gandhi, Lame Deer and the 14th Dalai Lama.
The course doesn't aim to answer that grand question "What is the meaning of life?" It simply provides multiple viewpoints from different thinkers and then lets you marinate on those ideas. This was a great introductory course and it certainly expanded my horizons. I also plan on reading the texts of the many philosophers I learned about. Highly recommended!
In the last year or so I have tried to look into my life in a more meaningful and deeper way. This line of thinking began to manifest itself once I became a father. I wanted to be someone that my daughter could emulate. And so the question "Who am I?" began to surface.
I had looked into the subject of Philosophy a couple of times and I would always end up feeling overwhelmed by the amount of different schools of thought, each with their own beliefs and terminology. I didn't know where to begin. This course served as a guiding hand in the quest for studying my life and my place in the world.
Professor Garfield does a great job at narrating the courses. He's very thorough and breaks down the ideas behind Stoicism, Buddhism, Taoism and many others. I learned about the ideas and thoughts of Nietzsche, Hume, Kant, Mill, Gandhi, Lame Deer and the 14th Dalai Lama.
The course doesn't aim to answer that grand question "What is the meaning of life?" It simply provides multiple viewpoints from different thinkers and then lets you marinate on those ideas. This was a great introductory course and it certainly expanded my horizons. I also plan on reading the texts of the many philosophers I learned about. Highly recommended!
January 20, 2019
Really, really enjoyed this meander through the ancient, modern and post-modern, the western and eastern philosophical traditions centered around ‘the meaning of life’. In many ways, the lectures are more about ‘the meaningful life’ than the ‘meaning of life’ which is a small, but substantial, distinction.
The selection of texts is highly biased which may be annoying for a student looking for something more systematic or introductory. But I found the selection highly enjoyable and nuanced, and I really loved how Garfield embraces textual analysis and that one of his sub themes is about how to read different types of texts. I do consequently now have far too many things I want to read and re read after listening to this course!
I also love how Garfield balances recurring themes with substantive differences. He doesn’t try and make all the thinkers slide together into a kind of false uniformity. He highlights what is similar but also what is different. There are many perspectives to what constitutes the meaningful life and appreciating differences is often far richer and more nuanced than reducing all reflections to a bland uniformity.
The selection of texts is highly biased which may be annoying for a student looking for something more systematic or introductory. But I found the selection highly enjoyable and nuanced, and I really loved how Garfield embraces textual analysis and that one of his sub themes is about how to read different types of texts. I do consequently now have far too many things I want to read and re read after listening to this course!
I also love how Garfield balances recurring themes with substantive differences. He doesn’t try and make all the thinkers slide together into a kind of false uniformity. He highlights what is similar but also what is different. There are many perspectives to what constitutes the meaningful life and appreciating differences is often far richer and more nuanced than reducing all reflections to a bland uniformity.
November 12, 2022
This is a fantastic lecture series. It's pretty deep, and there are 36 lectures that take you all over the world.
The only reason I rate it 4 instead of 5 stars, is because it transitions from explaining philosophies that are struggling with the meaning of life, to philosophies that are rooted in the premise that the meaning of life is to lead a meaningful life. That might seem small, but it's a big leap of faith in a series that is titled "The Meaning of Life...."I was forced to back up a few times to ask myself if 1) I had missed something, and 2) ask myself if I agreed with the implicit premise. It would have been helpful to have Dr. Garfield highlight this assumption. Instead, I kept feeling like I was broadsided when he would throw out the phrase leading/living "a meaningful life" as the underlying purpose of life in many, if not all, of the lectures in the last half of the series.
Otherwise, a really phenomenal course. Incredibly broad in covering east and west. I would have like to see him include African, South American, and indigenous Australian philosophies.
The only reason I rate it 4 instead of 5 stars, is because it transitions from explaining philosophies that are struggling with the meaning of life, to philosophies that are rooted in the premise that the meaning of life is to lead a meaningful life. That might seem small, but it's a big leap of faith in a series that is titled "The Meaning of Life...."I was forced to back up a few times to ask myself if 1) I had missed something, and 2) ask myself if I agreed with the implicit premise. It would have been helpful to have Dr. Garfield highlight this assumption. Instead, I kept feeling like I was broadsided when he would throw out the phrase leading/living "a meaningful life" as the underlying purpose of life in many, if not all, of the lectures in the last half of the series.
