Saturday, February 9, 2008

The purpose of life

I asked my students to think about the following essay question, "What is the purpose of life". This is one of the most important questions anybody can ask. If whatever we do is destroyed in the end and there is nothing after we die, then why do anything?

Some people will come up with superficial answers like "we need to have fun" or "we need to achieve our personal goals". But this question requires an answer that has deeper philosophical insight. I used this question because,

1. For students to be successful, they need to go beyond superficial answers. This means that they need to read "difficult books" (like books of philosophy), understand them and explain the content in their own word

2. Ultimately, students need to develop a personal opinion. Getting an education is more than simply getting a piece of paper. It means that somebody has matured. He or she must have spent their time wrestling with meaningful and life-changing questions and come out victorious.

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