Stories to Live By

‍The techniques and conventions of storytelling have changed dramatically across the arc of human history, but human beings in the digital age are struggling with the same problem of how to express meaning, define truth, and motivate cooperative social behaviour as we have done across history. Thinking about how different societies have framed these questions (and about the power dynamics informing that framing) can help us more productively to the on-going human conversation about power, knowledge, and meaning.This module surveys meaning-making and truth-seeking as a human activity from the Bronze Age to twentieth century, focusing on storytelling, mythology, philosophy and ethics. Readings will include ancient philosophy, the Abrahamic and Vedic traditions, along with modern literature and social science. Our discussion themes will aim to give students a chance to think about these writers in their historical context, but also furnish tools and opportunities to explore how stories from the distant and recent past can support or challenge our efforts as modern people to make sense of the world in which we live.