UserPreferences

NexusOfNewtonAndNietzsche

A class I created and taught for two years at the AcademicTalentDevelopmentProgram at UcBerkeley.

[WWW]1996 SD Social Sciences: 

1541 - The Nexus of Newton and Nietzsche
Instructor: Raymond Yee
Course Schedule - T/F, 1-4:30
Tuition and Materials Fees - $330, $16
Recommended Credits - 5

Virtually every aspect of modern life displays the fingerprints of world views, which permeate not only the humanities and arts but also the study of science and technology. In this course, we will tackle some of the "big questions" such as "Who are we as human beings? What is truth? How do we know anything at all? Is morality a matter of opinion?"

Although these questions may seem to be removed from daily life, world views-our answers to these basic questions--profoundly influence how we think and what we do, even without our conscious awareness. In this course, we will work on becoming more conscious of world views-our own and those of others. We will take a historical look at some of the great world view systems, concentrating primarily on how dominant world views are manifest today. Many hotly debated social and personal issues are actually conflicts about the big questions. We will brush for the fingerprints of world views using specific examples ranging from traditional essays, newspaper articles, PBS documentaries, political speeches to advertisements, movies, and rock videos.

The class will be run primarily as a seminar, supplemented by lectures. We will focus on reading texts critically, conducting detailed research, sharing our findings through essays and oral presentations, and learning through open discussion.