The Great Courses: Audible Books & Originals
Audible sample
The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World's Great Intellectual Traditions
Audible Audiobook – Original recording
Jay L. Garfield (Narrator, Author), The Great Courses (Author, Publisher)
4.2 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
What is the meaning of life?
It's a question every thoughtful person has pondered at one time or another. Indeed, it may be the biggest question of all - at once profound and universal, but also deeply personal.
We want to understand the world in which we live, but we also want to understand how to make our own lives as meaningful as possible; to know not only why we're living, but that we're doing it with intention, purpose, and ethical commitment. But how, exactly, do we find that meaning, and develop that commitment? How can we grasp why we are here? Or how we should proceed? And to whom, exactly, we should listen as we shape the path we will walk? This comprehensive 36-lecture series from a much-honored scholar is an invigorating way to begin or continue your pursuit of these questions, and it requires no previous background in philosophical or religious thought.
It offers a rigorous and wide-ranging exploration of what various spiritual, religious, and philosophical traditions from both the East and West have contributed to this profound line of questioning, sharing insights from sources that include ancient Indian texts, such as:The Bhagavad-Gita.
Foundational Chinese texts like the Daodejing and the Chuang Tzu
Classical Western texts, such as Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics and Marcus Aurelius's Meditations.
Modern philosophers and writers like 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.
===
Audible sampleThe Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World's Great Intellectual Traditions
Audible Audiobook – Original recordingJay L. Garfield (Narrator, Author), The Great Courses (Author, Publisher)
4.2 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
What is the meaning of life?
It's a question every thoughtful person has pondered at one time or another. Indeed, it may be the biggest question of all - at once profound and universal, but also deeply personal.
We want to understand the world in which we live, but we also want to understand how to make our own lives as meaningful as possible; to know not only why we're living, but that we're doing it with intention, purpose, and ethical commitment. But how, exactly, do we find that meaning, and develop that commitment? How can we grasp why we are here? Or how we should proceed? And to whom, exactly, we should listen as we shape the path we will walk? This comprehensive 36-lecture series from a much-honored scholar is an invigorating way to begin or continue your pursuit of these questions, and it requires no previous background in philosophical or religious thought.
It offers a rigorous and wide-ranging exploration of what various spiritual, religious, and philosophical traditions from both the East and West have contributed to this profound line of questioning, sharing insights from sources that include ancient Indian texts, such as:The Bhagavad-Gita.
Foundational Chinese texts like the Daodejing and the Chuang Tzu
Classical Western texts, such as Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics and Marcus Aurelius's Meditations.
Modern philosophers and writers like 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.
===
인생의 의미가 뭔가요? 사려 깊은 사람이라면 누구나 한 번쯤 생각해 본 질문입니다. 사실, 그것은 가장 큰 질문일 수 있습니다. 심오하고 보편적인 동시에 매우 개인적입니다. 우리는 우리가 살고 있는 세상을 이해하기를 원하지만 또한 우리 자신의 삶을 가능한 한 의미 있게 만드는 방법을 이해하기를 원합니다. 우리가 왜 살고 있는지 뿐만 아니라 의도, 목적, 윤리적 헌신을 가지고 살고 있다는 것을 아는 것입니다. 그러나 정확히 어떻게 그 의미를 찾고 그 약속을 발전시킬 수 있습니까? 우리가 왜 여기에 있는지 어떻게 이해할 수 있습니까? 아니면 어떻게 진행해야 할까요? 그리고 우리가 걸어갈 길을 정할 때 정확히 누구의 말을 들어야 합니까? 저명한 학자의 이 포괄적인 36개 강의 시리즈는 이러한 질문에 대한 탐구를 시작하거나 계속할 수 있는 활력을 주는 방법이며 철학 또는 종교 사상에 대한 사전 배경 지식이 필요하지 않습니다. 그것은 동양과 서양의 다양한 영적, 종교적, 철학적 전통이 이 심오한 질문에 기여한 것에 대한 엄격하고 광범위한 탐구를 제공하며 다음과 같은 고대 인도 텍스트를 포함하는 출처의 통찰력을 공유합니다. 기타. Daodejing과 같은 기초 중국어 텍스트 및 Aristotle의 Nichomachean Ethics 및 Marcus Aurelius의 명상과 같은 Chuang Tzu Classical Western 텍스트. David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, Leo Tolstoy와 같은 현대 철학자와 작가. 아메리카 원주민(이 경우에는 Lakota Sioux 의술사이자 작가인 John Lame Deer)이 제공하는 독특한 관점 Mohandas Gandhi 및 Dalai Lama와 같은 보다 최근 및 현대 철학자.
===
Listening Length
18 hours and 42 minutes
Author
Jay L. Garfield,
Product details
Listening Length 18 hours and 42 minutes
Author Jay L. Garfield, The Great Courses
Narrator Jay L. Garfield
Audible.com Release Date July 08, 2013
Publisher The Great Courses
Program Type Audiobook
Customer reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
====
Listening Length
18 hours and 42 minutes
Author
Jay L. Garfield,
Product details
Listening Length 18 hours and 42 minutes
Author Jay L. Garfield, The Great Courses
Narrator Jay L. Garfield
Audible.com Release Date July 08, 2013
Publisher The Great Courses
Program Type Audiobook
Customer reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
====
Course Overview
What is the meaning of life? It's a question every thoughtful person has pondered at one time or another. Indeed, it may be the biggest question of all. Most of us have asked ourselves this question at some time, or posed it to somebody we respect. It is at once a profound and abstract question, and a deeply personal one. We want to understand the world in which we live, but we also want to understand how to make our own lives as meaningful as possible; to know not only why we're living, but that we're doing it with intention, purpose, and ethical commitment.
But how, exactly, do we find that meaning, and develop that commitment? How can we grasp why we are here? Or how we should proceed? And to whom, exactly, are we supposed to listen as we shape the path we will walk?
The Meaning of Life: 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 these:
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
Enjoy a Journey Rich in Knowledge and Perspective
The ability to ponder your own relationship with the universe and with others is perhaps one of the greatest benefits of being human. Even if you do not find a final answer to the question this course poses, each answer you consider cannot help but add depth and nuance to your own contemplation of how to live.
In considering the range of approaches to this question developed over the course of human intellectual history, you'll increase your own storehouse of wisdom, enabling you to shape a life that is as meaningful and satisfying as possible, heightening your appreciation of every moment.
