Open to current undergraduate students at the University of Chicago. Registration is capped at 25. Students who register after capacity has been reached will be put on a waitlist. All registrants will be provided with a free copy of the text.
The Fundamental Questions Seminar and the Nicklin Fellows are made possible by the First Analysis Institute. “How to Find Yourself on a Deserted Island: Ibn Tufayl’s Philosophical Tale” is presented in partnership with the Seldon Institute.
In the winter quarter, we will discuss Hayy Ibn Yaqzan by Ibn Tufayl (d. 1185). This philosophical tale from medieval Spain tells the story of a child who comes of age on an island, without the influence of any human society. The text explores what a thoughtful human being — with no religious or cultural tradition — might think about God, the world, and the place of humanity in it.
Schedule
6:00 PM Dinner | 6:15 PM Discussion | 7:30 PM Close
The seminar will meet on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 7:30 on Jan. 22, Feb. 5, and Feb. 19 (Wednesday evenings in weeks 3, 5, and 7) at Gavin House, the home of the Lumen Christi Institute (1220 E 58th St).
Reading Syllabus TBD
This event is part of Lumen Christi’s Fundamental Questions program, a quarterly seminar designed for undergraduate students at the University of Chicago. By fostering intellectually rigorous conversation around culturally resonant texts, we aim to allow students to experience the force of the deep existential concerns which animate our lives: “Where do my values come from? What is the good life? How can I become happy?” Our aim is not to answer such fundamental questions, but rather to equip students with the intellectual skills needed to recognize and articulate them for themselves. This group welcomes students from all religious and philosophical backgrounds because existential questions of being are of concern to all.
In addition, undergraduate students who participate in this seminar are eligible to become “Nicklin Fellows.” These fellows will have exclusive access to research and development grant funds to pursue their intellectual interests. Grants can be used to do things like the following:
- Organize a reading group
- Bring a speaker to campus
- Organize a movie night
- Develop and plan future fundamental questions seminars
- Write a paper for a journal
- And more!