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Creativity & The Good Life

 Creativity & The Good Life

What Happened to You?

From our previous lectures and readings, we explored the idea that we all began our lives as creative children. Interestingly enough, doesn't it seem as if children have a knack for living a good life: finding enjoyment in the strangest places and the simplest things?

But as we get older, our creativity seems to fade and many of us find it hard to experience a "good" life.

So what happened to us?

We'll begin our exploration of that question by reading the most famous beginning ever written. It is the story of the beginning of all things as described by the Hebrew & Christian Bible. What does this reading seem to say about creativity, the good life, and why both may be hard to find as we get older?

Read the following excerpt from Genesis Download Read the following excerpt from Genesis. 

Assignment

Do you think the two readings (Reading 1-2 and Reading 1-3) have different, similar, or overlapping answers to the question of what the good life is and how to attain it? In a short 3-5 sentence paragraph, briefly refer to specifics from each reading to support your response.  

For full credit, you must respond with at least three sentences that directly address the prompt and demonstrates you have done the reading. 

What is The Good Life? A look at creativity and Aristotle's eudamonia, v...

What is The Good Life? A look at creativity and Aristotle's eudamonia, v...

What is the Good Life?

Now that you have spent a few minutes thinking about this question on your own (please do the previous assignment first before viewing this lecture), let's explore this question together.

As you watch the lecture below, keep an eye out for answers to the following:

Why is it important to ask this question?

What is Aristotle's answer to it?

What are virtues?

In a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) share the definition of "virtues" provided in the lecture. Then, reflect on people you know who seem to have a good life. What  is at least one virtue they have that is worth cultivating in ourselves?

For full credit, you must respond with at least three sentences total.

what is creativity

 In the previous lecture, I discussed how we will try to get a sense for how to live a good life in our class by looking at the "virtues" shared by those who we deem to be creative. 

But what does excellence in creativity have to do with excellence in life?  Many creative people seem to have pretty crappy lives.

To get a better sense of this connection between creativity and the good life, we should first get a sense for what we mean by creativity. Your first assigned reading is meant to get us started with that question.

As you do the reading, keep an eye out for how the book defines creativity. What does the reading seem to say about how creativity might help you experience a good life?

Read "An Introduction" from POTD (The Power of Thinking Differently), pages 11-18 in POTD. (For those of you without our textbook, this handout Download handoutshould get you through the first week of class.)

Assignment

In a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) share the definition of creativity found in your reading and then reflect on how creativity might help you experience a good life (based on that definition).

For full credit, you must respond with at least three sentences that directly address the prompt and demonstrates you have done the reading. 

What is the Good Life?

 As you just learned, in the Humanities we ask questions about living a human life. There might be no bigger question than this: "What is a good life?" Our entire class is really about this question. 

Is a good life about being healthy? Does it have to do with wealth or status? What is it we really want out of life? 

Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, famously explored this question in a work entitled Nichomachean Ethics. Aristotle's answer (translated from Ancient Greek to English) is that the good life is about the following:

"Activity of the soul in accordance with perfect virtue."

Hmm...what does that mean? To get us started thinking about the good life and what Aristotle might have meant, I'd like you to do the assignment below.

Assignment: 5-Year Goals

What do you want your life to look like in five years? Take a moment and write down at least one specific, realistic, yet optimistic goal for each of the following dimensions of your life:

Financial/Career/Education

Romantic/Social Life

Family

Physical/Psychological Well-Being

Contribution to Your Local or Global Community.

For full credit, you must respond with at least one sentence ("In five years, I'd like .......") to each of the five dimensions listed above. That comes out to a 5-sentence-minimum total response. :-)

What is the Good Life?

As you just learned, in the Humanities we ask questions about living a human life. There might be no bigger question than this: "What is a good life?" Our entire class is really about this question. 

Is a good life about being healthy? Does it have to do with wealth or status? What is it we really want out of life? 

Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, famously explored this question in a work entitled Nichomachean Ethics. Aristotle's answer (translated from Ancient Greek to English) is that the good life is about the following:

"Activity of the soul in accordance with perfect virtue."

Hmm...what does that mean? To get us started thinking about the good life and what Aristotle might have meant, I'd like you to do the assignment below.

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Assignment: 5-Year Goals

What do you want your life to look like in five years? Take a moment and write down at least one specific, realistic, yet optimistic goal for each of the following dimensions of your life:

1. Financial/Career/Education
2. Romantic/Social Life
3. Family
4. Physical/Psychological Well-Being
5. Contribution to Your Local or Global Community.

For full credit, you must respond with at least one sentence ("In five years, I'd like .......") to each of the five dimensions listed above. That comes out to a 5-sentence-minimum total response. :-)

As you just learned, in the Humanities we ask questions about living a human life. There might be no bigger question than this: "What is a good life?" Our entire class is really about this question. 

Is a good life about being healthy? Does it have to do with wealth or status? What is it we really want out of life? 

Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, famously explored this question in a work entitled Nichomachean Ethics. Aristotle's answer (translated from Ancient Greek to English) is that the good life is about the following:

"Activity of the soul in accordance with perfect virtue."

Hmm...what does that mean? To get us started thinking about the good life and what Aristotle might have meant, I'd like you to do the assignment below.

Assignment: 5-Year Goals

What do you want your life to look like in five years? Take a moment and write down at least one specific, realistic, yet optimistic goal for each of the following dimensions of your life:

Financial/Career/Education

Romantic/Social Life

Family

Physical/Psychological Well-Being

Contribution to Your Local or Global Community.

For full credit, you must respond with at least one sentence ("In five years, I'd like .......") to each of the five dimensions listed above. That comes out to a 5-sentence-minimum total response. :-)

is the Good Life?

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As you just learned, in the Humanities we ask questions about living a human life. There might be no bigger question than this: "What is a good life?" Our entire class is really about this question. 

Is a good life about being healthy? Does it have to do with wealth or status? What is it we really want out of life? 

Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, famously explored this question in a work entitled Nichomachean Ethics. Aristotle's answer (translated from Ancient Greek to English) is that the good life is about the following:

"Activity of the soul in accordance with perfect virtue."

Hmm...what does that mean? To get us started thinking about the good life and what Aristotle might have meant, I'd like you to do the assignment below.

---

Assignment: 5-Year Goals

What do you want your life to look like in five years? Take a moment and write down at least one specific, realistic, yet optimistic goal for each of the following dimensions of your life:

1. Financial/Career/Education
2. Romantic/Social Life
3. Family
4. Physical/Psychological Well-Being
5. Contribution to Your Local or Global Community.

For full credit, you must respond with at least one sentence ("In five years, I'd like .......") to each of the five dimensions listed above. That comes out to a 5-sentence-minimum total response. :-)