The Meaning of Life is a course rich in wisdom, including the realization that although a single answer to the question may forever elude you, that elusiveness is no great tragedy. More important is the search itself, and the insights you'll gain as you realize that just as different traditions provide a vast diversity of answers, so, too, do they consistently return to recurring themes:
One's relationship to a larger context
The boundaries created by temporality and impermanence
The pursuit of a larger purpose, or even the goal of perfection
The value of spontaneity, even though the ideal of that characteristic differs from one tradition to another
The importance of freedom, whether from social norms and standards; religious, social, or political authority; external constraints; consumerism; or even philosophical ideas themselves
The commitment to live authentically
Find Common Ground with History's Most Profound Thinkers
For anyone who has spent time grappling with these ideas themselves, it is a comfort to see that even some of history's most profound thinkers have wrestled with these problems, engaging in a conversation thousands of years in length and rich in insight.
For example, while many of them agree on the importance of authenticity, their agreement marks not the end of the conversation, but its beginning.
Should that authenticity, as Kant and Mill believed, be epistemic, found in the hard work of serious reasoning over political, moral, and scientific issues so that we can propagate the answers we discover?
Should it be what we might call an aesthetic authenticity—a life lived truly in harmony with a beautifully visualized fundamental reality? Such a view attracted figures as varied as Nietzsche, the Zen writer Dogen, and Laozi, the possibly mythical figure credited with authorship of the Daodejing.
Or should it be instead a natural authenticity, so that you live your life as Lame Deer advocated, striving for harmony with the natural world in the face of a modern civilization whose every construct seems designed to make that impossible?
One of The Meaning of Life's great virtues is the ease with which Professor Garfield organizes and makes cohesive the vast range of perspectives. At every stage of the course, the relationship of each writer or tradition to all of the others is clear and logical, no matter how intricate or demanding a line of argument might be.
Dr. Garfield—teaching his material with extraordinary passion and thoroughness—shows great skill in unpacking the substance of each source, presenting it clearly and positioning it in its proper place within a philosophical conversation that has been going on for millennia.
And when an idea might otherwise present vexing complexities, he unveils an additional—and superbly useful—teaching skill. For Professor Garfield has the gift of analogy, enabling him to relate even the most ancient or subtle texts to your own life in ways that show their relevance to how you live today.
With The Meaning of Life, Professor Garfield has put together an intellectually gripping course that is every bit the equal of the monumental subject it sets out to explore.
36 Lectures
Average 31 minutes each
1
The Meaning of the Meaning of Life
2
The Bhagavad-Gita—Choice and Daily Life
3
The Bhagavad-Gita—Discipline and Duty
4
The Bhagavad-Gita—Union and Purpose
5
Aristotle on Life—The Big Picture
6
Aristotle—The Highest Good
7
Aristotle—The Happy Life
8
Job's Predicament—Life Is So Unfair
9
Job's Challenge—Who Are We?
10
Stoicism—Rationality and Acceptance
11
Human Finitude—The Epicurean Synthesis
12
Confucius—Order in the Cosmos and in Life
13
Daodejing—The Dao of Life and Spontaneity
14
Daodejing—The Best Life Is a Simple Life
15
Daodejing—Subtlety and Paradox
16
Zhuangzi on Daoism—Impermanence and Harmony
17
The Teachings of the Buddha
18
Santideva—Mahayana Buddhism
19
Santideva—Transforming the Mind
20
Zen—The Moon in a Dewdrop and Impermanence
21
Zen—Being-Time and Primordial Awakening
22
Taking Stock of the Classical World
23
Hume's Skepticism and the Place of God
24
Hume's Careless and Compassionate Vision
25
Kant—Immaturity and the Challenge to Know
26
Mill's Call to Individuality and to Liberty
27
Tolstoy—Is Everyday Life the Real Thing?
28
Nietzsche—Twilight of the Idols
29
Nietzsche—Achieving Authenticity
30
Gandhi—Satyagraha and Holding Fast to Truth
31
Gandhi—The Call to a Supernormal Life
32
Lame Deer—Life Enfolded in Symbols
33
Lame Deer—Our Place in a Symbolic World
34
HH Dalai Lama XIV—A Modern Buddhist View
35
HH Dalai Lama XIV—Discernment and Happiness
36
So, What Is the Meaning of Life?
===
Top reviews from the United States
applewoodTop Contributor: Blues Music
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and ChallengingReviewed in the United States on May 4, 2019
Let me begin by stating this is my favorite kind of subject (general line of inquiry; comparing and contrasting philosophical perspectives), and is especially timely at this point in my life, and so I was delighted when The Teaching Company offered such a course, and was initially impressed with Professor Garfield’s approach and abilities to steer us through almost 3,000 years of human inquiry.
So, I started off absolutely loving this course, feeling Prof. Garfield was both brilliant, sensitive and well organized in his eclectic and comprehensive presentation.
Top reviews from the United States
applewoodTop Contributor: Blues Music
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and ChallengingReviewed in the United States on May 4, 2019
Let me begin by stating this is my favorite kind of subject (general line of inquiry; comparing and contrasting philosophical perspectives), and is especially timely at this point in my life, and so I was delighted when The Teaching Company offered such a course, and was initially impressed with Professor Garfield’s approach and abilities to steer us through almost 3,000 years of human inquiry.
So, I started off absolutely loving this course, feeling Prof. Garfield was both brilliant, sensitive and well organized in his eclectic and comprehensive presentation.
But by the end I was less enthused, feeling he had lost his focus and was unwilling or unable to bring it right up to the present, regressing somewhat with his presentation of Gandhi and Lame Deer (their attitudes seem so reactionary and victimized by the modern world). The lectures on the Dalai Lama also did not really present anything new as much as express a somewhat watered down synthesis of traditional and modern approaches which we are left to surmise is Garfield’s preferred approach.
What I liked most was discovering how much I like some traditions/thinkers and how much I disagree with others. What I disliked most was Professor Garfield’s presentation of each as relatively equivalent and, not being able to respond to, question and challenge his interpretations and omissions.
Personally, I prefer the teachings of Chuang Tzu, the Buddha, their union in Zen, and the modern contributions of Hume and Nietzsche, but was surprised to discover how much I disagree with Aristotle and the Dalai Lama (feeling that they are incomplete in assigning happiness to the peak of the hierarchy of values, that instead awareness and truth are more fundamentally important – as Nietzsche said, "If you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.", and that the truth may well set us free but not necessarily make us happy). Gandhi and Lame Deer also disappointed me, as both seem to be extremists in rejecting the modern world (the real nonpolitical grass-roots democracy that is the capitalist market). If Gandhi lived such an exemplary life how come it’s not how most people want to live? It may sound good in theory, but in actuality it is no different than fundamentalist totalitarian repression, and ultimately a denial of Life in all it’s messy glory (reminding me a lot of the Taliban). Lame Deer especially sounds like a naïve and racist (and stoned) adolescent. This is odd for me to say, because I completely accept his notion of humanity being just a part of nature, but think he is being immature (and not very holistic) in his rejection of the part of this humanity that he doesn’t like (the White Man’s world), and philosophically shallow in experiencing reality via a conceptual framework of symbols. There, you can tell I thought the high point of this course was Nietzsche!
