'Tell them I've had a wonderful life': The Philosophy of How to Live Well



Overview

This course is about the essential elements of living a fulfilling and meaningful life, taking Wittgenstein’s famous final words as a touchstone. How are pleasurable experiences, the fulfilment of desires, and the pursuit of personal goals weighted when it comes to happiness? Why does pursuing well-being through external markers of success- wealth, status, comfort- so often leave us with a form of happiness that feels hollow?

As humans we tend to seek meaning by connecting to something larger than ourselves, whether through relationships, causes, or creative endeavours. Come and explore what philosophy has to contribute to the debate and take part in the discussion on how plausible and inspiring some of its theories and answers are.     

This course is part of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) programme.

Programme details

Seminars

Participants are taught in small seminar groups of up to 10 students, and receive two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor.

Sunday

Seminar 1

What do we mean by 'happiness', 'well-being' and 'flourishing' and can happiness really be measured?

Seminar 2

There have been a number of philosophical outlooks on what produces a happy life. In this session we start exploring the first of several theories on happiness and well-being: the hedonic approach.

Monday

Seminar 3

Is there a connection between personal satisfaction and happiness? Are all desires good for us? How does desire-fulfilment theory fare as an alternative to hedonism?

Seminar 4

A very different way of thinking about well-being is to think about what kinds of thing comprise a good life. Are there objective values and goods we should pursue if we wanted to flourish? The objective list theory suggests as much.

Tuesday

Seminar 5

Aristotle described the highest good to which all humans should aspire with the Greek word 'eudaimonia'. To this day it is one of the most popular conceptions for achieving personal growth. We learn why that might be.

Seminar 6

At the centre of a number of spiritual approaches is the question of what makes a happy mindset. Happy people often have a certain glow, an attractive certainty about them. We will look at Eastern and Western traditions.

Wednesday

Seminar 7

Research shows that positive relationships are one of central predictors of human flourishing. How important are other people in our pursuits of happiness?

Seminar 8

Theoretically it is possible for us to be happy even if we are completely wrong in how we perceive ourselves and the circumstances of our lives. How useful or detrimental is self-deception to our ability to flourish and are pain and negative experiences necessarily bad for us?

Thursday

Seminar 9

How are well-being and death related, and is death always a bad thing?

Seminar 10

Why direct attempts to maximise happiness generally fail to achieve their goal, and why the pursuit of happiness turns out to be a complicated enterprise.

Friday

Seminar 11

What is the paradox of meaningfulness and well-being? Personal growth often emerges from the tension between comfort and meaning. Can meaningfulness be short- and long-lived?

Seminar 12

Looking back at the course we conclude with reflections on philosophy's contributions to these fundamental questions, and discuss potential insights gained.

Programme timetable

The daily timetable will normally be as follows:

Saturday

14.00–16.30 - Registration

16.30–17.00 - Orientation meeting

17.00–17.30 - Classroom orientation for tutor and students

17.30–18.00 - Drinks reception

18.00–20.00 - Welcome dinner

Sunday – Friday

09.00–10.30 - Seminar

10.30–11.00 - Tea/coffee break

11.00–12.30 - Seminar

12.30–13.30 - Lunch

13.30–18.00 - Afternoons are free for tutorials, individual study, course-related field trips or exploring the many places of interest in and around Oxford.

18.00–19.00 - Dinner (there is a formal gala dinner every Friday to close each week of the programme).

A range of optional social events will be offered throughout the summer school. These are likely to include: a quiz night, visit to historic pubs in Oxford, visit to Christ Church for Evensong and after-dinner talks and discussions.

Certification

Certificate of Attendance

All participants who complete the course will receive a physical Certificate of Attendance.

Digital badge

You will also be issued with an official digital badge of attendance. After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download this. You will be able to share this on social media and add to your email signature if you wish to do so.

Academic credit

OUSSA is an accredited summer school taught at undergraduate level; each one-week course carries 10 CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) points at FHEQ (Framework for Higher Education Qualification) Level 4.

CATS points will be awarded to students who attend all classes and complete the on-course assignment to the required standard. Please see the 'assessment methods' section below for more details.

Certificate of Higher Education

Credit (CATS points) earned from OUSSA can be transferred towards our flexible Certificate of Higher Education. This part-time, award-bearing course lets you decide what, how and where you study by gaining credit from short courses, including short online courses, in-person weekly classes and OUSSA.

