The meaning of life
Depending on the following reading: Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, pages 39-65, 69-71, 84-91, and 97-102. , 105, 109-126, 129-139, and 159-169. 171-
180, 210-247, and 326-333.
Alienation. Marx, “Estranged Labour.” April 26: Race and our exterior identities. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk (selection). May 3: Education and meaning.
Kafka, “Before the Law” and Ashbery, “My Philosophy of Life,,,,,,,,,
Requirement：Across the length of this semester, we have been returning regularly to the question of the meaning of life. This question can be formulated in
various, related ways. What makes living your given life worth the trouble it encounters? What is the most important thing that you should keep yourself
oriented to, especially during times of distress? How should you live your life as a whole? In this final paper assignment, we would like to invite you to
address directly this meaning of life question, and one or another of its variant questions, and to articulate the beginning of a philosophy of your life. As you
do this, we ask that you connect your views to the thinking of Nietzsche. You may refer to other authors as well, if you’d like, but make sure you explain how
your philosophy stands in relation to Nietzsche’s, perhaps affirming some of his views, rejecting others, and partially affirming and partially rejecting still
others. We furthermore invite you to illustrate some of your thinking with examples drawn from your personal experience. Your paper will be evaluated with
regard to the quality of your writing, the accuracy and detail of your reconstruction of Nietzsche’s thinking, and the complexity of your engagement with his
reasoning.