Needless to say this was a thought provoking series of lectures, and so, very worth while, even though it ended weakly. I would have enjoyed hearing a little less from Gandhi, Lame Deer and the Dalai Lama (who tainted the course with a flavor of political correctness), and more from more forward thinking and acting philosophers like, libertarian anarcho-capitalist Murray Rothbard, and neo-shamanic futurist Terence McKenna, and so have it end with a more positive and expansive embrace of the challenges of the current “post-modern” individualist/pan-global world.
On a final note, at the beginning of each lecture I was often reminded of Monty Python’s movie of the same name, which is also really excellent and broad ranging, but which ultimately delivers more (the movie actually clearly and succinctly does tell us what the meaning of life is – if only briefly midway through, just before the corporate meeting is interrupted by the absurd pirate attack…). And this odd association reminds me of both how universal the question is (even if we don't "think" about it), and how it's best approached with a healthy dose of levity.
2 people found this helpful
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Camber
4.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but doesn't go deep enoughReviewed in the United States on November 13, 2013
"What is the meaning of life?" is an ambiguous question which needs to be parsed into at least two separate questions, the first more metaphysical and the second more normative:
- What, if anything, gives our lives (or portions of our lives) objective significance?
- What should we do to make our lives subjectively better?
Unfortunately, Garfield conflates these two questions, which somewhat muddles the course and results in his not clearly addressing either question. Nevertheless, I did my best to glean potential answers from the material presented in the course, which is presented very well and often with fresh insights. The results were as expected, but still disappointing: various answers are proposed for both questions, but none of them are convincing for the first question, and they're often contradictory for the second question. Here are some key examples of this divergence:
(1) Our individual lives gain significance through our connection with our society, nature, or the divine, the latter being presumed to be objectively significant. Or accept that everything in reality is fundamentally transient and finite, including each of us, so we shouldn't really even aspire to objective significance, and we should avoid attachments and aversions. Or humbly accept that we have no clue regarding what, if any, objective significance our lives have.
(2) Rationality and intellect are vital for us. Or rationality and intellect are limited and even misleading, so we should instead rely on ways of knowing such as direct perception of reality (background as much as foreground), discerning the symbolism in all elements of reality, instinct, intuition, emotions, imagination, and meditation.
(3) The goal of our lives is to avoid suffering. Or it is to flourish and be happy. (Seems like the former suits people in bad circumstances, whereas the latter suits people in decent or better circumstances.)
(4) The quality of our lives should be judged by considering our lives as a whole. Or our focus should be on living in the present moment.
(5) We should take an engaged approach to life, savoring our experiences and/or trying to be all we can be. Or we should take a somewhat detached approach to life in order to avoid being excessively buffeted by it.
(6) It's vital that we secure our freedom to think and behave as we wish, even if that entails resisting or distancing ourselves from society and particular ideologies, and thus also accepting pluralism. Or we should learn to masterfully play our particular role in society, nature, the world, and/or the (divine) cosmos, thus harmoniously "going with the flow" and focusing on process rather than outcomes. Or we should dutifully do our part to foster progress towards a utopian society/world and/or perfected cosmos, implementing whatever change is needed to achieve that.
(7) Material things can enhance our lives. Or they represent trivial distractions which should be avoided, along with capitalism and industrialism.
What to make of all this?
As far as what might give our lives objective significance (if anything), I don't know, and I don't think anyone else does either. Various hypotheses are offered, but that's all they are. I don't see how, in principle, we could show that anything has objective significance (including God, as conceived in monotheistic religions), and the question of how we gain significance by connecting with something else is just as problematic (are the electrons in our bodies significant if we as individuals are significant?).
As far as the question of what might make our lives subjectively better, I don't think there can be any simple universal answer, applicable to all people in all times and places, at all stages of their lives. Instead, I suggest that we have to just make the best choices we can for our particular and changing circumstances, pluralistically drawing on the answers proposed by various thinkers as sources of ideas, probably tempered with moderation to avoid going to detrimental extremes. An implication is that some people may not have subjectively good lives, and of course that's the case.
Getting back to this course, I did get something out of going through it and wrestling with it (including writing this review) and I don't really want to steer people away from it but, again, beware that Garfield doesn't quite take the bull by the horns in the way that this most fundamental of all questions requires.
10 people found this helpful
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Tierno
5.0 out of 5 stars Great material. Fantastic professor.Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2021
Fascinating course with fabulous professor. It’s kind of daunting how well versed Jay Garfield is in the broad subject matter. He presents complex issues with clarity and enthusiasm. I saw a criticism that the course didn’t focus sufficiently on the Christian God or theism in general. It’s a survey course and he says from the get-go that he sampling a number of religious and spiritual movement across history. I didn’t feel short changed in the slightest.
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Doughboy
2.0 out of 5 stars What about God?Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2018
Very thorough non-theistic overview of the world's religions and their possible link to meaning in life. I listened to all 36 discs and appreciated the scholarly, philosophical lectures. I kept waiting for the author to present the major theist religions- Christianity, Islam, and Judaism as options in achieving meaning and purpose, yet he chooses the book of Job as his one biblical text and argues that God's role is simply an observer and has no personal role in ones attempt to achieve meaning in this life. Very slanted to modern Buddhist philosophy- would have been better to proclaim his omission bias early in the series or even in disc #36. God is real and loves the author and each listener, just wish He could have been given a fair shake. After listening to all 36 discs my convictions and faith run even deeper that Jesus Christ has given me full purpose and a truly meaningful life....not to mention the bonus of eternity in heaven!
One person found this helpful
===
What I liked most was discovering how much I like some traditions/thinkers and how much I disagree with others. What I disliked most was Professor Garfield’s presentation of each as relatively equivalent and, not being able to respond to, question and challenge his interpretations and omissions.
Personally, I prefer the teachings of Chuang Tzu, the Buddha, their union in Zen, and the modern contributions of Hume and Nietzsche, but was surprised to discover how much I disagree with Aristotle and the Dalai Lama (feeling that they are incomplete in assigning happiness to the peak of the hierarchy of values, that instead awareness and truth are more fundamentally important – as Nietzsche said, "If you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.", and that the truth may well set us free but not necessarily make us happy). Gandhi and Lame Deer also disappointed me, as both seem to be extremists in rejecting the modern world (the real nonpolitical grass-roots democracy that is the capitalist market). If Gandhi lived such an exemplary life how come it’s not how most people want to live? It may sound good in theory, but in actuality it is no different than fundamentalist totalitarian repression, and ultimately a denial of Life in all it’s messy glory (reminding me a lot of the Taliban). Lame Deer especially sounds like a naïve and racist (and stoned) adolescent. This is odd for me to say, because I completely accept his notion of humanity being just a part of nature, but think he is being immature (and not very holistic) in his rejection of the part of this humanity that he doesn’t like (the White Man’s world), and philosophically shallow in experiencing reality via a conceptual framework of symbols. There, you can tell I thought the high point of this course was Nietzsche!
Needless to say this was a thought provoking series of lectures, and so, very worth while, even though it ended weakly. I would have enjoyed hearing a little less from Gandhi, Lame Deer and the Dalai Lama (who tainted the course with a flavor of political correctness), and more from more forward thinking and acting philosophers like, libertarian anarcho-capitalist Murray Rothbard, and neo-shamanic futurist Terence McKenna, and so have it end with a more positive and expansive embrace of the challenges of the current “post-modern” individualist/pan-global world.
On a final note, at the beginning of each lecture I was often reminded of Monty Python’s movie of the same name, which is also really excellent and broad ranging, but which ultimately delivers more (the movie actually clearly and succinctly does tell us what the meaning of life is – if only briefly midway through, just before the corporate meeting is interrupted by the absurd pirate attack…). And this odd association reminds me of both how universal the question is (even if we don't "think" about it), and how it's best approached with a healthy dose of levity.
2 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport abuse
Camber
4.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but doesn't go deep enoughReviewed in the United States on November 13, 2013
"What is the meaning of life?" is an ambiguous question which needs to be parsed into at least two separate questions, the first more metaphysical and the second more normative:
- What, if anything, gives our lives (or portions of our lives) objective significance?
- What should we do to make our lives subjectively better?
Unfortunately, Garfield conflates these two questions, which somewhat muddles the course and results in his not clearly addressing either question. Nevertheless, I did my best to glean potential answers from the material presented in the course, which is presented very well and often with fresh insights. The results were as expected, but still disappointing: various answers are proposed for both questions, but none of them are convincing for the first question, and they're often contradictory for the second question. Here are some key examples of this divergence:
(1) Our individual lives gain significance through our connection with our society, nature, or the divine, the latter being presumed to be objectively significant. Or accept that everything in reality is fundamentally transient and finite, including each of us, so we shouldn't really even aspire to objective significance, and we should avoid attachments and aversions. Or humbly accept that we have no clue regarding what, if any, objective significance our lives have.
(2) Rationality and intellect are vital for us. Or rationality and intellect are limited and even misleading, so we should instead rely on ways of knowing such as direct perception of reality (background as much as foreground), discerning the symbolism in all elements of reality, instinct, intuition, emotions, imagination, and meditation.
(3) The goal of our lives is to avoid suffering. Or it is to flourish and be happy. (Seems like the former suits people in bad circumstances, whereas the latter suits people in decent or better circumstances.)
(4) The quality of our lives should be judged by considering our lives as a whole. Or our focus should be on living in the present moment.
(5) We should take an engaged approach to life, savoring our experiences and/or trying to be all we can be. Or we should take a somewhat detached approach to life in order to avoid being excessively buffeted by it.
(6) It's vital that we secure our freedom to think and behave as we wish, even if that entails resisting or distancing ourselves from society and particular ideologies, and thus also accepting pluralism. Or we should learn to masterfully play our particular role in society, nature, the world, and/or the (divine) cosmos, thus harmoniously "going with the flow" and focusing on process rather than outcomes. Or we should dutifully do our part to foster progress towards a utopian society/world and/or perfected cosmos, implementing whatever change is needed to achieve that.
(7) Material things can enhance our lives. Or they represent trivial distractions which should be avoided, along with capitalism and industrialism.
What to make of all this?
As far as what might give our lives objective significance (if anything), I don't know, and I don't think anyone else does either. Various hypotheses are offered, but that's all they are. I don't see how, in principle, we could show that anything has objective significance (including God, as conceived in monotheistic religions), and the question of how we gain significance by connecting with something else is just as problematic (are the electrons in our bodies significant if we as individuals are significant?).
As far as the question of what might make our lives subjectively better, I don't think there can be any simple universal answer, applicable to all people in all times and places, at all stages of their lives. Instead, I suggest that we have to just make the best choices we can for our particular and changing circumstances, pluralistically drawing on the answers proposed by various thinkers as sources of ideas, probably tempered with moderation to avoid going to detrimental extremes. An implication is that some people may not have subjectively good lives, and of course that's the case.
Getting back to this course, I did get something out of going through it and wrestling with it (including writing this review) and I don't really want to steer people away from it but, again, beware that Garfield doesn't quite take the bull by the horns in the way that this most fundamental of all questions requires.
10 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport abuse
Tierno
5.0 out of 5 stars Great material. Fantastic professor.Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2021
Fascinating course with fabulous professor. It’s kind of daunting how well versed Jay Garfield is in the broad subject matter. He presents complex issues with clarity and enthusiasm. I saw a criticism that the course didn’t focus sufficiently on the Christian God or theism in general. It’s a survey course and he says from the get-go that he sampling a number of religious and spiritual movement across history. I didn’t feel short changed in the slightest.
HelpfulReport abuse
Doughboy
2.0 out of 5 stars What about God?Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2018
Very thorough non-theistic overview of the world's religions and their possible link to meaning in life. I listened to all 36 discs and appreciated the scholarly, philosophical lectures. I kept waiting for the author to present the major theist religions- Christianity, Islam, and Judaism as options in achieving meaning and purpose, yet he chooses the book of Job as his one biblical text and argues that God's role is simply an observer and has no personal role in ones attempt to achieve meaning in this life. Very slanted to modern Buddhist philosophy- would have been better to proclaim his omission bias early in the series or even in disc #36. God is real and loves the author and each listener, just wish He could have been given a fair shake. After listening to all 36 discs my convictions and faith run even deeper that Jesus Christ has given me full purpose and a truly meaningful life....not to mention the bonus of eternity in heaven!
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There is definitely a lot new even though the Professor does try to keep things easy and smooth while avoiding the more complex
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016This lecture series is more instructive than informative, spiritual than philosophical, pre-decided than discursive.