Otherwise, a really phenomenal course. Incredibly broad in covering east and west. I would have like to see him include African, South American, and indigenous Australian philosophies.
December 9, 2018
Great courses всегда радуют хорошо подобранными лекциями от признанных специалистов.
В них всегда научный подход и систематическое изложение, масса интересной информации.
В данном случае, конечно же, это не лекция буквально "сейчас мы вам скажем в чем смысл вашей жизни". Такого рода книг с разной степенью бредовости, полно в разделе "эзотерика".
Уважаемый ученый никогда в жизни не стал бы это излагать, даже если у него реально есть свое мнение на эту тему - по понятным причинам никакие мнения об этом невозможно научно обосновать, поэтому они неизбежно окажутся в области псевдо-науки.
Эта лекция - увлекательное изложение в чем видят или видели смысл своей жизни разнообразные группы человеческого общества, как правило в связи с исповедованием определенных религий.
Интересная пища для ума, внятно и систематично изложенная.
В них всегда научный подход и систематическое изложение, масса интересной информации.
В данном случае, конечно же, это не лекция буквально "сейчас мы вам скажем в чем смысл вашей жизни". Такого рода книг с разной степенью бредовости, полно в разделе "эзотерика".
Уважаемый ученый никогда в жизни не стал бы это излагать, даже если у него реально есть свое мнение на эту тему - по понятным причинам никакие мнения об этом невозможно научно обосновать, поэтому они неизбежно окажутся в области псевдо-науки.
Эта лекция - увлекательное изложение в чем видят или видели смысл своей жизни разнообразные группы человеческого общества, как правило в связи с исповедованием определенных религий.
Интересная пища для ума, внятно и систематично изложенная.
June 21, 2024
I absolutely loved the lectures. Garfield has a remarkable ability to present complex philosophical ideas in a way that is both clear and engaging. Even though I don't have a background in philosophy, I found his writing to be incredibly accessible and easy to understand.
I also appreciated how relevant the discussions were to modern life. Garfield’s insights felt incredibly pertinent to contemporary issues and personal experiences, making the philosophical inquiries feel practical and applicable to my own life.
Overall, the book was not just informative but also profoundly reflective. It prompted me to introspect and offered new perspectives on questions I thought I had already considered. I highly recommend "The Meaning of Life" to anyone interested in exploring these deep and important questions.
I also appreciated how relevant the discussions were to modern life. Garfield’s insights felt incredibly pertinent to contemporary issues and personal experiences, making the philosophical inquiries feel practical and applicable to my own life.
Overall, the book was not just informative but also profoundly reflective. It prompted me to introspect and offered new perspectives on questions I thought I had already considered. I highly recommend "The Meaning of Life" to anyone interested in exploring these deep and important questions.
February 22, 2021
These Great Courses have really made my morning commute something to look forward to instead of something to dread! I loved this one... my first two Great Courses (both by John McWhorter) were more humorous than this, but this went deeper into a lot of areas I was very interested in learning about. Now time to add five or six of the texts he's talking about to my To-Read list! Oh, the trials and tribulations of paring down a To-Read list...
(Favorite bits: Garfield elaborating on and giving me way more appreciation for the Tao te Ching, which I had just read; a reminder to re-read Meditations by Aurelius; Lame Deer's pure-fire putdown on "civilized" culture; everything on Santideva and Zen Buddhism)
(Favorite bits: Garfield elaborating on and giving me way more appreciation for the Tao te Ching, which I had just read; a reminder to re-read Meditations by Aurelius; Lame Deer's pure-fire putdown on "civilized" culture; everything on Santideva and Zen Buddhism)
July 7, 2022
Excellent. The kind of lesson that leaves a mark in your life. Each class (or two) takes you through a different approach and point of view, in a way that you get their reasons and see their point. It all makes sense if you see things that way.
It’s so well explained, that this happens with every philosophy (except with Jobs. As a former catholic, I find religion too “unbelievable” to agree on anything)
And so the main takeaway from this class, for me, was not about the meaning of my life but discovering a new understanding, and more empathy towards other views and different paths in life.
