By the end of this class, you will:

Be able to articulate Tolstoy’s reasons for contending

  • that the path of “rational knowledge” leads to the negation of life and meaning
  • that only through faith can we find meaning in life

    Before the Plenary

    Read This

    PHILOSOPHICAL TEXT:

    Interactive Essay: Leo Tolstoy, “My Confession”

    Watch This (1:01:03-1:04:20 only)

    Tolstoy’s “terrible vision of death,” revealed in his fictional works War and Peace and in his diary entries.

    After the Plenary

    Be prepared to discuss the following questions with your peer group at your next Discussion Group meeting: Why does Tolstoy think that the love he has for his family is not enough to give his life meaning? Is he right?