From Gita to Gandhi, Daodejing to Tolstoy, Aurelius to Deer via Kant, Hume and others, the series covers vast landscape. By refusing to simply tickmark various subjects but spending multiple sessions on each strand, it allows the listeners to familiarize themselves without feeling rushed.
Yet, the work suffers from objectivity. This is a fault as we are listening from a professor and not a preacher. Almost all through the book (and despite the selective work of Aristotle and Kant), the subjects are chosen for their stand against the rationalistic and analytical realms while almost favoring the exotic, mystic, preternatural and paranormal. While favoring the life spent for the uplifting of the downtrodden, the series is indirectly damning the homo economicus (and not just the free market variety). There is little space for the advances in the sciences of all kind, while other life pleasures are also defined or approved of narrowly.
There is definitely a lot new even though the Professor does try to keep things easy and smooth while avoiding the more complex theories. All said and done, the meaning of life is almost concluded here on a particular type of marality (with all its shades). Not the book if you hold any other types of views as well or are not looking for any (informed, I must say) reconfirmations if you do hold similar outlooks.
From Gita to Gandhi, Daodejing to Tolstoy, Aurelius to Deer via Kant, Hume and others, the series covers vast landscape. By refusing to simply tickmark various subjects but spending multiple sessions on each strand, it allows the listeners to familiarize themselves without feeling rushed.
Yet, the work suffers from objectivity. This is a fault as we are listening from a professor and not a preacher. Almost all through the book (and despite the selective work of Aristotle and Kant), the subjects are chosen for their stand against the rationalistic and analytical realms while almost favoring the exotic, mystic, preternatural and paranormal. While favoring the life spent for the uplifting of the downtrodden, the series is indirectly damning the homo economicus (and not just the free market variety). There is little space for the advances in the sciences of all kind, while other life pleasures are also defined or approved of narrowly.
There is definitely a lot new even though the Professor does try to keep things easy and smooth while avoiding the more complex theories. All said and done, the meaning of life is almost concluded here on a particular type of marality (with all its shades). Not the book if you hold any other types of views as well or are not looking for any (informed, I must say) reconfirmations if you do hold similar outlooks.
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2015
Not an easy audition. It required me multiple rewinds and long pauses to think about and assimilate the content. As Professor Garfield suggests, you will probably feel the need for supplemental investigations and lectures. It is just that the subject is as grandiose as a clear night sky, but only so much can be said in 18 hours. And probably there is a lot which cannot be said at all, but just discovered through personal experience.
It is a fascinating travel through space and time to meet some great thinkers trying the answer the question every rational being will ask: "What is the meaning of life"?
Not all great spiritual and cultural streams are visited (e.g. Christianity or Islam), but I guess this course is not supposed to be a complete exegesis but just a subjective guide for the first steps in a longer journey. To be credible in such an ambitious endeavor, Professor Garfield probably had to stay close to those thought lineages closer to his own nature and preferences.
If you naively expect a clear and unambiguous enunciation of the meaning of life, you will be disappointed. Instead, a kaleidoscope of ideas is presented in a rainbow of possibilities. But main threads (saving lines) are present across the whole 36 courses journey: what it means to live in a larger context, the finitude of the human life and therefore its beauty, the strife for human perfection, the meaning of freedom, living in spontaneity, how to face reality, etc.
The course is built on a rigorous scholastic discipline but it is not at all boring or pedantic. It provides a lot of soul and mind nourishment. I think it was thought as a baby walking helper for those stuck in the day to day materialistic existence but dreaming about a longer expedition in the realm of spiritual and philosophical enlightenment.
It is a fascinating travel through space and time to meet some great thinkers trying the answer the question every rational being will ask: "What is the meaning of life"?
Not all great spiritual and cultural streams are visited (e.g. Christianity or Islam), but I guess this course is not supposed to be a complete exegesis but just a subjective guide for the first steps in a longer journey. To be credible in such an ambitious endeavor, Professor Garfield probably had to stay close to those thought lineages closer to his own nature and preferences.
If you naively expect a clear and unambiguous enunciation of the meaning of life, you will be disappointed. Instead, a kaleidoscope of ideas is presented in a rainbow of possibilities. But main threads (saving lines) are present across the whole 36 courses journey: what it means to live in a larger context, the finitude of the human life and therefore its beauty, the strife for human perfection, the meaning of freedom, living in spontaneity, how to face reality, etc.
The course is built on a rigorous scholastic discipline but it is not at all boring or pedantic. It provides a lot of soul and mind nourishment. I think it was thought as a baby walking helper for those stuck in the day to day materialistic existence but dreaming about a longer expedition in the realm of spiritual and philosophical enlightenment.
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2020
I had to listen to this a couple of times because it was just so intriguing and interesting it answers a lot of questions and makes sense.
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2019
I saw this course in DVD form so I benefited from seeing Professor Jay Garfield live as well as important content visuals discussed so this review is specifically for the video, but also applies to the audio only. Garfield is outstanding. I wish I would have had him as a professor at the universities I attended, but I'll be content with this experience. In over 30+ lectures, Professor Garfield enumerated and went in depth on different religions and philosophies to discuss their ideas on the meaning of life. Garfield was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and relatable. It felt like I was back in a college class, without the exams and homework! Overall, I feel like I gained much from Professor Garfield and would highly recommend this Great Course.
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2015
Really a great introduction to a broad range of thinking about what creates a meaningful life. Engaging and clear. Not a super deep investigation into any one type of thought but deep enough to feel like I understand the broad concept with some details and key points.
This is really a sampler platter from all around the world culturally and through time to get a solid taste of different great minds. I have been looking to become more well versed in philosophy but haven't really gravitated toward one author or thought. This clarified what I am really looking for and is a great jumping off point for further reading/audio books.
This is really a sampler platter from all around the world culturally and through time to get a solid taste of different great minds. I have been looking to become more well versed in philosophy but haven't really gravitated toward one author or thought. This clarified what I am really looking for and is a great jumping off point for further reading/audio books.