Which, I guess, could be considered a step forward on my journey to a virtuous and meaningful life, right???? Am I winning yet?? What was the point again?? 😂😂😂
It’s so well explained, that this happens with every philosophy (except with Jobs. As a former catholic, I find religion too “unbelievable” to agree on anything)
And so the main takeaway from this class, for me, was not about the meaning of my life but discovering a new understanding, and more empathy towards other views and different paths in life.
Which, I guess, could be considered a step forward on my journey to a virtuous and meaningful life, right???? Am I winning yet?? What was the point again?? 😂😂😂
February 25, 2020
Professor Garfield clearly states that "simplify life is always dangerous," and how fitting is that when it comes to this course. Covering such an ample subject, through such a long period and different places, is no easy or straightforward task, but Garfield manages it with aplomb.
His take on the book of Job and Nietzche is fascinating, if not so usual, and in the classic works of many other traditions is bright and with powerful, crystalline synthesis.
You won't finish this audible with a newly acquired meaning of life, nor you should, but with a little effort, you may experience some powerful insights, and that makes it well worth it.
His take on the book of Job and Nietzche is fascinating, if not so usual, and in the classic works of many other traditions is bright and with powerful, crystalline synthesis.
You won't finish this audible with a newly acquired meaning of life, nor you should, but with a little effort, you may experience some powerful insights, and that makes it well worth it.
August 13, 2021
These 36 lectures present a survey-view of the meaning of life as seen through a variety of the world's philosophers and cultures. Many, but not all, present their philosophies from a religious point of view, while others (notably Hume, Mills and Kant) are more secular. Professor Garfield succeeds in lecturing and not preaching...this is not a course in comparative religions...though I did notice some of his preferences, particularly in Eastern philosophies.
These are very good, informative lectures that will need to be revisited and further digested!
Recommended
These are very good, informative lectures that will need to be revisited and further digested!
Recommended
January 31, 2018
A truly first rate course on the meaning of life, feautring many great philosophies. I particularly enjoyed the bits of the Bhagavad Gita, Aristotle, and the Buddhist teachings. But I feel the course misses some of the darker sides of humanity - the violent, combative, sensual and hedonistic perspectives to the meaning of life - without which I don't think the vast majority of human experience makes sense.
Still strongly recommended though.
Still strongly recommended though.
December 13, 2022
Great course on philosophy. Gives a broad historical survey of how different cultures and philosophies approach the meaning of life, from the ancient Stoics to the contemporary Dalai Lama. Even if you are not interested in the Big Question™, this is a very good introduction to different philosophies. For example, I was not familiar at all with Santideva or Lame Deer, this course introduced me to them and a whole world behind them.
November 1, 2018
This was an excellent survey of the history of the ultimate question. This series was packed with thought-provoking commentary and also brought all the necessary facts to the table. While I haven't been able to answer the question, I'll be able to form a better idea of what the question means to me.
42 is the answer.
42 is the answer.
August 15, 2022
Liked it very much. A very good intro to philosophy for a layman such as myself. For example, I never understood what post-modernism was until this book. And stoicism is so much more interesting that "passive endurance of suffering", which is what I got from the usage of the word stoic in news.
Will listen again to select chapters.
Will listen again to select chapters.
October 21, 2018
Good book/course/lectures going through different perspectives from around the world on what the meaning of life is. It is quite nice to be able to compress that knowledge in one place and be able to see some of the recurring patterns.
December 15, 2019
Best professor ever! I simply adored all his lectures. Succinct, impartial, to the point, just as a great course should be. I love how he raised my curiosity, how he made me think further, and how he connected some dots in my disorganised, but quite broad knowledge. Thank you, professor! 🙏🙏🙏
December 18, 2019
the lecturer is pretty engaging but i probably would have enjoyed it more if i wasn’t aware of the philosophers featured here and their thought prior to the course - it’s still worth checking out though for an introduction to them
August 29, 2020
So far the best summary of philosophies throughout history I've read. Perfect for those who want to understand philosophical concepts (about meaning) without being too wordy and historical in nature.
October 23, 2020
An outstanding Great Courses series. Garfield is very engaging and leads you thoughtfully through some excellent text selections. I really loved how he compared and contrasted the differing philosophies/traditions. I will listen to this again and put a couple of these texts by my nightstand.
November 3, 2018
Audible.com
January 1, 2020
Nice overview focused on a few texts from eastern, western, and native american traditions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews