Event Details

Participants who achieve 100% attendance will receive certificates of completion.

Program Description

Everyone wants to live a meaningful and rewarding life. But is such a life even possible, given the fact that we will all eventually die? If it is, what exactly makes a life worth living? In this program we will undertake a philosophical examination of these questions, asking about the significance of death, and what is really worth having in life. We will explore the nature of happiness, focusing on several possible elements of a good life—including love and friendship, accomplishment, and honesty. We will ask whether death can really be bad for us, whether suicide can ever be appropriate, and whether it even makes sense to talk about the meaning of life at all.

Many people never get the chance to reflect systematically on questions like these. We’ll do so in a seminar-like atmosphere, where participants share their views with one another, and critically examine the choices we make in life.


Language

The language of the program will be English, with Chinese simultaneous interpretation provided throughout the program.

Registration and Fees

Space is limited, and registration is on a rolling basis.

Fees:
¥12,800 Regular
¥8,800 Groups of 3 or more
¥9,800 Early-bird (payment by 31 May)

All fees are non-refundable.

Schedule
Friday 6.30
  • 6:00 – 8:30 pm Dinner; Session 1. Happiness and the Experience Machine
Saturday 7.1
  • 9:00 – 10:30 am: Session 2. The Evil of Death
  • 10:45 – 12:15 am: Session 3. Love and Friendship
  • 12:15 am – 1:45 pm: Lunch
  • 1:45 pm – 3:15 pm: Session 4. Career and Achievement
  • 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Session 5. Having Children
Sunday 7.2
  • 9:00 – 10:30 am: Session 6. Extending Life
  • 10:45 – 12:15 am: Session 7. The Importance of Honesty
  • 12:15 am – 1:45 pm: Lunch
  • 1:45 pm – 3:15 pm: Session 8. The Rationality and Morality of Suicide
  • 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Session 9. The Meaning of Life
  • 5:00 – 6:30 pm: Award of Certificate Ceremony, Group Photo, Cocktail Reception



Contact:
Yvonne Chan
+86 152 0168 8017 (9:00 am-7:00 pm)

Please note: All attendee information collected by Yale Center Beijing through the event registration form on this website, or by any other means, will be kept strictly confidential. Yale Center Beijing will never distribute, sell, license, or otherwise make available for any purpose, any attendee information to any third party, unless otherwise required by law.

Speakers

  • Shelly Kagan (the Clark Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, and lecturer of Yale Open Course “Death”)

    Shelly Kagan

    the Clark Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, and lecturer of Yale Open Course “Death”

    Shelly Kagan is the Clark Professor of Philosophy at Yale University. Kagan’s main research interests lie in moral philosophy, and in particular, normative ethics. Much of his work centers on the debate between consequentialist and deontological moral theories, with publications on the nature of well-being, moral desert, utopia, and the connections between Kantianism and consequentialism.

    Kagan is a popular lecturer at Yale, known for his introductory lectures on Death and Ethics. His course on Death has been turned into an Open Yale Course, which is particularly popular in China and Korea. Death, a book based on this course, has been a national bestseller in South Korea.

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Tickets

Regular
Standard Price RMB 12,800
Early-bird

(payment by 31 May, 2017)

Groups of 3 or more
Standard Price RMB 8,800

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