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2019
The Great Courses DVD series, “The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World’s Great Intellectual Traditions” by Prof. Jay L. Garfield, explores several different philosophical and religious schools of thought from around the world. Lectures 1 and 36 are basic overviews of the entire course. Lectures 2-4 focus on the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu sacred text which consists of a dialogue between Arjuna, a historical prince of India who lived in the late tenth and early ninth century BCE, and which is part of a larger epic poem, the “Mahabharata,” which tells of a war between two sides of the same family for control of India, while lectures 5-7 focus on Aristotelian philosophy. Lectures 8 and 9 deal with the Biblical Book of Job, while lecture 10 talks about Stoicism. Lecture 11 talks about Epicureanism, the philosophy of the ancient Greek thinker, Epicurus (341 BCE-270 BCE). Lecture 12 focuses on the philosophy of Confucius (551 BCE-479 BCE), while lectures 13-16 focus on Taoism, more specifically on the Taoist text known as the Daodejing and the worldview of Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi) (369 BCE-286 BCE). Lecture 17 talks about Theravada Buddhism (the form of Buddhism traditionally considered to be the “original” teachings of the Buddha); Lecture 19 deals with the teachings of Santideva (685-763 CE), an early Vajryana (Tibetan) Buddhist philosopher; Lectures 20 and 21 talk about Zen Buddhism; In lecture 22, we briefly return to ancient Greece to discuss Greek philosophy again; Lectures 23 and 24 focus on the philosophy of the skeptical philosopher David Hume (1711-1776); Lecture 25 talks about Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Lecture 27 talks about the Russian philosopher Lev “Leo” Tolstoy (1828-1910), while lectures 28 and 29 talk about Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), while lectures 30 and 31 talk about Gandhi. Lectures 32 and 33 talk about the philosophy of Lame Deer, while lectures 34 and 35 focus on the teachings of the current Dalai Lama, and lecture 36 sums up the course.
One thing many people don’t know about the story of the Mahabharata is that, according to the British historian Michael Wood, in his excellent 2007 PBS documentary, “The Story of India,” archaeological evidence suggests that the war chronicled in the Mahabharata really happened. According to B.B. Lal, the Archaeologist who discovered the evidence for the war in 1949, it happened in the year 836 BCE. It is also worth noting that, according to another professor, Grant Hardy, a professor of history and religious studies at the University of North Carolina, in his own Great Courses series, “Sacred Texts of the World,” it appears that unlike the Mahabharata, whose author, Maharishi Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa---who, it should be noted, is also credited with the compilation of the Hindu sacred texts known as the Vedas and Puranas, the term “Vyasa” or “Vyas” being the Sanskrit word for ‘compiler’---the conversation between the Indian prince Arjuna and the historical Krishna---who did exist---appears not to have happened since the Bhagavad Gita appears to have been added to the text of the Mahabharata a couple hundred years after the Battle of Kurukshetra, the battle chronicled in the Mahabharata, actually happened.
While, as I had said, the Bhagavad Gita was composed after Maharishi Vyasa had written the Mahabharata, I was extremely surprised to learn that the Bhagavad Gita was composed---and subsequently added to Vyasa’s original text of the Mahabharata---around the year 100 CE (or 200 CE, if you believe Prof. Grant Hardy, who does the Great Courses series, “Sacred Texts of the World”). That was extremely surprising to me. This means, therefore, that---depending on where one wishes to begin one’s chronology, since the entire story begins in roughly 900 BCE and ends around 800 BCE, give or take one or two centuries. I say “give or take one or two centuries” because---as I had said---the Bhagavad Gita was written between 100-400 CE---meaning that it was written between 900-1400 years after Maharishi Vyasa had written the original poem (give or take a century or so).
I am, however, bothered by how Prof. Garfield constantly bends over backward to describe the story of the Mahabharata as “mythical” or "metaphorical"---when, again---as I have said, archaeology proves that the battle described in the epic really took place. According to the British historian Michael Wood, in his excellent 2007 PBS documentary, “The Story of India,” the archaeological evidence for the Battle of Kurukshetra was discovered by an archaeologist called B.B. Lal in 1949. Prof. Lal is even interviewed about the archaeological evidence in question in “The Story of India.” Now, it very well may be likely that the dialogue that goes on between Krishna and Arjuna may not have happened. That is probably true, because---as I have said---it was originally not part of the original text of the Mahabharata, but was added later; but I have a problem with how, despite the evidence to the contrary, Prof. Garfield tries to portray the Mahabharata as nothing more than a quaint fantasy or fairytale whose sole purpose is to teach life lessons and nothing more---thus putting it in the same category as “Goldylocks and the Three Bears,” Jakob Grimm’s fairytales, or the stories of Anansi the Spider amongst the Akan peoples of Ghana and the Côte d'Ivoire. In this way, he treats the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita in the same way the famous folklorist, literary scholar and religion scholar Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) does with ALL religious stories in his documentary series, “The Power of Myth.” In sharp contrast to this perspective, which relies on what is known as "historical Positivism"---that is to say applying the principles of the philosophy of Positivism, developed in the nineteenth century by men like Auguste Comte, which asserts that the only things that are true are those that can be proven through imperial experience---or as I like to call it, the Doubting Thomas perspective (referring, of course, to Jesus' follower Thomas who, according to the Bible, did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he saw evidence to prove it with his own eyes). I say that he is a historical positivist because he clearly assumes that his study of philosophy and religion has led him to the conclusion that the Mahabharata was a "myth"---despite archaeological evidence proving otherwise. Archaeology proves otherwise. Furthermore, he inaccurately describes King Dhritarashtra as “the son of Bharata.” There is no king Bharata in the Mahabharata. Dhritarashtra is the son of a king called Vichitravirya. Also, while it is true that Mohandas Gandhi---I refuse to call him “Mahatma,” or Great Soul because I firmly believe that counter to popular mythology, he is NOT to be credited with the liberation of India because I would argue that the very reason he was a pacifist in the first place was because he SUPPORTED colonialism. Unlike other people traditionally credited with freeing their countries from colonialism---George Washington, Simón Bolívar (who liberated much of South America from Spanish colonization and gave his name to Bolivia), and Ali Ammar (founder of the Nasserist Algerian guerrilla group-turned-legitimate-political-party the FLN (Front de la Libération Nationnel---National Liberation Front) and who liberated Algeria from French colonialism)--- Remember---this was a man who LIVED in England for a very long time---even going so far as to study law there. Furthermore, I also firmly believe that those who are pacifists in the face of oppression are, in essence, enabling---and, arguably, indirectly supporting---their oppressors. The common myth that Gandhi was responsible for the liberation of India has to be done away with. My suspicion is that Gandhi only reluctantly joined the independence movement when he realized that most Indians wanted to be free from colonialism, and because, I suspect, he supported British rule, he adopted the principle of Ahimsa (pacifism) because---at the end of the day, all he was hoping for is that the British would make their tax system more fair. He didn’t want independence. He wanted justice. He wanted a fairer tax system, but when the British wouldn’t budge on that, and when he realized that this was causing the majority of Indians to want to be free from British rule, he only reluctantly joined the independence movement and, in essence, compromised by advocating pacifism in the face of British oppression because---at the end of the day---he supported British rule. This is why I find it so odd that Gandhi is held up as a national hero in India. This is why I find it odd that Prof. Garfield is portraying the Bhagavad Gita has having influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., because---remember---in order to justify his pacifism, Gandhi radically RE-INTERPRETED the Bhagavad Gita in a way which---let’s be honest---would be unrecognizable to most Hindus, despite the diversity that exists within Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita is a text that instructs Arjuna to fight the Battle of Kurukshetra because it is his duty---his Dharma---as a warrior. Reinterpreting it to make it look like a text that promotes pacifism would be to completely ignore the context in which of the rest of the Mahabharata was written. The Mahabharata tells the story of a war; and this text is basically the Hindu god Krishna telling the warrior king Arjuna that it is his Dharma---his religious duty---to fight against his cousins for the crown of India; and the fact that Gandhi tries to make it into a text that encourages people to hold hands and sing “Cumbaya” makes me wonder whether he read the same book that I---and many other scholars of religion, along with many Hindus---have read. As I had mentioned before, since archaeological evidence has proven that the Battle of Kurukshetra really did happen, Prof. Garfield is wrong when he describes the battlefield as “probably mythological.” The plain of Kurukshetra, where this famous battle took place, is located just outside of present-day Delhi.
