“I can only answer the question ‘What I am to do?’ if I can answer the previous question ‘Of what stories do I find myself a part?’” – philosopher Alisdair MacIntyre

Is the universe best approached as a giant machine, a great mind, or a living organism? For most of human history, the answer to this enormously important question was taken to be self-evident, since it was shared by absolutely everyone in the society. Today, however, we lack any universally shared answers to this question, and so young people must now come to their own conclusions about the nature of the cosmos.

On one level, this grants young people a previously unimaginable freedom. For the first time ever, individual humans are now free to choose a worldview that works for them. At the same time, however, this new freedom also comes with an enormous responsibility: now, young people must do the work of generating their own answers about the nature of reality and their place within it. Taking someone else’s answer on faith no longer appears to be a viable option.

This course is designed to help teenagers deal with this radically new freedom and responsibility. In each class, we will discuss one key aspect of the universe, exploring how it appears from the perspective of different worldviews. Our goal will not be to advocate for any particular perspective on the universe, but rather, to support students in creating an empirically grounded worldview that aligns with their intuition and their goals.