What is the good life and how do human beings achieve it? What makes us distinct from other species and how do we best relate to our environment? How do our relationships to our own death and the death of others influence our conceptions of living well? This course provides a comparative introduction to Asian and Western responses to these questions. By interpreting and comparing conceptions of the self, action, and the good in Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, on the one, and selected Western philosophers on the other hand, a nuanced account of the morally good and happy life will be developed.

CILO-1: Critically assess key Asian and Western perspectives on living well. CILO-2: Understand the central philosophical issues at stake in theories about the good life and how to achieve it. CILO-3: Discuss in writing and orally, and from a comparative perspective, conceptions of the self, action, and the good.