I was also irritated by the fact that Prof. Garfield did not clarify whether or not he was talking about James Mill (1773-1836) or his son, John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), and that I had to actually watch the DVD in order to figure that out. This is a minor issue, but it would have been nice had this been clarified on the back of the box instead of referring to John Stuart Mill simply as “Mill,” since---again---there are two different philosophers---father and son---who have that surname.
If you can look past these minor flaws, Prof. Garfield’s course, “The Meaning of Life” is a course which I would recommend nonetheless.
One thing many people don’t know about the story of the Mahabharata is that, according to the British historian Michael Wood, in his excellent 2007 PBS documentary, “The Story of India,” archaeological evidence suggests that the war chronicled in the Mahabharata really happened. According to B.B. Lal, the Archaeologist who discovered the evidence for the war in 1949, it happened in the year 836 BCE. It is also worth noting that, according to another professor, Grant Hardy, a professor of history and religious studies at the University of North Carolina, in his own Great Courses series, “Sacred Texts of the World,” it appears that unlike the Mahabharata, whose author, Maharishi Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa---who, it should be noted, is also credited with the compilation of the Hindu sacred texts known as the Vedas and Puranas, the term “Vyasa” or “Vyas” being the Sanskrit word for ‘compiler’---the conversation between the Indian prince Arjuna and the historical Krishna---who did exist---appears not to have happened since the Bhagavad Gita appears to have been added to the text of the Mahabharata a couple hundred years after the Battle of Kurukshetra, the battle chronicled in the Mahabharata, actually happened.
While, as I had said, the Bhagavad Gita was composed after Maharishi Vyasa had written the Mahabharata, I was extremely surprised to learn that the Bhagavad Gita was composed---and subsequently added to Vyasa’s original text of the Mahabharata---around the year 100 CE (or 200 CE, if you believe Prof. Grant Hardy, who does the Great Courses series, “Sacred Texts of the World”). That was extremely surprising to me. This means, therefore, that---depending on where one wishes to begin one’s chronology, since the entire story begins in roughly 900 BCE and ends around 800 BCE, give or take one or two centuries. I say “give or take one or two centuries” because---as I had said---the Bhagavad Gita was written between 100-400 CE---meaning that it was written between 900-1400 years after Maharishi Vyasa had written the original poem (give or take a century or so).
I am, however, bothered by how Prof. Garfield constantly bends over backward to describe the story of the Mahabharata as “mythical” or "metaphorical"---when, again---as I have said, archaeology proves that the battle described in the epic really took place. According to the British historian Michael Wood, in his excellent 2007 PBS documentary, “The Story of India,” the archaeological evidence for the Battle of Kurukshetra was discovered by an archaeologist called B.B. Lal in 1949. Prof. Lal is even interviewed about the archaeological evidence in question in “The Story of India.” Now, it very well may be likely that the dialogue that goes on between Krishna and Arjuna may not have happened. That is probably true, because---as I have said---it was originally not part of the original text of the Mahabharata, but was added later; but I have a problem with how, despite the evidence to the contrary, Prof. Garfield tries to portray the Mahabharata as nothing more than a quaint fantasy or fairytale whose sole purpose is to teach life lessons and nothing more---thus putting it in the same category as “Goldylocks and the Three Bears,” Jakob Grimm’s fairytales, or the stories of Anansi the Spider amongst the Akan peoples of Ghana and the Côte d'Ivoire. In this way, he treats the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita in the same way the famous folklorist, literary scholar and religion scholar Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) does with ALL religious stories in his documentary series, “The Power of Myth.” In sharp contrast to this perspective, which relies on what is known as "historical Positivism"---that is to say applying the principles of the philosophy of Positivism, developed in the nineteenth century by men like Auguste Comte, which asserts that the only things that are true are those that can be proven through imperial experience---or as I like to call it, the Doubting Thomas perspective (referring, of course, to Jesus' follower Thomas who, according to the Bible, did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he saw evidence to prove it with his own eyes). I say that he is a historical positivist because he clearly assumes that his study of philosophy and religion has led him to the conclusion that the Mahabharata was a "myth"---despite archaeological evidence proving otherwise. Archaeology proves otherwise. Furthermore, he inaccurately describes King Dhritarashtra as “the son of Bharata.” There is no king Bharata in the Mahabharata. Dhritarashtra is the son of a king called Vichitravirya. Also, while it is true that Mohandas Gandhi---I refuse to call him “Mahatma,” or Great Soul because I firmly believe that counter to popular mythology, he is NOT to be credited with the liberation of India because I would argue that the very reason he was a pacifist in the first place was because he SUPPORTED colonialism. Unlike other people traditionally credited with freeing their countries from colonialism---George Washington, Simón Bolívar (who liberated much of South America from Spanish colonization and gave his name to Bolivia), and Ali Ammar (founder of the Nasserist Algerian guerrilla group-turned-legitimate-political-party the FLN (Front de la Libération Nationnel---National Liberation Front) and who liberated Algeria from French colonialism)--- Remember---this was a man who LIVED in England for a very long time---even going so far as to study law there. Furthermore, I also firmly believe that those who are pacifists in the face of oppression are, in essence, enabling---and, arguably, indirectly supporting---their oppressors. The common myth that Gandhi was responsible for the liberation of India has to be done away with. My suspicion is that Gandhi only reluctantly joined the independence movement when he realized that most Indians wanted to be free from colonialism, and because, I suspect, he supported British rule, he adopted the principle of Ahimsa (pacifism) because---at the end of the day, all he was hoping for is that the British would make their tax system more fair. He didn’t want independence. He wanted justice. He wanted a fairer tax system, but when the British wouldn’t budge on that, and when he realized that this was causing the majority of Indians to want to be free from British rule, he only reluctantly joined the independence movement and, in essence, compromised by advocating pacifism in the face of British oppression because---at the end of the day---he supported British rule. This is why I find it so odd that Gandhi is held up as a national hero in India. This is why I find it odd that Prof. Garfield is portraying the Bhagavad Gita has having influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., because---remember---in order to justify his pacifism, Gandhi radically RE-INTERPRETED the Bhagavad Gita in a way which---let’s be honest---would be unrecognizable to most Hindus, despite the diversity that exists within Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita is a text that instructs Arjuna to fight the Battle of Kurukshetra because it is his duty---his Dharma---as a warrior. Reinterpreting it to make it look like a text that promotes pacifism would be to completely ignore the context in which of the rest of the Mahabharata was written. The Mahabharata tells the story of a war; and this text is basically the Hindu god Krishna telling the warrior king Arjuna that it is his Dharma---his religious duty---to fight against his cousins for the crown of India; and the fact that Gandhi tries to make it into a text that encourages people to hold hands and sing “Cumbaya” makes me wonder whether he read the same book that I---and many other scholars of religion, along with many Hindus---have read. As I had mentioned before, since archaeological evidence has proven that the Battle of Kurukshetra really did happen, Prof. Garfield is wrong when he describes the battlefield as “probably mythological.” The plain of Kurukshetra, where this famous battle took place, is located just outside of present-day Delhi.