For full details, including transfering credit gained from OUSSA to the programme, see our Certificate of Higher Education programme page.

Fees

Description Costs
Fee Option 1 (Single en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) £2205.00
Fee Option 2 (Double en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) 1 perso £2310.00
Fee Option 3 (Twin en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) per person £1850.00
Fee Option 4 (No Accommodation - inc. Tuition, Lunch & Dinner) £1375.00

Funding

Concessionary rates are available on a non-residential basis for those that qualify. 

The concessionary fee is for non-residential attendance only; participants will then be responsible for finding their own accommodation. See full details including eligibility.

Payment

All fees are charged on a per week, per person basis.

Please be aware that all payments made via non-UK credit/debit cards and bank accounts are subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

Course change administration fee: Please note that course transfers may be permitted in exceptional circumstances; however, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions, an administration fee of £50 will be charged.

Payment terms

  • If enrolling online: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking
  • If submitting an application form: full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of invoice date

Cancellations and refunds

Please see the terms and conditions for our open-access courses.

The Department cannot be held responsible for any costs you may incur in relation to travel or accommodation bookings as a result of a course cancellation, or if you are unable to attend the course for any other reason. You are advised to check the terms and conditions carefully and to purchase travel insurance.

Tutor

Dr Julia Weckend - Tutor

Julia joined Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education in 2014. She teaches a wide variety of courses with an emphasis on metaphysics and epistemology, and is particularly interested in the nexus of psychology, cognitive science and philosophy. Her publications are mainly in the history of philosophy. She is one of the co-authors of the Historical Dictionary of Leibniz’s Philosophy (2023).

Course aims

This course aims to familiarise students with some long-standing philosophical questions and key conceptions concerning happiness, well-being, personal flourishing and life fulfilment.

Teaching methods

The teaching methods used during this course may include:

  • Short lectures/presentations
  • Physical handouts
  • Seminars/group discussions
  • Student presentations

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will have been given the opportunity to understand:

  • the key issues that preoccupy the philosophy of well-being and flourishing, and the meaningfulness in and of life
  • the central tenets of proposed theories and how well-being and meaningfulness are understood on these views
  • their own thoughts and argue for their positions on these topics
  • how to develop and support with argument their own views on flourishing
  • how to construct a philosophical argument, both verbally and on paper.

Assessment methods

Participants are required to undertake preparatory reading and complete a pre-course assignment of 1,500 words. Although this does not count towards credit, it is seen as an important way of developing your ideas and is mandatory. The pre-course assignment is typically due in the first week of June.

You will be assessed during the summer school by either a 1,000 word written assignment or a presentation supported by individual documentation. To successfully gain credit (10 CATS points) students should attend all classes and complete the on-course assignment.

Participants will attend two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor during the week.

Please see the 'certification' section for more details about CATS points.

Application

Most courses fill quickly so early registration is strongly recommended. If your preferred course is fully booked, you may wish to add yourself to the waiting list and the Programme Administrator will contact you should a place become available.

Please note, the programme is only open to those over the age of 18.

Online enrolment (single person accommodation and non-residential)

Single accommodation, double room for 1 person and non-residential places should be booked online by clicking on the 'Book now' button at the top of this page.

Online enrolments require payment in full at the time of registering.

Enrolment form (multi-occupancy or accessible accommodation)

Those requiring twin, double or accessible accommodation (including ground/lower floor accommodation) should complete an enrolment form as these rooms cannot be booked or requested online. 

Please send the completed enrolment form to the email address below. Both the PDF and Word option of the form below are editable, so you can complete them online before saving and sending to us as an email attachment. You do not need to print and scan them. (Please use these forms only if you are making a twin or double booking for two people.)

Those who have specific requirements (eg an accessible bedroom) should contact the Programme Administrator directly at oussa@conted.ox.ac.uk or OUSSA, University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.

Accommodation

Residential options are outlined below.

Please see the 'application' section above for guidance on how to book or request the right accommodation for you.

Residential option

This includes accommodation and all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). 

View full details of Rewley House accommodation.

Non-residential option

We also offer places on a non-residential basis whereby participants can take classes and have meals (lunch and dinner) at Rewley House, having arranged their own accommodation elsewhere.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support