I was also irritated by the fact that Prof. Garfield did not clarify whether or not he was talking about James Mill (1773-1836) or his son, John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), and that I had to actually watch the DVD in order to figure that out. This is a minor issue, but it would have been nice had this been clarified on the back of the box instead of referring to John Stuart Mill simply as “Mill,” since---again---there are two different philosophers---father and son---who have that surname.
If you can look past these minor flaws, Prof. Garfield’s course, “The Meaning of Life” is a course which I would recommend nonetheless.
The Meaning of Life - Perspectives from the World's Great Intellectual Traditions
by
4.41 · Rating details · 372 ratings · 49 reviews
What is the meaning of life? It's a question every thoughtful person has pondered at one time or another. Indeed, it may be the biggest question of all - at once profound and universal, but also deeply personal. We want to understand the world in which we live, but we also want to understand how to make our own lives as meaningful as possible; to know not only why we're living, but that we're doing it with intention, purpose, and ethical commitment. But how, exactly, do we find that meaning, and develop that commitment? How can we grasp why we are here? Or how we should proceed? And to whom, exactly, we should listen as we shape the path we will walk? This comprehensive 36-lecture series from a much-honored scholar is an invigorating way to begin or continue your pursuit of these questions, and it requires no previous background in philosophical or religious thought. It offers a rigorous and wide-ranging exploration of what various spiritual, religious, and philosophical traditions from both the East and West have contributed to this profound line of questioning, sharing insights from sources that include ancient Indian texts, such as: The Bhagavad-Gita Foundational Chinese texts like the Daodejing and the Chuang Tzu Classical Western texts, such as Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics and Marcus Aurelius's Meditations Modern philosophers and writers like 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 (less)
Dec 21, 2021Gary Beauregard Bottomley rated it it was amazing
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. (less)
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. (less)
Jan 16, 2017Travis rated it liked it
Shelves: lecture-series, non-fiction, audiobook, religion, philosophy
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. (less)
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.”
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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.”
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Oct 10, 2021Koosha rated it really liked it
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. (less)
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. (less)
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. (less)
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.
Nov 28, 2020Hill Krishnan rated it it was amazing
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Apr 25, 2019Xavier rated it really liked it
Shelves: philosophy, philosophy-western, philosophy-eastern, audiobook, religion, library, great-courses
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! (less)
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! (less)
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. (less)
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. (less)
Feb 22, 2021Zach rated it it was amazing
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) (less)
(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) (less)
Jul 06, 2022Laura Martin rated it it was amazing
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?? 😂😂😂 (less)
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?? 😂😂😂 (less)
Feb 25, 2020Igor Seidl rated it really liked it
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. (less)
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. (less)
Aug 13, 2021Jim rated it it was amazing
Shelves: literature, tgc, history, philosophy, religion, social
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 (less)
These are very good, informative lectures that will need to be revisited and further digested!
Recommended (less)
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. (less)
Still strongly recommended though. (less)
Nov 01, 2018Phil Gorley rated it it was amazing
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. (less)
42 is the answer. (less)
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. (less)
Will listen again to select chapters. (less)
Oct 21, 2018Anton Nikolov rated it really liked it
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.
Dec 15, 2019Ono Mergen rated it it was amazing
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! 🙏🙏🙏
Dec 18, 2019Jason Friedlander rated it really liked it
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
Aug 29, 2020K. Ira rated it it was amazing
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. (less)
Oct 23, 2020Sharolyn Stauffer rated it it was amazing
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.
Nov 03, 2018Ville Salmensuu rated it it was amazing
Audible.com
Jan 01, 2020Christopher Hellstrom rated it really liked it
Nice overview focused on a few texts from eastern, western, and native american traditions.
Jul 07, 2020Quinn da Matta rated it liked it
I always enjoy The Great Courses and, although I did struggle to connect with the speaker, the information was still concise and fascinating.
Oct 10, 2020Gayle McMartin Hulme rated it it was amazing
Loved these lectures...great spread of in depth material on many different traditions. I really enjoyed the inclusion of Native American tradition which I had never touched on before.
Great variety and interesting synthesis at the end; a bit too much emphasis on buddhism and chapters on Lame Deer were not particularly illuminating.
Jul 31, 2022Eileen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
4.5 stars
Aug 30, 2022Aaron Miller rated it it was amazing
Great, now there's a bunch more books I need to read. ...more
I watched the video lectures instead of listened to the audiobooks.
This is a great class that surveys western philosophical ideas as well as non-western spiritual traditions. I especially gravitated towards the Taoteching and Lame Deer.
This is a great class that surveys western philosophical ideas as well as non-western spiritual traditions. I especially gravitated towards the Taoteching and Lame Deer.
